Child 'directed NY airport jets'

US officials are investigating how a child was apparently allowed to direct planes at New York's JFK airport - one of the country's busiest.
The probe comes after an audiotape caught the boy directing several pilots preparing for take-off last month.
In one exchange, the boy is heard saying: "JetBlue 171 contact departure." The pilot responds: "Over to departure JetBlue 171, awesome job."
The boy was apparently with his father - a certified air traffic controller.
The adult is later heard saying with a laugh: "That's what you get, guys, when the kids are out of school."
In another exchange, the child says: "MS 4-0-3, contact departure," and then adds: "Adios, amigo."
The pilot responds: "Adios, amigo."
The pilots on the tape appear to be not concerned that a child is giving them instructions.
The incident happened on 17 February, when many New York pupils were on a week-long break.
The age and name of the child and the adult on the audiotape were not immediately known.
'Not indicative' incident
The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement: "Pending the outcome of our investigation, the employees involved in this incident are not controlling air traffic.
"This behavior is not acceptable and does not demonstrate the kind of professionalism expected from all FAA employees."
The agency did not give any further details.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said the incident was "not indicative of the highest professional standards that controllers set for themselves and exceed each and every day in the advancement of aviation safely".
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'Smoking Killed Me' displayed on hearse

Funeral directors in Dover, England said they carried out the last wish of a British man who died from emphysema by placing signs on his hearse reading: "Smoking Killed Me."
Paul Sullivan of Sullivan and Sons Funeral Directors said Albert "Dick" Whittamore, who died at age 85, was buried Tuesday in Dover, England, after a procession through town with signs on the hearse bearing the longtime smoker's final message.
"Although he had reached the age of 85, he had been suffering for a while and wanted to do his bit to warn others about smoking," Sullivan said. "He specified that that's what he wanted in his will. We gave it some thought but after a while we decided that that's what he had requested."
"Dick had emphysema, which is a lung condition caused by smoking which results in people struggling for breath," a Quit spokesman said. "Dick is sending out a strong message to smokers as he doesn't want others to suffer."
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Workers lost their jobs for jaywalking

Some of the more than 40 workers in Detroit were given termination papers from a Detroit construction site said they were fired as a consequence of jaywalking.
The workers, who asked not to be identified, said they were contractors at the Marathon Oil Refinery site until bosses handed down termination notices for crossing a public street in front of the site without using the crosswalk,
"I was floored. I was in awe. I couldn't believe I got terminated over it," one worker said.
Marathon officials said the workers had recently been specifically instructed to use the crosswalk during a recent safety meeting.
"The workers were well aware of the need to follow the rules and procedures. Some, of reasons unknown, decided to take their lives in their own hands," spokeswoman Chris Fox said.
The company said the workers were suspended for 90 days, but the contractors said they were terminated and their papers specify they are "not eligible for rehire."
"It could possibly be a way to cut down the workforce and not want to pay unemployment. That would be the best way," one of the workers theorized.
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