Short Final: A Racy Callsign

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The author volunteered for Angel Flight, providing free air transport for patients needing non-emergency medical treatment.
  • During one such flight, an elderly passenger misunderstood the pilot's callsign, which ended in "six niner whiskey" (69W).
  • The passenger humorously interpreted "six niner" as a sexual perversion and "whiskey" as an alcoholic drink, despite it being a charitable flight.
See a mistake? Contact us.

From AVweb reader Ed Fix:

Nearly 20 years ago, I was flying Angel Flight trips for people who
had to travel for non-emergency medical treatment. These people
generally had to travel long distances multiple times per year, and our
volunteer flights helped mitigate the expense for them.

One time, I picked up an elderly gentleman at Lunken (Ohio) airport, as I
recall, for a two- to three-hour flight to his home. He wore a jacket and tie,
and a hat; a very proper appearance and a pleasant demeanor. We talked
quite a bit during the trip, and I genuinely enjoyed his company.

The last three characters of my tail number were 69W and my callsign
for the patient portion of the trip was “Angel Flight six niner
whiskey.” As the flight was conducted under IFR, there was quite a bit
of radio communication.

I don’t remember if it was before or after I explained what my callsign
meant, but he remarked that seems strange the callsign for a charitable
flight included a sexual perversion and an alcoholic drink.

Sign-up for newsletters & special offers!

Get the latest stories & special offers delivered directly to your inbox

SUBSCRIBE