Luckily, the failure of Ferihegy tower did not last long. But it was nevertheless long enough to cause misery to thousands of travelers. A few of them tried to find alternative means of transport, like taking a bus to Vienna and trying to secure a seat on planes there. Others, resigned to their fate, just went home and I am not sure they will ever try flying again. In any case, the experts reestablished power to the tower using a portable generator so at 7 am on the 8th of December operations could resume. Colleagues on the night shift told us that they awaited the “miracle” in the control centre as there was not much logic in going out to the tower. The supervisor acted as messenger, bringing news of how the works were progressing. In the early hours of the morning came the information that they should now return to the tower, set up the systems and be ready for the morning departures to leave on time. It must have been some night!
Not that our night shift was any better. On the night of 11 December, we switched from the generator to normal power. I was one of the lucky ones who could watch the screens go dark as the generator was switched off. A scary sight! It would have been nice to make a video of this event but these days the price you pay for something like this is being shot in the head, so it is not worth it. When all went dark and on the emergency lights twinkles forlornly in the whole building, we too moved to the rest area. Luckily, it did not take long before we could return to the control room and it was time to restart the systems. Then we watched expectantly… what would happen? Would it all work? But once again our technicians had done an excellent job and the morning peak could go ahead without any problem. Everyone was happy, some may even have had a few champagne bottles popped… Of course people at the airport company were also eagerly awaiting the news from us… but that is another story.
Following the good news, I participated in an event that is more difficult to qualify. How do you rate it when someone retires? Personally I am a bit envious of people who retire in good bodily and mental health, he or she has lived this long and can still have many enjoyable years ahead. Passing the time on the tram that was taking me to the scene of the fare-well party, I was playing with thoughts like this. I was also curious how many of us, aerodrome controllers, would be present at this “last supper” of our met colleague, Anita Koltai. We did get an email from the secretariat a while back asking us to indicate whether we would come as this was needed for the reservation. Since I have known Anita for what felt like at least a hundred years, but in any case since my arrival in the tower, there was no question that I would come. Then I heard at the dinner that I was the only (!!!) person from our side who indicated that I would come. Obviously, the guys from the met office were there in force but many of us had known Anita for a long time. At least those living near could have come… but being the only one present felt strange. I felt ashamed for all of us.
I could not avoid recalling the history of our trade union… The first union, LIFSZ, accepted not only air traffic controllers but anyone who worked around ATC. For a time the union worked quite successfully, it is due to their efforts that we now enjoy above average incomes and the collective bargaining agreements have also turned out rather nicely. Then, following a succession of changes in the leadership, divisionary politics also managed to throw a wrench into the works. Some people felt that the benefits given to non-controllers were not correct… By the early two-thousands slowly but surely ANS was getting a superiority complex and the desire to have an independent union just for us controllers was growing. So, the new union called Control was born. I could never identify with their aims and since I hate divisionary politics in all forms, I did not become a member. Back then there were still a few of us who looked upon people working in other divisions as human beings and so, even if at much reduced numbers, we stayed members of the LIFSZ. But the situation between controllers and not controllers got progressively worse (I shudder even to think about this) and the majority members took power inside LIFSZ, I could not stay there either. Since then, I am not a member in any trade union and I think this will stay like this for some time to come. Especially after the shameful absence of all the other colleagues from Anita’s farewell party. I am ashamed of being part of such a company. I took my revenge by drinking all the champagne there was!
But here is a piece of really good news for the end of the year. If I am not mistaken, on 17 December air traffic control is being provided only from the new center, ANS III and the change to the new software has also been successfully completed in the tower. No more shadow operation, no more extra people on the shifts. I am particularly glad for this latter because having an extra mouth or two shooting off in the morning does amount to noise and who needs that in the control room? I kept wondering why some people, sitting next to each other, had this urge to converse shouting? Educated people should not behave like this… May be here is something for the shrinks to study.
The main thing is, we are once again back in the normal work-flow. I will come back to some of the technical questions of the past few months during the forthcoming winter off-season.
Finally a story that would fit in any cabaret… Of course this is again something that did not start yesterday. Let’s say the story traces its origins to November last year. I have probably mentioned already that each year we are given a fall-winter prep course, complete with a simulator session. Trouble is, in September when it is still 25 centigrade outside, it is hard to remember all there is to know about winter conditions and fog. So it was that I only asked one of the airport colleagues in November whether it would be possible to hang an A4 size map showing the SRA points at some conspicuous location, so that “unwary” people coming from town would know that where they have to put on their yellow flashing beacons. This to satisfy the Airport Operations Manual that requires the yellow beacons to be operating on all ground vehicles within the SRA when the airport is using low visibility procedures. The person concerned thanked me for the idea, expressed his opinion that it was very useful and promised to take it under consideration.
I put the same question to the same person also this year. The reply was very similar, but he added that the financial situation of the airport was very difficult and so he was not sure when they may be able to place the placards. Conclusion: the Budapest Airport does not have the money to place 4, that is FOUR, A4 sheets… of course there is also the price of the ink they would use, so… I think there is nothing I need add to this.
And with this, I am putting down my pen for the year. I am not at all proud for having had the privilege of being part of the darkest year in Ferihegy Airport’s history. May be, just may be I can be a little proud of having recorded the events of this dark year in my writings. I do entertain the hope that next year I will have the opportunity to tell you about happier times, here on the pages of Roger-Wilco.
I wish all my esteemed readers a Happier New Year!
