"The thing you have to understand about that crash," Ratwatte said, "is that New York air traffic controllers are famous for being rude, aggressive and bullying.

怀特瓦特继续说："关于飞机失事的原因，有一点你必须了解，那就是纽约的空管员以粗鲁、强势、善于威吓而出名；

They are also very good. They handle a phenomenal matter of traffic in a very constrained environment.

但他们也非常好，在一个非常狭小的空间内，他们需要处理大量的空中交通状况。

There is a famous story about a pilot who got lost trafficking around JFK.

有个发生在肯尼迪国际机场非常出名的案例，一名飞行员迷路了，

You have no idea how easy this is to do in JFK once you're on the ground. It's a maze.

如果发生在路上，那么这件事会变得非常简单。但在空中，这让人不可思议，

Anyway, a female controller got mad at him, and said, "Stop. Don't do anything. Do not talk to me until I talk to you." And she just left him there.

一位女交管员对他非常恼火，并且说，"不要讲话，不要说任何东西，我问你的时候你再讲。'然后她就让他等在那里。"

Finally, the pilot picks up the microphone and says, "Madam. Was I married to you in a former life?"

最后那个飞行员拿起麦克风说，‘女士，难道上辈子你是我老婆？'"

"They are unbelievable. They way they look at it, it's 'I'm in control. Shut up and do what I say.'They will snap at you.

"真是让人难以置信。交管员认为，我在控制交通，闭上嘴，听我讲，他们会压制你。如果你不希望按照他们所说的去做，你就要还击。

And if you don't like what they tell you to do, you have to snap back. And then they'll say, 'All right, then.'

那么他们就会说，‘那好吧。'

But if you don't, they'll railroad you.

但是如果你不这样做，他们就会压扁你。

I remember a British Airways flight was going into New York. They were being stuffed around by New York Air Traffic Control.

我记得曾经有架英航的飞机飞往纽约，他们受到了纽约ATC的恶劣待遇

The British pilot said, 'You people should go to Heathrow and learn how to control an airplane.'It's all in the spirit.

一名英国飞行员说道，‘你们应该去希思罗机场学习一下怎样控制交通。'这完全是一种气势。

If you're not used to that sort of give-and-take, New York Air Traffic Control can be very very intimidating.

如果你不能习惯这种还击的方式，那么纽约ATC会变得非常非常强势。

And those Avianca guys were just intimidated by the rapid fire."

后来阿维安卡飞行员由于这个葬身火海。"

It was impossible to imagine Ratwatte, not making his case to Kennedy ATC-

无法想象如果怀特瓦特那天遇到肯尼迪的ATC，情况将会怎样？——

not because he was of obnoxious or pushy or had an enormous ego, but because he saw the world differently.

不是因为他勇气十足、积极主动、而且比较自我，而是因为他看事情的角度不一样。

If he needed help in the cockpit, he would wake up the second crew.

如果他需要队员的帮助，他就会去叫醒他们；

If he thought Moscow was wrong, well, he would just go to Helsinki,

当他认为莫斯科不是个正确的选择时，好，那么他就选择去赫尔辛基；

and if Helsinki was going to bring him in with the wind, well, he was going to talk them into bringing him in against the wind.

在赫尔辛基的空管局指引他们在风中着陆时，他就请求去适宜的地方着陆。

That moring, when they were leaving Helsinki, he had lined up the plane on a wrong runway-and his first officer had quickly pointed out the error.

那个早上，在他们起程离开赫尔辛基时，他进入了错误的跑道，这时副驾迅速地指出错误。

The memory made Ratwatte laugh."Masa is Swiss. He was very happy to correct me. He was giving me shit the whole way back."

想到这件事让怀特瓦特笑了起来。"马沙是个瑞士人，他很愿意去更正我的错误，并且在返回的途中一直同我讲话。"