Short Final

I was eagerly awaiting t/o clearance while holding short of the runway in FLL. There were several aircraft on approach, including a Shorts 360. After several requests for t/o, I intervened one more time. The response was a bit of a surprise… Tower: Sir, just give me a moment while I get my Shorts down.

…Overheard one evening in August just west of ATL: Tower: (To aircraft doing touch and goes alone in the pattern) …You watching the fireworks just north of here? Piper1234: Yup … what’s the holiday on August 18th that includes fireworks? Tower: No clue. Unidentified: Well, I know what it is. Ten year aniversary of my […]

Brown Field, south of San Diego has an 8,000-foot runway offering multiple intersection departures for smaller aircraft (and exits for larger ones)… Experimental: Brown Tower, experimental ###, holding short of 26R on Bravo. Running late and ready to go. Tower: Experimental ### hold short landing traffic … Citation on four mile final. Experimental: Hold short […]

A long time ago, bopping along in my 180 Arrow at 10,000 feet, IFR in VFR conditions, from Boston to Kalamazoo. It had taken me 20 minutes to get that high — 10 of that for the last 2,000 feet. Then, Cleveland Center asked me to climb to 11,000 feet for traffic… Me: You mean […]

Heard on frequency during some nasty weather, a beech 18 night freight pilot offered a report about his current situation… ATC: Copy. Care to offer a PIREP? Beech: Sure. At 12,000, we’ve got lightning … cloud-to-cloud, cloud-to-ground … so far, negative cloud-to-airplane-to-ground…

Overheard by passenger on United flight SNA to ORD… Fedex ###: Fedex ### with you at FL230. Kansas City Area Control: Fedex ###, roger. How long to climb to FL310? Fedex ###: Roger, just a minute… (brief silence) Unknown 1: I gotta get me one o’ whatever he’s flyin’. Unknown 2: …must be outta Cape […]

Recently while flying over central Missouri, I overheard a controller responding to a request for VFR Flight Following… Controller: …And your type aircraft? Pilot: Beech Dutchess, Low wing, twin-engine, white and blue. Controller: You’re all a quarter-inch long and green to me.

Climbing through 800′ past the departure end in my Cherokee, I heard the tower clear a Cheyenne for takeoff. As I waited for tower to call me out to the Cheyenne for the inevitible pass, I craned my neck around hoping to get a visual. When neither occured, I voiced my concern… Me: Exec tower, […]

Tower: Katana ###F you are number two for landing following a Piper Warrior. Katana ###F (a student … me): Number two following a Warrior that I am looking for. Tower: The Warrior is on left downwind at about 2 oclock. Katana ###F: I have the traffic in sight, Katana ###F. (Few moments pass) Katana ###F: […]

Candor in Caldwell Super Cruiser: Caldwell tower, Super Cruiser N### has just departed Morristown, I would like to transition your airspace to the north. CDW: Super Cruiser transition approved at or above 1700 ft. (About 5 minutes later…) CDW: Super Cruiser, say again aircraft type. Super Cruiser: Caldwell Tower, I am a PA-12, 1946 Piper […]