Flight Planning

Back in the 1970s, when transponders were just starting to be used, a pilot contacted Tucson Approach Control. Approach asked him if he “had a transponder on board.” To which the pilot responded:“No. Just the wife and I, headed to Phoenix.” Burke McClure

Several years ago, I was flying from John Wayne (KSNA) to Big Bear (L35) on a route that crossed that of arriving traffic into Ontario (KONT). It was the anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ first flight, well into the holiday gift-buying season. East of Ontario, SoCal instructed me to alter course 20 degrees to the […]

It was the wee hours of the morning, and the center’s frequency had been dead silent for quite a while. Finally, a pilot just had to check. Pilot:“Uh, Albuquerque – anybody home?” Controller:“Nope. We’re all at work.” Art Friedman

One clear Christmas night, my wife and I were returning to San Diego after visiting our son in central California. There was little radio traffic, but check-ins with controllers were invariably prefaced with “Merry Christmas.” So, as we proceeded into Bakersfield’s air space: Me:“Good evening, Bakersfield. Merry Christmas.” Bakersfield Tower:“Humbug.” Me:“Why ‘humbug’?” Bakersfield Tower:“Have you […]

The FAA has rolled out a new online search tool that will help make it easier for pilots to find Notices to Airmen relevant to their planned flight. The tool “means that the days of rooting around trying to find applicable Notams while planning for a flight are just about over,” says NBAA. The new […]

We did not have digital radar in the TRACON 25 years ago when I was an air traffic controller. With our analog radar, spring and fall waterfowl migrations of ducks, geese, and cranes always created a cluster of raw radar returns on the scope. It was one of those days when the scope was almost […]

After a VFR departure from a satellite airport, I called TYS approach. Me:“Knoxville, Cheyenne 1234 is off Morristown for a clearance to Nashville.” Approach:“Squawk 2345.” Me:“O.K., squawking 2345.” [A bit of a pause.] Approach:“Cheyenne 1234, squawk Oscar November.” I fixed the problem right away. Billy Chandler

Welcome to the start of the Holiday Season-Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas, New Year-the highest stress time of the year. Welcome to the season of intense pressure, spoken and unspoken, to make the flight you’re planning to be with your family. Before you start saying that Scrooge was the more caring member of my family, the point […]

I was on my way back to Chicago Midway after delivering some freight out east. “It was a dark and stormy night” with scattered thunderstorms and few airplanes. I was with Cleveland approach when this call came through. Something Something Yankee:“Cleveland, this is Something Something Yankee. How do you hear?” Cleveland:“Loud and clear. How me?” […]

Overheard this exchange in Houston Center the week before Halloween 2014: Aircraft N1Q:“Houston, N1Q. 390. Good evening.” Houston Center:“Good evening, N1Q. That sure is a long N-number you got there.” Aircraft N1Q:“Yes. And it’s hard to remember, too.” Doug Fields