Heard over Miami Center last week:
Lady ATC Controller (in a somewhat monotone and hard-to-hear voice): Airliner 123, proceed direct FATHR.
Airliner 123: Say again for 123.
ATC: 123, proceed direct FATHR.
Airliner: Couldn’t quite understand you. center. Say again.
ATC (now in a slow, deliberate but still monotone voice): Airliner 123, proceed direct FATHR, as in “Luke, I am your father.”
Airliner 123 (with chuckles): Direct FATHR, 123.
Later on, for a frequency change …
ATC: Airliner 123, contact center on 123.45.
Airliner 123: Center on 123.45, and may the force be with you.
Short Final
Key Takeaways:
- An Air Traffic Controller (ATC) initially had difficulty being understood by a pilot due to her monotone voice when issuing an instruction to proceed to "FATHR."
- To clarify, the ATC used the famous Star Wars quote "Luke, I am your father" to help the pilot understand the waypoint "FATHR," resulting in amusement.
- The interaction concluded with the pilot reciprocating the Star Wars reference ("may the force be with you") during a subsequent frequency change, indicating a lighthearted exchange.
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