Short Final

Editorial Staff

Sunday, February 04, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A pilot faced extremely challenging, low visibility (IFR/Zero Zero) weather conditions during a flight, leading to high stress among air traffic controllers and other pilots.
The air traffic controller at the destination airport had no radar coverage for the pilot's approach and couldn't visually see the aircraft.
A humorous exchange between the pilot and controller ("I can't see you either!") helped to diffuse the stressful situation.
Despite the difficult weather and lack of radar, the pilot successfully completed the landing.

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Flying back from St. Augustine Fl (SGJ) to Stennis International (KHSA) just before Christmas, my destination was very low IFR. The whole region and surrounding airports were either very low IFR or Zero Zero. Planes were going missed at Gulfport (KGPT) and surrounding airports and tensions were high with the controllers. I was cleared for the ILS 18 into Stennis and headvised he did not have radar this way.

Tower: “…and I can’t see you”

Comanche XXXX: “I can’t see you either!”

We both laughed and it changed his stressed tone, and I did make the landing.

Charlie Horton