Short Final: Reroute!

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Following Hurricane Irma, heavy air traffic returning to the Florida panhandle necessitated numerous reroutes for aircraft.
  • Air Traffic Control (ATC) adopted a humorous "Oprah" voice to issue these consecutive reroutes.
  • A pilot responded humorously to the reroute, joking that they were hoping for a new car instead.
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As soon as Hurricane Irma had moved inland north of Florida, there was a lot of traffic heading east back into the Florida panhandle from the Gulf Coast; you could see the line of traffic on ADS‑B stretching for miles. ATC called each aircraft in sequence:

ATC: Cessna 123, you get a reroute. Advise ready to copy.

ATC: Bonanza 456, you get a reroute! (This was said in an Oprah voice.)

ATC: Piper 789, and you get a reroute! (Continued in Oprah voice.)

Piper 789: Uh, well, OK. I was hoping for a new car.

Tom Leffingwell
Fort Lauderdale, FL
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