Short Final: Engineering To Bridge

I was flying from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Fargo, North Dakota, one evening recently. As we approached the Dakotas, it got rather quiet on Minneapolis Center.

Predictably, after about 10 minutes of silence, somebody checked to make sure things were all well.

Unknown aircraft: “Minneapolis Center. Still there?”

Without a pause the controller responded: “Engineering to Bridge. Aye, Captain. Tricorder readings indicate carbon‑based units still infest the planet.”

Frank Bowlin

Aptos, California