Short Final

I recently heard this at Detroit Metropolitan Airport: Tower: “Airliner 123, left turn to heading 185. Cleared for takeoff 21R.” Pilot: “Right turn 185, cleared for takeoff 21R.” Tower: “That’s a left turn, 185.” Pilot: “Left turn 185 … that would’ve been a really long right turn.” Tower (completely deadpan): “It’s been done.” Chris Iriarte […]

After I heard a GA pilot expressing concern about getting into icing conditions, I responded to air traffic control: Me: “PIREP for the 172 concerned about icing, the freezing level over Santa Cruz summit is 5,000 feet.” NorCal Approach: “What was the OAT?” Me: “Well, uh, that would be zero degrees Celsius.” Bennet Taber San […]

I recently heard the following between Kansas City Center and an airliner. The airliner was trying to top some weather and had been granted an even altitude even though he was flying west, because he was too heavy to go any higher. Kansas City Center: “Airliner 123, how long ’til you can go up? I […]

While getting ready for my commercial checkride I was practicing intensively with daily flights of at least a couple of hours. Due to the time constraints and availability of school aircraft, I was flying during the same hours of the day so I got to work with the same Boston approach controller. Once on a […]

I was flying from Jacksonville, North Carolina, to College Park, Maryland, on an IFR flight plan to go to a Redskins game. It was a CAVU day. The following exchange took place somewhere southeast of Richmond: Washington Center: “Skyhawk 68E, traffic two o’clock, 10 miles, westbound, 500 feet above.” Skyhawk 68E: “Negative contact, but I’m […]

We were over Tennessee having a pretty decent ride at FL390, but lower altitudes were not faring as well, and the chatter between aircraft and Memphis Center reflected the hunt for smoother air. As the crew of a regional jet (RJ) checked on frequency, they asked about rides. Memphis Center: It won’t smooth out until […]

A long time ago, I taxied my Cessna 182RG to St. Louis Lambert Field Runway 12L. I was first to the runway. There were about 18 Teenie Weenie Airlines (TWA) planes lined up on the taxiway for Runway 12R. An F‑18 appeared from the McDonnell Douglas facility on the north side of the field. Controllers […]

I was working field operations at a major airport and got this call: Ground: Ops 1, Ground. Me:Go ahead. Ground: We just got a report of a dead animal about the thousand‑foot markers on Runway 13. Me: Is that the previously reported dog that we cleared? Ground: Negative. I’m seeing feathers. From an unidentified aircraft: […]

I was doing traffic pattern work in a Citabria on a Friday afternoon at a busy, towered, Class D airport. Meanwhile, the business jet traffic was picking up, and the tower controller was doing an admirable job working our touch and goes in between the jet arrivals and departures. Lear123 (just departed): KXYZ Tower, be […]

As soon as Hurricane Irma had moved inland north of Florida, there was a lot of traffic heading east back into the Florida panhandle from the Gulf Coast; you could see the line of traffic on ADS‑B stretching for miles. ATC called each aircraft in sequence: ATC: Cessna 123, you get a reroute. Advise ready […]