Short Final: We Have Oscar

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Key Takeaways:

  • During a PALS flight, the author transported an Afghanistan war refugee and her service dog, Oscar, to Columbus, Ohio.
  • The pilot informed Air Traffic Control, "We have Oscar," referencing the updated Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS) broadcast (where "Oscar" represents the letter 'O').
  • After landing, the refugee, misunderstanding the aviation jargon, asked the pilot why it was necessary to tell ATC they "had Oscar" (referring to her dog).
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My wife and I were on a PALS flight (PALS = Patient Airlift Services) and we had an Afghanistan war refugee and her helper-dog, Oscar, whom we took to Columbus, Ohio.

Approaching Columbus information Oscar was current on ATIS. I told the controller, “We have Oscar.”

After we landed, the lady whom Oscar was helping asked me, “Why did you need to tell him you had Oscar?”

Brian Gately
Brooklyn, New York

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