Short Final

Monday, August 22, 2016 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

An air traffic controller informally advised a pilot against admitting operational errors directly on frequency.
The controller suggested using a plausible excuse, such as "it was warming up," for equipment issues like a transponder being off.
This exchange highlights an unwritten communication etiquette encouraged by ATC for managing pilot errors.

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Climbing out of my home airport with our friendly (and funny) tower controllers, I heard:

Tower: Cardinal XYZ, check transponder.

XYZ: Turning it on, sorry, guys, XYZ.

Tower: Cardinal XYZ, never admit your mistakes on frequency, just say it was warming up.

XYZ: All warmed up! XYZ.

Tower: That’s the spirit.

Daniel Rasin