Short Final: Out The Window

Editorial Staff

Tuesday, January 24, 2023 at 05:03 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A helicopter pilot at a Kentucky Class D airport requested a VFR departure from their location at the base of the tower.
After clearing the helicopter for departure and the pilot announcing "lifting," the tower surprisingly asked for the helicopter's location again.
The pilot humorously reiterated their position at the tower's base and questioned the controller's visibility, which was met with laughter from the tower.

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I was monitoring the tower frequency at a Kentucky class D one morning and overheard the following dialogue:

Helicopter 1234: “Tower, helicopter 1234 at helicopter parking base of tower. Present position departure northbound VFR.”

Tower: “Helicopter 1234 cleared as requested.”

Helicopter 1234: “Helicopter 1234 lifting.”

Tower: “Helicopter 1234, where are you located?”

Helicopter 1234 (in the southern Kentucky drawl): “Helicopter 1234 at helicopter parking base of the tower. Can’t you see out them windows up there?”

Tower responded with laughter.

Brett Sullivan
Salem, Illinois