Short Final

Call came in for a fuel order:“Can you send the fuel truck for ship 1 and ship 2?” The reply came back:“I am sorry sir we don”t do boats.” Basilio

I had dispatched a solo student on his cross-country trip. The route took him over some higher terrain — about 2,000 feet higher than his departure airport. As usual, I was listening on frequency to hear him clear the zone on route when he called flight service. Pilot:“The sky is falling, and I will be […]

Normal afternoon ground transmissions, when, out of nowhere: Unidentified Pilot:“Yeah, they have fajitas, enchiladas, burritos, quesadillas, fish tacos — they got everything!” [A short silence.] Ground:“Uhh, you just broadcasted that on BWI Ground.” [Another short silence.] (A Different) Unidentified Pilot:“Sounded delicious, though.” Shawn Byers

Back when I was a student pilot in Navy Flight School, I was flying solo along the beach, conducting precision aerobatics practice. As I finished a barrel roll and set up for a loop, I heard a student-and-instructor aircraft check in to the area, and the exchange went like this: Instructor:“Solo aircraft 123, was that […]

A NASA T-38 flown by an astronaut was taxiing to the FBO when he turned into a private hangar’s parking area. Ground control rerouted him to the FBO, and the pilot thanked him and said: “It is so hard to find your way down here on Earth.” Gib Satterwhite

When I was a controller in south Texas, a Piper Tripacer called me in the tower asking to transition through the airspace. Me:“Piper 123, squawk 4352.” Tripacer:“What’s that, tower?” Me:“Piper 123, squawk 4352.” Tripacer:“Tower, I don’t understand you.” Me:“Piper 123, your transponder code: 4352. Do you have a transponder on board?” Tripacer:“No, just me and […]

No doubt about it, Red Sox fans, Boston loves baseball! And here’s a NOTAM to prove it: !FDC 5/2196 BOS STAR GENERAL EDWARD LAWRENCE LOGAN INTL, BOSTON, MAQUABN THREE ARRIVAL…ALL TRANSITIONS, ATC MAY ASSIGN HOLDING AT ONDEC (ON-DECK) AS DEPICTED ON CHART. EXPECT DIRECT UROWT (YOUR-OUT) AND TO RESUME THE QUABN STAR WHEN CLEARED FROM […]

Here’s a funny exchange I heard on the radio: Cessna Pilot (sounding like a nervous newbie):“Charlotte Approach, Cessna 12345 at 5,000. Would like to descend to 7,000.” Charlotte Approach:“Cessna 12345, I think you mean you’d like to climb to 7,000.” Cessna Pilot:“Uh, sorry. I’m still a new instrument pilot.” Charlotte Approach (chuckling):“Cessna 12345, climb and […]

At San Carlos Airport, there is a lot of pilot training that occurs, so it is common to hear interesting radio calls. One day, a helicopter pilot reported to the tower:“We’re with you at 700 feet.”… but did not provide a location. The tower controller responded:“If I were in the airplane with you, where would […]

Flying from Boeing Field in Seattle to the San Juan Islands, I was monitoring the departure frequency when I heard a pilot report that he’d seen an eagle near the inbound course to 12 right at BFI. An unknown pilot asked:“What was he squawking?” Ed Griswold (Griz)