Short Final

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • A commercial flight encountered extremely poor visibility due to heavy fog at St. John's International Airport, making landing unfeasible.
  • The pilot, hoping to avoid diverting and disappointing passengers, inquired if conditions would change soon.
  • The air traffic controller humorously suggested the fog might not lift until August, leading to a witty remark from the pilot about insufficient fuel reserves to wait that long.
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Overheard on a scanner recently at St. John’s International Airport (CYYT):

An inbound commercial flight was getting the bad news from the tower that conditions for the active runway were 200 feet and 1/4 mile in heavy fog. Controller and aircraft discussed alternatives for a few minutes before the pilot, knowing his passengers were going to be disappointed by a diversion, asked the tower wistfully:

Commercial Pilot:
“Any chance it’ll change soon?”

Tower (after a brief pause):
“Yeah, maybe August.”

Commercial Pilot:
“I don’t think we’ve got that much reserve fuel.”

Gary Hebbard
via e-mail

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