On The Air: May 2012

We were inbound for a practice ILS at Portland, Maine, on a seriously windy day. The controller was a trainee wed heard before, and she must have been having a bit of trouble with the wind-as were we, bouncing along in our minimally equipped 1976 Skyhawk:Portland Approach: Cessna Seven Three Eight Two Seven, fly heading 350.Us: 350, Eight Two Seven.Approach (a couple minutes later): Cessna Eight Two Seven, fly heading 330. Us: 330, Eight Two…

Editorial Staff

Monday, August 04, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

The article presents several humorous anecdotes showcasing witty and informal exchanges between pilots and air traffic controllers during flights.
These stories often involve lighthearted banter while dealing with common aviation challenges such as strong winds, widespread turbulence, or aircraft identification.
The collection also touches on aviation-specific communication quirks, like the phonetic pronunciation of numbers, leading to further humorous wordplay.

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We were inbound for a practice ILS at Portland, Maine, on a seriously windy day. The controller was a trainee we’d heard before, and she must have been having a bit of trouble with the wind—as were we, bouncing along in our minimally equipped 1976 Skyhawk:
Portland Approach: “Cessna Seven Three Eight Two Seven, fly heading 350.”
Us: “350, Eight Two Seven.”
Approach (a couple minutes later): “Cessna Eight Two Seven, fly heading 330.”
Us: “330, Eight Two Seven.”
Approach (a minute or two later): “Cessna Eight Two Seven, what are the winds aloft at your altitude?”
I probably could have figured that out between my panel full of steam gauges and the portable GPS, but my instructor saved me the trouble:
Instructor: “Ma’am, we don’t have that kind of technology. How about, ‘Really strong from the northwest?’ “
Approach (laughing): “Roger that. Thanks.”

Luke Bassett
Windham, Maine