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 struggled to communicate an instruction ("proceed direct FATHR") to an airliner due to her monotone voice.
- To clarify the waypoint "FATHR," the ATC ingeniously referenced the Star Wars quote, "Luke, I am your father."
- The interaction concluded lightheartedly with the pilot understanding the instruction and later responding with "may the force be with you" during a frequency change.
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