On the Air

We are based at Witham Field, Stuart, Florida. Stuart is a fairly busy airport, located in southeast Florida between Palm Beach and Vero Beach. It is also a port of entry, and there is a large flight school located here. On this particular day, the weather was picture perfect for flying. We had flown to […]

I was cruising along one day when I heard the following: Center: “1JT turn right heading 120.” 1JL: “120 1JL.” 1JT: “Center I think another aircraft responded to the heading for 1JT.” Center: “OK heading is 120 for 1JT only.” Loud squealing Center: “Alright 1 uh Justin Timberlake, you fly heading 120.” 1JT: “120 1 […]

Star Wars Episode 1 While the Star Wars movie series has ended (spanning 42 years), it is alive and well at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (KATL) on the JEDII TWO ARRIVAL (RNAV). There are up to 11 Star Wars movies, depending on how you count. The original movie (1977) was Star Wars Episode IV: […]

We flew a trip from San Jose, California to Omaha, Nebraska during the worst of the fire season last year. We were at FL390 in our Phenom 300, looking at a huge pyroclastic cumulonimbus that was building over the Rockies from a fire near Denver. The Denver Center controller was amazed that jets in the […]

I fly a Cessna Conquest and when I announce myself to air traffic control, sometimes they hear Citation, and I usually correct them so they know I can’t cruise at FL 430. The other day I was doing practice approaches at my home airport, and a student was on the tower frequency with me. Me: […]

At the end of a five-hour final leg of a cross-country trip from the west coast to Michigan, I was very much ready to stop and stretch my legs. I was descending from 17,000 over Lake Michigan towards Traverse City. I broke out of clouds at the edge of Wisconsin and could see the other shore. […]

Some years back at Bradley International Airport, there was a local air taxi company that did a lot of their new pilot training on the mid shift. They would go round and round the same ILS pattern for hours apparently swapping seats as the flight went on. Often, as the controller on duty, I would […]

I just recently ran across the WORXS 2 arrival into Greenville Spartanburg International airport. It includes the fixes: BESTT CNTLR EVRRR WORXS ANGRI TDAAY. I assume there’s a back story to that arrival, but I have no idea what it is, or what the controller might be angry about… Philip Rash Durham, NC While flying […]

Not long ago during my instrument training, my very accomplished instructor and I were doing a VOR 14 Approach at Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport (KMFD). After completing the missed approach the tower controller came on the radio to say, “That was a very good job on the approach.” Somewhat surprised my instructor said, “Gee they have […]

Before BMW started to produce cars, it manufactured motorcycles then aircraft engines that powered a number of well-known German airplanes such as the Focke-Wulf FW 190. In the BIMMR TWO DEPARTURE from the Greenville-Spartanburg International airport (KGSP), DRIVN around Greer in the South Carolina Upstate in your BIMMR ZZCAR (BMW Z Car), you can stop […]