As I neared retirement, I flew every week from the Olive Branch, MS airport (KOLV) to my farm airstrip and soon-to-be new home in East Tennessee. KOLV is a small but busy airport under the Memphis International Class B Mode C veil and I always filed IFR. My weekly routine was to depart KOLV on Friday afternoon and return Sunday evening.
A new tower opened at KOLV and after a few weeks of calling them every Friday afternoon for my clearance, this time, after receiving my clearance and giving my read-back, the controller said, “You know what we call you, don’t you?”
Somewhat taken aback and thinking the worst, I said, “Uh, no, what DO you call me?”
The controller came back laughing, “We refer to you as Olive Branch’s only regularly scheduled airline!”
John Austin
Pikeville, TN
