Short Final

I was flying right seat, giving instruction in a Cessna 210 VFR over New York asking for advisories. The left-seat pilot owned the aircraft and was proficient. After bouncing around with several different controllers, we found one that would talk to us: NY Approach:“Squawk 1238.” The left-seat pilot pushed 1-2-3 on the transponder and then […]

Overheard in IFR Magazine‘s “On the Air” During my IFR training at Duluth (Minnesota) International Airport, I’d just declared a missed approach. Here’s the exchange I had with ATC: Tower:“Cessna One Two Three Four Alpha: Fly heading of zero niner zero. Climb and maintain 3,200.” Me:“Zero niner zero, climb and maintain 2,200.” Tower:“Make that 3,000.” […]

Overheard near Sacramento, California, where NorCal approach and departure is training a large number of new controllers: Cessna 12345:“NorCal approach, student pilot, Cessna 12345. Heading 024. 1500 feet, climbing to 5500.” NorCal Approach:“Cessna 54661, student controller. Roger radar contact.” Michael Fedorykvia e-mail

Overhead on SoCal Approach frequency near a busy Southern California airport last year: N12345:“SOCAL, Cherokee N12345 is with you, with X-ray for the ILS to 26R.” SOCAL:“Roger. N12345, fly heading 280 and descend to 3,000.” N12345:“SOCAL, N12345. We have a problem. We seemed to have lost our squawk code. Can we have another one?” SOCAL:“N12345, […]

N12345:“Ground, Cessna 12345 is at the restaurant, ready to taxi for north departure.” Ground Control:“Standby.” A minute later … Ground Control:“Cessna at the Outer Marker, please repeat your request.” The pilot of N12345 doesn’t respond, but is surely wondering why grouns is calling on aircraft on the ILS. Ground Control:“Cessna at the Outer Marker, do […]

Overheard on a flight from Central California to Southern California (maybe L.A. Center?): Airliner (heard in background during radio transmission) :“We need peanuts!” Controller:“Who needs peanuts?” Airliner:“Um, disregard.” Donn Larsonvia e-mail

With Super Bowl XLIV about to kick off as we prepare this week’s AVweb stories, we can’t resist the temptation to delve into our mailbag and serve up a “Short Final” that’s been holding for over a year: It was a Friday afternoon in November when we were departing OSU airport in the company King […]

Overheard in IFR Magazine‘s “On the Air” One rainy evening in the L.A. basin, SoCal approach was trying to merge a bunch of traffic with wildly different airspeeds onto V23 southbound: SoCal:“Cessna Eight Eight Tango, what’s your best airspeed?” Cessna 88T:“One hundred ten knots.” SoCal (gloomy) :“Oh.” Cessna 88T:“Don’t be disappointed. It just means we’ll […]

Returning from a $100 hamburger in Lakeland to Orlando one Saturday afternoon: Orlando Approach:“N1234X, you have traffic 2 o’clock and 3 miles at 2,500, 7 o’clock and 2 miles at 3,000.” [pause] Orlando Approach:“Hey, just be careful. You’re surrounded.” John Summerfordvia e-mail

Heard a funny one from NorCal Approach last Saturday. NorCal:“Cessna 1234Z, you have traffic at 2 o’clock, about 1,000 feet below you.” 1234Z:“Roger, NorCal. I see the traffic; it’s a red helicopter.” NorCal:“O.K., but they’re all green to me.” Terry Blumenthalvia e-mail