(Be careful what you say, someone might be listening.)
Several months ago, whilst assigned to the Tracon, an incident occurred which still causes great laughter throughout our community.
It was a busy arrival session, the controller was working four VHF frequencies — including approaches into a satellite airport and two UHF frequencies.
After sending numerous transmissions of, Blocked! (by some unknown aircraft chiming in at the wrong time) the controller finally screamed, “Darn it! Every time I key up, some idiot starts talking!
The entire room busted out laughing and, surprisingly, the controller did not get the humor (which only made it that much more funny for the rest of us).
Short Final…
Key Takeaways:
- During a busy period, an air traffic controller was frustrated by repeated blocked radio transmissions from unknown aircraft.
- In a moment of exasperation, the controller inadvertently transmitted a complaint about "idiots" talking over the air, thereby blocking their own transmission.
- The ironic incident caused widespread amusement among colleagues, though the controller initially missed the humor of becoming the "idiot" they complained about.
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