Short Final: Man Of Few Words

Editorial Staff

Tuesday, February 11, 2025 at 03:55 PM ET

Verified

[Credit: FAA]

Key Takeaways:

While inbound to a busy Teterboro Airport, the flight crew received a rapid and condensed multi-part instruction from ATC.
The ATC instruction combined heading, altitude, approach clearance, and frequency change into a short phrase.
The copilot correctly understood and avoided an overly verbose read-back of the complex ATC directive.

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From IFR Magazine reader Daniel Spitzer

My copilot Daniel and I were inbound to New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport in our Embraer Praetor 500. Our arrival was during a busy time for one of the busiest GA airports in the world.

In the middle of continuous rapid-fire transmissions on Newark Approach, ATC instructed us, “84 Papa Delta; 90; 2,000; Approach; Tower.”

Thankfully, Daniel had the good sense NOT to read that back as, “Turn left to 090 degrees, maintain 2,000 until established, cleared ILS Approach Runway 6, contact Tower now on 119.5, Praetor 8 Papa Delta.”