Short Final

Sunday, August 19, 2007 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A humorous exchange occurred between an air traffic controller (Portland Approach) and a pilot during a night flight.
The controller struggled to accurately identify nearby traffic, first calling it a Navajo, then correcting to a Malibu, and finally reverting to a Navajo.
The controller candidly excused the confusion by stating, "Oh well, what the heck, its dark," highlighting the challenges of visual identification at night.

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Flying home to Portland Troutdale (KTTD) from Medford, Ore. (KMFR) Friday night, I heard the following:

Portland Approach: November One Two Charlie, traffic ten oclock, southbound at 9,000, a Navajo.

12C: Were looking.

Approach: Correction, its a Malibu.

12C: Still looking.

Approach: Sorry, its really a Navajo. Oh well, what the heck, its dark.