While transitioning Salt Lake airports’s Bravo airspace, we overheard an exchange between the controller and a pilot unfamiliar with the area. The pilot was having trouble understanding a routing change. Finally the controller said, “That is Baldy intersection, Bravo Alpha Lima Delta Yankee. It is named after my supervisor.”
All was quiet after that.
H.C. Gibson
Colorado Springs, Colo.
At Minneapolis-St. Paul International airport, the Minnesota Twins baseball team is recognized with the TWINZ waypoint on the arrival procedure. On the KBREW departure, which pays homage to slugger Harmon Killebrew, the HRBEK intersection is named for hometown favorite Kent Hrbek.
Jim Hanson
Albert Lea, Minn.
Overheard on Longview, Texas approach:
Cirrus1234: (Hesitantly) “Longview approach, Cirrus 1234. Rrequests a full stop landing at East Texas Regional.”
Longview Approach: “Cirrus 1234, do you have Golf?”
Cirrus 1234: “Uh, no we are just stopping for gas.”
Longview Approach: “Cirrus 1234, do you have information Golf?”
Cirrus 1234: “No, we don’t have time for golf, just gas.”
Longview Approach: “Cirrus 1234, the winds are from 350 degrees at 7 knots, the temperature is 25 and the dew point is 10. The altimeter is 3005. Expect visual approach to Runway 35.”
John McDonald
Hallsville, Texas
I took my basic flight instruction at Morristown, New Jersey, home of Tony Soprano and a certain governor who likes to throw his weight around. So don’t be surprised if you fly the ILS 23 at Morristown Municipal airport and hear a hearty reference to the fixes, “BADDA BINGG” on the radio.
David D. Turner
During my early years in the FAA, as a new working controller I instructed a Cessna 411 inbound from the west to make a straight in approach to Runway 11. The aircraft call sign was N11W. The pilot reported a three-mile final. I keyed my mike, but my brain and mouth were out of sync. I transmitted, “Twin Cessna wun wun whiskey qwer to wand wunway wun wun.”
The pilot didn’t miss a beat and said, “Waagaah.”
I was in speaker mode and all my fellow controllers heard it too. Needless to say it took a while to live down that first of many on-air bloopers.
Len Knight
Boca Raton, Fla.
Once, in the Cincinnati area, I heard ATC tell a Delta jet to expect Runway 18R to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International airport. The pilot asked if he could have Runway 18C instead. ATC responded with, “What’s in it for me?”
After a fairly long pause, the Delta pilot answered with, “…ah..a bag of Cheetos?”
Laughter followed from the controller who said, “Work’s for me. Plan Runway 18C.”
Craig Cook
Stratford, Wis.
Many years ago, I was doing my helicopter CFI training out of John Wayne Airport before the radar was upgraded. Sometimes vehicles on the adjacent freeways would appear on the radar scope. We had just departed the airport, when the controller advised us of a target in our vicinity, “Possibly a truck.”
My instructor replied, “Roger, looking for the truck.”
Bob Lancaster
Orlando, Fla.
While overflying New York airspace with flight following at 9500 feet, I had the following exchange:
New York Approach: “Diamond 609CA, say destination.”
Me: “Diamond 609CA is direct Oxford, Oscar Xray Charlie.”
New York Approach: “609CA, wouldn’t you like to start your decent?”
Me: “New York Approach, I didn’t want to bust into your class Bravo airspace.”
New York Approach (with voice of God): “609CA, I have DOMINION over my sector. You MAY descend to 5500 feet.”
Eric Olson
Middlebury, Conn.
