Short Final: One Digit Or Two

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • A pilot, flying a Cherokee westbound, encountered extremely strong headwinds.
  • Their ground speed was so slow that they were slower than trucks on the interstate below.
  • They contacted St. Louis Approach to determine their ground speed for fuel calculations.
  • The humorous response from St. Louis Approach highlights the slow ground speed (asking if the pilot wanted it in one or two digits).
See a mistake? Contact us.

Years ago before GPS, when we only had two VORs, we were westbound against an extraordinarily strong headwind in a Cherokee, talking to St. Louis Approach. Through breaks in the clouds I could see that the big trucks on the Interstate below were making better time than we were. It was obvious we weren’t going to make our original destination. So we were looking at our charts, and trying to calculate a good location for a fuel stop with our usual one-hour reserve. I asked Approach if they had a ground speed on us.

St. Louis Approach responded, “Sure. Do you want it in one digit or two?”

Verne Wiese

Beavercreek, Ohio

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