Short Final: Four‑Legged Varmint

Editorial Staff

Tuesday, July 19, 2022 at 06:19 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

An air traffic controller cleared "Coyote 123," a Learjet pilot, for a visual runway approach.
When a second aircraft was asked to report "Coyote 123" in sight, its pilot humorously referred to them as "the four-legged varmint."
The air traffic controller, playing along with the joke, then instructed the second aircraft to "follow the Coyote."

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I have flown Lears for many years for a company whose callsign is Coyote. One day when we had been vectored towards the airport and then handed off to Tower:

Tower: “Coyote 123, cleared for the visual Runway xx.”

Me: “Cleared visual Runway xx. Coyote 123.”

Second aircraft: “Tower, N12345 has runway in sight.”

Tower: “N12345, report preceding Learjet in sight.”

N12345: “We have the four‑legged varmint in sight. (Laughter)”

Tower: “N12345, follow the Coyote. Cleared visual Runway xx.”

Trudi Enge

El Paso, Texas