Short Final: Leave The East Behind

From IFR Magazine reader Mark Klebanoff

I used to live in the Metro D.C. area and pretty much nobody was cleared direct. To make controllers and the ATC computer happy, I used to file a flight plan with lots of airways, named fixes, and VORs. Then I moved to Ohio. Old habits die hard, so the first time we took a trip, I filed a complicated route along Victor airways.

The conversation with Columbus Approach went something like this:

Me: “Columbus Approach, Cardinal 7582V, ready to copy IFR to destination.”

Columbus: “7582V is cleared as filed. Climb and maintain 6,000.”

Me: “82V cleared as filed, 6,000. Request.”

Columbus: “82V, go ahead with your request.”

Me: “82V requests direct to destination.”

Two-second pause:

Columbus: “82V, cleared direct destination. By the way, why didn’t you just file direct? We’d have given it to you.”

Me: “I just moved here from D.C. and back there nobody ever filed direct and got away with it.”

Columbus: “This isn’t the East Coast. People are nice out here.”

My Midwestern wife couldn’t contain her laughter.