Short Final

Editorial Staff

Monday, December 24, 2007 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Air traffic control (ATC) at Lawrence, MA, managed a close encounter between an Arrow aircraft needing to land and an ultralight on final approach.
The ultralight pilot cooperatively offered to climb out, allowing the Arrow to proceed with its landing.
Adding to the unusual situation, the tower also issued a caution about active mowing operations on the runway.
The Arrow pilot concluded the exchange with a humorous read-back, creatively combining the ultralight and the ground mower into a single instruction.

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Overheard in IFR Magazine's 'On the Air' Section

Heard at Lawrence, Massachusetts:

Tower:
“Arrow Eight Two Xray, slowest possible speed. Traffic ahead is an ultralight on a half-mile final.”

Ultralight:
“Tower, we’ll climb out so he can land.”

Tower:
“Roger, climb and maintain 1700, runway heading. Arrow Eight Two Xray, cleared to land, caution, mowing in progress, right side of runway.”

Arrow:
“Roger, duck under the lawn mower ahead and avoid the one on the ground. Cleared to land, Arrow Eight Two Xray.”

Angelo Iannuzzo Nashua
New Hampshire