MONTREAL - Sylvain Morency promises that air traffic control rooms aren’t quite as nerve-wracking as they are portrayed in films.
Morency is one of 200 air traffic controllers who spend their days helping prevent plane crashes from within a quiet office several blocks away from Trudeau Airport.
He insists that nail-biting landings, near misses and aerial calamities are rare.
“When it’s depicted in the movies, it’s like ‘Oh my God, it’s going bad,’” he told CTV Montreal. “But it’s not like that at all.”
The controllers only take firm charge when planes are within five kilometers of the airport, but their preoccupations extend beyond avoiding fiery crashes: they also attempt to help airplanes save on fuel.
On a quiet day, the job can be peaceful but increased traffic can change the mellow workplace vibe.
“Once you start to get more aircraft, that's when you start to get more creative,” said Morency. “When you get really busy, that's when you'll work the hardest.”
