We are based at Witham Field, Stuart, Florida. Stuart is a fairly busy airport, located in southeast Florida between Palm Beach and Vero Beach. It is also a port of entry, and there is a large flight school located here. On this particular day, the weather was picture perfect for flying. We had flown to Vero Beach for lunch. On the return flight, we noticed that the Stuart traffic seemed heavier than usual, with continuous departures and arrivals of commercial and private flights. We were sequenced at number 3 for landing. Once we landed and taxied off of the runway, we switched over to ground control. We then heard this exchange:
Flight School: “Stuart Ground, Treasure 12345 requesting to conduct pattern work with touch and go’s, mixed with some stop and go’s.”
Ground Control: “Treasure 12345, Stuart Ground. Your call is very important to us. Please stay on the line and your call will be handled in the order in which it was received.”
I could see the other pilots on the taxiway laughing.
Michael Page
Stuart, FL
