On The Air: May 2013

Last month I was climbing out of Dulles. Upon changing frequencies there was a very loud background noise that turned out to be a radio station carrying the Rush Limbaugh show. After trying my other radio to no avail, I explained the problem to the controller.Mooney 231RE: Its hard to listen to you and Rush Limbaugh at the same time.Potomac Approach: Its hard to listen to Rush Limbaugh, period. Ill have a frequency change for…

Editorial Staff

Friday, August 01, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

The article presents several humorous aviation anecdotes, including a pilot encountering Rush Limbaugh on an ATC frequency and a skydiving jump punctuated by a "blood curdling scream."
Communication misunderstandings, whether due to language barriers (e.g., a student pilot's response to "say intentions") or basic pilot errors (e.g., "ident" confusion), frequently lead to amusing exchanges with air traffic control.
Accidental broadcasts of personal opinions to ATC, such as a pilot's anti-Yankee remark, can result in witty and unexpected "punishments" from controllers.

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Last month I was climbing out of Dulles. Upon changing frequencies there was a very loud background noise that turned out to be a radio station carrying the Rush Limbaugh show. After trying my other radio to no avail, I explained the problem to the controller.
Mooney 231RE: “It’s hard to listen to you and Rush Limbaugh at the same time.”
Potomac Approach: “It’s hard to listen to Rush Limbaugh, period. I’ll have a frequency change for you in five miles.”
Me: “Looking forward to it!”
They were some of the longest five miles of my flying life.

David Stern
Burdett, New York