Short Final: More Information, Please

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • A humorous radio exchange depicts an Air Traffic Controller's request for a student pilot's position.
  • The student pilot, on their first solo cross-country, provides a vague and unhelpful reply, prompting the ATC to demand more specific location details.
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Overheard on the airwaves, somewhere, sometime … maybe:

Air Traffic Controller: “Cessna 1234X, say position.”

Student Pilot [on first solo cross-country]: “I’m, ahhhh, approaching the XYZ VOR.”

Air Traffic Controller (after a brief slow burn): “You’ve been approaching the XYZ VOR since you took off. Can you be more specific?”

Mark Phelps

Mark Phelps is a senior editor at AVweb. He is an instrument rated private pilot and former owner of a Grumman American AA1B and a V-tail Bonanza.
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