Short Final: Smooth Rides

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • A flight from New Jersey to San Jose experienced significant turbulence west of the Rockies.
  • A commercial pilot requested a lower altitude for a "smooth ride," misinterpreting an ATC report about chop at higher altitudes.
  • The Air Traffic Controller promptly corrected the pilot, stating they had never mentioned anything about smooth rides.
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We were returning in our Phenom 300 from New Jersey to our home base in San Jose, California (KSJC). The weather was good but west of the Rockies was pretty rough the whole way. One commercial pilot heading north from the SoCal area called ATC and said, “You said the rides from 300 to 380 were experiencing chop, so we’d like to request 260 or 280 for a smooth ride.”

The controller came right back with, “I definitely did not say anything about smooth rides.”

Daniel Sternbergh

San Jose, CA

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