Short Final

On Wednesday, September 11, 2013, while taxiing to show parking for this years Reno Air Races, we overheard another aircraft’s communication with Reno Ground that went something like this: Learjet:“Reno Ground, Lear 12345. Request taxi to Atlantic’s main office ramp.” Ground:“Lear 12345, are you here for the races?” Learjet:“Affirmative.” Ground:“Then you will have to go […]

Back in the early ’80s, I was making a living flying night-time aerial advertising with a “Skycaster” electronic moving-message sign that spanned the wings under the belly of my Cessna 172. Flying out of CMH, I would circle local communities with ads. My “low and slow,” combined with horizontal distance, gave the appearance that the […]

While flying IFR with a student in the Connecticut air space, we overheard a pilot with a Deep Southern accent ask the Bradley controller:“Will you let us go direct to ‘HEY DO’ today?” The controller replied:“We call that ‘HADUX’ up here.” The pilot then answered:“We thought it sounded Cajun.” Multiple laughter was heard on controller’s […]

Mother heard scolding her son at Oshkosh:“So help me God, if you don’t straighten out, I am going to send you home on a commercial airliner!” Only at Oshkosh! David Petersvia e-mail

Editor’s Note: A couple of weeks back, we ran a “Short Final” featuring a fictional genericized squawk code ending in 8 – and boy, did we get letters. Our favorite, though, was this “Short Final” follow-up recollection. Your recent “Short Final” reminded me of a funny story I got to participate in about two and […]

Whilst flying back from Belfast to Blackpool in the U.K. several years ago, I heard a GA pilot behind me cleared for take-off by the tower. The tower then reminded him of the local noise regulations. The pilot replied that he understood and added helpfully that he would only be using one engine in this […]

It has happened about 50 years ago at the old Munich airport in Germany. The date was August 15, a Catholic holiday called Maria Ascension Day. In those days, there were often quiet moments over the radio. In one of these silent moments, a booming voice came over the R/T: Unidentified Pilot:“This is Maria, still […]

Overheard one evening as a Fayetteville, North Carolina controller was working with a Cessna that was requesting flight following. The Cessna had problems with a fussy transponder and the controller was attempting to help. After several exchanges: Tower:“N1234, I’m still getting an inconsistent transponder return. Confirm squawking 4567.” Cessna:“N1234 squawking 4567.” Tower:“N1234, transponder return is […]

Tower controller at Oshkosh 2013:“Attention, all inbound aircraft: The Oshkosh airport closes in ten minutes. Pedal faster.” Brad Kramervia e-mail

Whilst flying back from Belfast to Blackpool in the U.K. several years ago, I heard a GA pilot behind me cleared for take-off by the tower. The tower then reminded him of the local noise regulations. The pilot replied that he understood and added helpfully that he would only be using one engine in this […]