Short Final

Overheard in IFR Magazine‘s “On the Air” En route from North Platte, Nebraska to Cedar Rapids, Iowa I overheard the following: Cessna:“Minneapolis Center, Cessna 12345, request flight following to Omaha.” Center:“Cessna 12345, Minneapolis Center. Say position.” Cessna:“I’m almost on the Kansas border.” Center:“That’s a fairly wide state. Can you narrow it down for me?” Keith […]

This is an exchange that happened … on a trip from Las Vegas (Henderson) to Oklahoma City (Sundance Air Park). We were level at 15,000 and just handed off from Las Vegas TRACON to LA Center. We had been at 15,000 for a few minutes and were definitely hungry to get to our final altitude […]

Heard on SoCal Approach: Approach:“Cessna 1234A, you have traffic at 12 o’clock, six miles at your altitude.” [no response] Approach:“Cessna 1234A, you have traffic at 12 o’clock, four miles at your altitude.” [no response] Approach:“Cessna 1234A, you have traffic at 12 o’clock, two miles at your altitude.” Cessna1234A:“I’m looking for the traffic … !” Approach:“Sir, […]

Overheard in IFR Magazine‘s “On the Air” Heard on Denver approach frequency: Approach:“Great Lakes One Twenty Three, traffic six o’clock, two miles, 1000 feet above you, a 737.” Great Lakes:“Approach, Great Lakes One Twenty Three, if I told you I could see him, I’d be lying.” Approach:“If you told me you could see him, you’d […]

Overheard in IFR Magazine‘s “On the Air” While on a trip in a Grumman Cheetah from Marathon, Florida Keys to Exuma in the Bahamas, I ran into a large area of clouds hanging over Andros Island. They’d been classified as benign when I’d received my weather briefing about an hour and a half earlier. I […]

Overheard in IFR Magazine‘s “On the Air” While flying practice approaches at Sioux City, Iowa I heard: Tower:“Skylane Eight Seven Charlie, cleared for the approach; caution, waterfall in the area.” [a short silence, presumably while the Skylane pilot questioned passengers on the transmission] Skylane:“Eight Seven Charlie, say again?” Tower:“Skylane Eight Seven Charlie, cleared for the […]

Overheard in IFR Magazine‘s “On the Air” Heard on 121.5 on December 1, 2001 in the Frederick/Hagerstown, Maryland area (near Camp David or P40): Pilot:“Air Force on 121.5, Cherokee One Two Three.” Air Force (my guess is this was the AWACS controller):“Go ahead.” Pilot:“There are some F-15s near me. They do not answer my calls.” […]

On a Qantas flight from Adelaide to Perth last week, our lovely senior air steward announced the following after the doors closed: Over the Speaker:“Ladies and gentleman, please turn off all electronic devices such as laptops, mobile phones, washing machines and hairdryers. However, if they have a flight mode, please switch now.” It made me […]

Today, the weather in Southern Wisconsin was dicey. Severe thunderstorms with hail, high winds, and tornados on the ground 20 miles north of the Madison, Wisconsin Dane County Regional airport. A female voice in a Learjet 45 comes over to Madison approach from Chicago Center and says:“Madison approach, Lear 12345 is with you out of […]

Overheard in IFR Magazine‘s “On the Air” I was en route to a New England airport famous for its fog. The ATIS reported below minimums but gradual ix, improving. Approach said to expect the ILS, and I could hear one aircraft ahead, a local airliner. Approach cleared me for the approach and sent the other […]