Short Final

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • A private pilot requested flight following while en route from San Antonio to Kerville, Texas.
  • When asked for her location, altitude, and destination by Air Traffic Control, the pilot could only state the departure city after a significant pause.
  • ATC instructed the pilot to call back once she had determined her current position and intended destination.
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Overheard in IFR Magazine's 'On the Air' Section
Overheard in IFR Magazine‘s “On the Air”

En route from San Antonio to Kerville, Texas, I let my 19-year-old private-pilot-rated daughter run the radios:

Piper Six Seven Romeo: Center, Piper Six Seven Romeo.

Center: Piper Six Seven Romeo, go ahead.

Piper Six Seven Romeo: Request flight following.

Center: Piper Six Seven Romeo, state your location, altitude, and destination.

Piper Six Seven Romeo: [After a long pause] Uh, San Antonio.

Center: [After pause] Piper Six Seven Romeo, when you figure out where you are and where you want to go, give us a call back.

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