Short Final
 |
| Overheard in IFR Magazine's "On the Air" |
Overheard in the vicinity of Buchanan Tower in Concord, California:
Cessna 123:
"Buchanan Tower, this is Cessna One Two Three, seven south of Buchanan, 2000 feet, request transit, northbound."
Buchanan Tower:
"Cessna One Two Three, transition approved. Report clear."
[30-second pause]
Cessna 123:
"Tower, this is Cessna One Two Three. Where is Clear?"
Saul Chaikin
Short Final
Romance in the air is alive and well. While on a CAP flight I heard the following over departure control:
Control:
Bonanza 123, squawk 4567.
A short while later ...
Control:
Bonanza 123, do you have a passenger named [woman's first name] aboard?
Bonanza 123:
Affirmative.
Control:
Can you put her on? We are holding an important message for her.
Bonanza 123:
Stand by.
[pause]
Bonanza 123 (woman's voice):
This is [woman's name].
Control:
We have been asked to relay a message to you from [man's name] in [aircraft number]. Are you ready to copy?
[pause]
Bonanza 123 (woman's voice):
Yes.
Control:
[Man's name] sends the following message: "Will you marry me?"
Bonanza 123:
[garbled transmission]
Control:
We didn't get that. What is your answer?
Bonanza 123 (woman's voice):
I would be honored.
Control:
Bonanza 123, we copy and will relay.
[pause]
Cap Flight 2237:
Cap Flight 2237 offers best wishes to the bride.
Delta 0000:
Delta 0000 offers best wishes to the bride.
Control:
Bonanza 123, Cap Flight 2237 and Delta 0000 send best wishes to the bride.
Bonanza 123 (woman's voice again):Thank you.
CAP Flight 2237:
Nice to know romance on the airways is alive and well. Over 3,000 hours up here, and I never heard anything like that.
Control:
Me either. We have never played cupid before.
Tom Simmons
Short Final
|
| Overheard in IFR Magazine's "On the Air" |
With my CFII Jim in the right seat, we were on vectors to Allentown Airport for practice instrument approaches. En route, we heard the approach controller making the following call to another pilot in the area.
Approach:
Cessna One Three Four, two o'clock, same altitude, have you spotted it?
Cessna 134:
No, I'm under the hood.
Ed Dolezal
Bridgewater, New Jersey
Short Final
|
| Overheard in IFR Magazine's "On the Air" |
During a recent departure from Essex County Airport in Caldwell, New Jersey, the tower controller must have been frazzled with intensive student training in the pattern:
Tower:
Bonanza Seven Zero Mike Romeo, contact New York departure and have a good flight.
Bonanza:
To departure. Bonanza Zero Mike Romeo.
Have a nice day.
Tower:
It's too late for that.
Jack Meagher
Southern Shores, North Carolina
Short Final
|
| Overheard in IFR Magazine's "On the Air" |
Returning home from the West Coast a few years ago, we landed in Flint, Mich. The Midwest had had weeks of rain and overcast skies that summer, and I got this on departure:
"Bonanza Five Four Seven Zero Victor, when you get on top, would you look out to the southeast and tell me if you see a big bright light?"
Don Sanderson
Bear Creek, Pennsylvania
Short Final
When I was learning to fly in 1967 in Merced, Calif., we had no control tower. We were taught that after engine start-up, we should pretend to call the tower for taxi clearance.
Another pilot trainee started his engine, then immediately started to taxi. The instructor stopped him and advised that he had forgotten to call for clearance.
The trainee thought for a second, opened the pilot air vent, and, over the roar of the engine, yelled, "Clear!"
Short Final
I do believe I tried to pass on this little edict many years ago without success, and since I never saw a response, I will try one more time, just for my old Yankee mate, Ken Sunderland:
An Aussie grazier flew his antique Auster aircraft to Mascot Airport, Sydney, some time back to enact some business at the offices of business acquaintances. Not being familiar with controlled airspace procedures, although making it safely to the airport, he required and requested guidance to the GA parking area.
Much later, after the completion of his business and returning to the airport, he eventually taxied out to the major runway 16, again guided by ATC to take his place in the queue for take-off clearance. When finally cleared to line up and subsequently cleared for take-off, his instructions were to call "123 airborne" (the departure frequency).
Applying maximum power and concentrating on keeping his aircraft on the centreline on the roll, the tail rose, and soon after the aircraft became airborne, whereupon the pilot pressed his transmit button and called ... "1-2-3 airborne"!
Short Final
|
| Overheard in IFR Magazine's "On the Air" |
The American League Championship series between Cleveland and Boston began on a Friday night. Early the next morning, after an IFR handoff to Boston Center, the pilot of a Boston-bound aircraft posed the all-important question:
Piper 123:
Sox win last night?
Boston Center:
Yeah!
Piper 123:
That's too bad.
[thoughtful pause]
Piper 123:
You're not going to make us hold now, are you?
Boston Center:
Probably not - but just remember, I'm not paying for the gas!
Short Final
August 30, 2007
Piper Arrow pilot was on a 1/4-mile final, making a late-night emergency landing at MSP due to a faulty nosegear indicator, with fire trucks and emergency vehicles lining both sides of the runway.
Overheard:
Wow, not even [U.S. President] Bush gets this kind of treatment when he lands!
(The nose wheel held up O.K.)
Short Final
|
| Overheard in IFR Magazine's "On the Air" |
We were just being handed off after leaving Ft. Lauderdale (FXE) to N. Eleuthra (MYEH).
Me:
Miami Center, Chieftan 867CJ leaving 2,000 for 7,500.
Miami (approach):
Chieftan 7CJ, you can fly direct if you stop calling me "center."
Me:
Roger that ... approach.
