Do controllers really use the term “pushing tin”?
ATC: I don’t think I’ve heard anybody say that since I’ve been in the building–for the last seven years. TW: Don’t you have a jargon? ATC: Well, there’s a plane called an air bus–we call ’em “scare buses,” because their climb performance is pretty good up to a point, and then they just dog it. TW: In the movie, planes seem to be at the mercy of controllers. For example, when Cusack’s freaked out because he thinks his wife Cate Blanchett is sleeping with Thornton, it’s as if passengers might die. Is that realistic? ATC: Not really. Most planes have on-board equipment called TCAS (Traffic Collision and Avoidance System). If we were to mess up traffic because we were paranoid about cheating spouses or something, the plane would still get an automatic warning to climb or descend. TW: So the air is a lot safer than it’s portrayed in the movie? ATC: Oh God, yes. TW: In the movie, when Cusack almost causes a crash, they say he “had a deal.” Is that the actual lingo? ATC: Yes. It’s not a cra
