Short Final: Need For Speed

I sometimes fly SIC on a Citation X based in the Dallas area, and on this occasion, it was my first “real” flight after simulator training. We were heading to Las Vegas, cruising at about 39,000 feet and Mach 0.92. I was thinking about the SR71 “ground speed” story often repeated on aviation forums and wishing to tell someone about our speed. Right then, it happened.

LA Center: “Citation 123, say Mach.”

Me (smiling): “Citation 123, Mach 0.92.”

LA Center: “Southwest 456, say Mach.”

SWA 456: “Mach 0.75, SW 456.”

LA Center: “Citation 123, slow to Mach 0.78 or less.”

Me: (accidently over the air): “Damn.”

Paul Sergeant

Allen, TX