Short Final

In the early 1970s, I was a captain in the Kansas Army National Guard flying a CH‑54 Sky Crane helicopter IFR north bound off of Forbes Field, Topeka, Kansas. We were headed to annual training with Jeep on a four point load hung under the CH‑54 for ground transportation upon arrival. We were level at […]

A Tale of Two Airports: There seems to be a rivalry between San Diego International Airport (KSAN) and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (KDTW) on who is the legitimate owner of Top Gun. TOPGN TWO ARRIVAL at KSAN has dogfights (DOGFTs) among TMCATs. But only two call signs of the protagonists. Goose (GUUSE) and Iceman […]

I sometimes fly SIC on a Citation X based in the Dallas area, and on this occasion, it was my first “real” flight after simulator training. We were heading to Las Vegas, cruising at about 39,000 feet and Mach 0.92. I was thinking about the SR71 “ground speed” story often repeated on aviation forums and […]

While flying over Long Island recently on an Angel Flight Mission around 2:30 p.m. I heard the following: Cessna 1234: “New York, Cessna 1234 off Linden Municipal. Looking for flight following to Montauk.” TRACON: “Cessna 1234 Squawk 5678. How does the Sunrise look?” Cessna 1234: “Currently climbing and can’t see it. Will let you know […]

Heard on frequency near Sacramento, California: “Piper 1234, are you planning to do an approach into Sacramento Executive?” “Affirmative, Piper 1234.” After about 30 seconds of silence, the controller keyed up again and asked in a humorous tone, “Do you want me to pick one for you?” Phil Verghese Santa Clara, CA

I was flying from Texas to Minnesota on a less‑than‑smooth day in December. The Kansas City Center controller had a full plate working several busy frequencies, and had finally reached his wits end with constant inquiries about the ride. Center: “The rides are light chop. It’s going to be that way all winter.” Chris Wegener […]

If you are interested in becoming a banker (BANKR) or perhaps a finance controller (CONTR) (not be confused with an ATC controller), a much cheaper alternative to a Harvard MBA is to head to Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (KCLT) in Charlotte, North Carolina on the BANKR TWO ARRIVAL. Along the way, you will learn about DEBBTs […]

A while ago I had the following exchange with Kansas City Center as I first checked in. Me: “Kansas City Center, Conquest 425 Delta Delta, at 5000 feet, looking at the weather ahead.” Center: “425 Delta Delta climb and maintain 15,000. Salina altimeter 29.90.” Me: “15,000, 29.90. Request current heading for 15 miles for weather. […]

Before Chicago’s O’Hare airport joined the rest of ICAO in the early 90s by identifying all their taxiways with alphanumeric designations, they used local street names and cute references for various taxiways and surface features. They had Wolf Road, North‑South, Stub, and Cargo taxiways, and a Penalty Box (holding area). Suffering from an often‑severe winter […]

On the first day of 2020, I was flying from Phoenix Sky Harbor to San Francisco International Airport. There were bad rides everywhere and too many aircraft missing radio calls from the LA Center controller who had already mentioned several times how he didn’t have time for missed clearances, when I heard the following exchange: […]