Short Final

While doing some pattern work recently at our small rural airport in Pella, Iowa (KPEA), I was practicing wheel landings and three‐point landings with my 1946 Piper Cub when on the CTAF I heard a local business’ Lear‐45 announce their approach to the airport from five miles to the south. Though the corporate pilots know […]

I flew out of Boeing Field in Seattle and was assigned the CBAIN departure with fixes GNEXX, KURRT and CBAIN. If you depart in the opposite direction you might get the NRVNA departure (just the one fix, “NRVNA”). It doesn’t get much more Seattle than that! Eric Berman, Woodinville, Washington

My first job in aviation back in 1978 was as an admissions counselor at East Coast Aero Tech, an A&P school in Lexington, Massachusetts (a town you may have heard of). As a freshly certificated private pilot, I discovered the magical world of homebuilt airplanes and quickly joined the Experimental Aircraft Association. At the time, […]

New York airspace can be intimidating, and the controllers are not exactly known for having a slow, patient approach to communicating with incoming traffic. Years ago, I was eavesdropping on one of the many approach/departure frequencies one day as I was skirting underneath the Class B airspace in my V-tail Bonanza. A business jet crew […]

As a controller, I occasionally get asked, usually (but not always) when it’s slow on the radio, “Approach, do you have time for a question?” OK, when it’s slow then yes, I most likely have time and am happy to answer questions. But, if you ask in the middle of a busy session, then the […]

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 IriarteDetroit, […]

On a recent trip from the West Coast to the Midwest, I’d just checked in with Center after a couple sectors in NorCal. A few minutes later, the controller gave us a climb to our final altitude, FL230. Then, after another few minutes: Center: “Uh, 40N, did I give you FL230? I know I thought […]

I work at a TRACON with a busy satellite airport nearby. Over the years it’s gotten rather tedious to get asked for higher so often. Unfortunately, sometimes you have to remain low after departing that airport due to the surrounding flow of traffic. A specific King Air I got to recognize would check in: “Departure, […]

Tooling along from Florida to Massachusetts one sunny afternoon, apparently ATC had some sort of computer hiccup. Atlanta Center: “American 123, Atlanta Center; our system is having some problems, can you confirm your route?” American 123: “ABC VOR, XYZ intersection, so-and-so arrival.” Atlanta Center: “Thanks.” Unidentified Voice: “A Delta pilot would’ve responded, ‘Destination direct.’” Multiple […]

I was flying into Dulles a couple of years ago with my single-engine Comanche. Traffic was landing to the north and I touched down and exited in the first third of the 12,000-foot runway. I contacted Ground and was asked where I was parking. N5109P: “Jet Aviation at Zulu 2.” Dulles Ground: “N5109P turn left […]