Short Final: Slower Than A Helicopter?

Editorial Staff

Tuesday, June 14, 2022 at 04:03 PM ET

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Key Takeaways:

An air traffic controller misidentified the author's Maule aircraft as a helicopter while providing traffic advisories.
The author corrected the controller, clarifying they were flying a single-engine taildragger.
Following the correction, an unidentified voice on the radio humorously remarked that the Maule was "actually slower than a helicopter."

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Last summer, I was flying around the western edge of the New York Class B talking to NY Approach. He called out business jet traffic arriving at Teterboro to me first and then:

Approach: BizJet123, traffic 12 o’clock, 3 miles, a helicopter at 3500.

BizJet: Not in sight, looking for the traffic.

Me: I’m not a helicopter, I’m a Maule, single engine taildragger.

Approach: Previous controller had you in as a helicopter, I’ll fix that.

Unidentified Voice: He’s actually slower than a helicopter.

Corey Lanum