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20th December 2016
12:10am GMT
This falls firmly under the category of 'don't knock it until you've tried it' – but have you ever tuned into the live Air Traffic Control feed for Dublin Airport?
Probably not.
But if you're not particularly busy, and want to learn a little bit about how these things work behind the scenes – as well as how DAMN impressive air traffic controllers are – it's worth a few minutes of your time.
It's also oddly addictive, particularly if you watch the corresponding flights in real-time on FlightRadar24 while you do it. There's something odd about hearing the numbers being read out, as you see them on the screen before you.
If, like me, you're one of those people who loses their train of thought every time you see a dog walking by (or something shiny), you'll find the level of focus and concentration from these people is absolutely phenomenal – as they deal with everything from altitudes to speeds to taxiing aircraft, and even organise ambulances for sick passengers.
It's also oddly entertaining to listen to them, once all the technical speak has been completed, bidding farewell to departing aircraft by saying 'bye, bye, bye, b-bye'.
And you thought only your mam did that.
You can listen to the feeds on LiveATC.net here – and take a look at Dublin Airport on FlightRadar24 here.
