Short Final: Who's There?

Short Final: Who’s There?

Editorial Staff

Wednesday, August 28, 2024 at 04:57 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A student pilot made a humorous mistake during radio communication, stating he was "with Mathew" instead of "with Information Mike" (referring to ATIS).
The air traffic controller humorously corrected the student, reminding him of the proper aviation phraseology.
The anecdote highlights common, sometimes amusing, errors student pilots make in radio communications.

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From AVweb reader Bob Wood:

Recently, my private pilot student and I were returning to Aurora State Airport (KUAO) in Oregon, from a lesson. At the 10-nm mark, he properly contacted the tower with “KUAO Tower, [N-tail number], 10 miles northwest, with Mathew.”
Tower responded, “[N-tail number], I’m sure Mathew is very nice, but information Mike is current.” To steal a phrase from years past, “Students say the darndest things.”