Short Final

Editorial Staff

Monday, December 28, 2015 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

In 1957, an air traffic control trainee overheard a humorous radio exchange from a Bristol freighter pilot.
The pilot initially reported passing a Comet, then clarified the Comet was traveling in the opposite direction.
The humor stemmed from the contrast between the lumbering Bristol freighter and the sleek, fast RAF Comet.

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Way back in 1957, when I was an air traffic control trainee at RNZAF station Ohakea, I heard a Bristol freighter report:
“We have just passed the Comet.”

… then, a few seconds later, add:
“The Comet was going the other way.”

(The humor relates to the lumbering Bristol compared to the sleek inbound RAF Comet.)

Murray Clarkson