Short Final: Slow-Moving Traffic

Editorial Staff

Tuesday, December 24, 2024 at 03:09 PM ET

Verified

Credit: Wikipedia, Peterwchen

Key Takeaways:

A pilot at Orange County Airport aborted a takeoff when a groundhog slowly crossed the runway.
Another pilot on the frequency made a humorous pun about the groundhog lacking "ground clearance."

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From IFR Magazine reader Daniel Spitzer:

I heard the following at Orange County Airport in New York:

Instructor: “Diamond taking Runway 04 for departure,” followed immediately by ”Diamond aborting, groundhog crossing the runway veeeerrrrry sloooooowly.”

Wise guy on frequency: “Did the groundhog call Ground for clearance?” followed immediately by ”Well, groundhogs don’t have a lot of ground clearance, anyway.”