'It was chaos': Planes collide on Toronto airport tarmac

CBC ^ | 01/05/2018 | Mallone Mullin

[D Rider]

Actually, it is an actual material. It's a British-ism. Its short for Tar Macadam, (an old type of paving.) We now use asphalt cement or not a tar based material. Typically, we call asphalt cement just asphalt or pavement, (if you do not want to be material specific.) It seems to be a favorite word of reporters trying to sound knowledgeable.

On an airport, you should describe the location such as taxiway, runway or apron. The aprons at Toranto International are concrete, so for example if it was an apron collision, then Tarmac would be a inappropriate use of terms

[Mark17]

Y’All hold a job that most people rarely even think about the Responseability and Stress You deal with constantly.

I did it for 20 years, and that was long enough. I was so sick of controlling airplanes, that I couldn’t wait to retire. I never looked back.
Sometimes I would be able to go to an observation deck at an airport, like the nice one they had at Minneapolis/St Paul, where I could see the whole airport. Then I would proceed to act like I was in the tower, controlling the traffic. Much of the time, the FAA controllers would run traffic in and out of the airport, exactly as I would have, if I was running the show. Some of us really got into it, but after 20 years, it was time to move on.

[Mark17]

then Tarmac would be a inappropriate use of terms

I never once used the word “tarmac” in the entire 20 years I was a controller. I always felt the same way you did, that it was reporters trying to sound they had a clue, when they really didn’t. To those clowns, the whole airport was one big tarmac.

[D Rider]

I never once used the word “tarmac” in the entire 20 years I was a controller. I always felt the same way you did, that it was reporters trying to sound they had a clue, when they really didn’t. To those clowns, the whole airport was one big tarmac.

Exactly, and worth repeating.

[ops33]

Makes me ask whether or not the tower had Airport Surface Detection Equipment, ASDE. This is a type of radar used to keep track of aircraft and vehicles on the airfield. Also, the article doesn’t say where on the airfield the accident occurred, on the taxiways or on the parking ramp. If the Canadian ATC follows the FAA practice, Air Traffic is not responsible for aircraft movements on parking aprons and ramps.

[mabarker1]

If the smoke/gases don’t kill you then the melted to your skin Chlothes sure could.

That’s a lot of air time!

[Erik Latranyi]

Yes, and those people with clothes melting to their skin become obstacles to passengers waiting to exit.

[The Westerner]

Thanks for reminding us of the details. The fog was all I remembered, but the issue of language was shocking back then.

[jmacusa]

Or drunks.