On The Air: June 2012

We overheard this conversation with Tower at Anoka Blaine-County, Minn., just after a Skylane had landed:Anoka Tower: Skylane Two Five Eight, turn right on Bravo, right on Charlie One, Cross 9-27 to parking.Skylane 258: Bravo, Charlie One, Cross 9-27.Skylane 258 (after a short pause): Anoka Tower, ahhh, we made a wrong turn.Tower: I see that. Thats OK. Cross 9-27, left on Alpha Three.Skylane 258: Cross 9-27, left on Alpha Three. Skylane 258 (after another pause):…

Editorial Staff

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

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Aviation communication, particularly in general aviation settings, is often characterized by informal and humorous exchanges between pilots and air traffic controllers.
Controllers frequently demonstrate patience and good humor in response to pilot errors, navigational mix-ups, or unusual requests.
Pilots regularly experience "teachable moments" or amusing situations stemming from their own mistakes (e.g., wrong turns, incorrect call signs) or unexpected equipment behavior.

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We overheard this conversation with Tower at Anoka Blaine-County, Minn., just after a Skylane had landed:
Anoka Tower: “Skylane Two Five Eight, turn right on Bravo, right on Charlie One, Cross 9-27 to parking.”
Skylane 258: “Bravo, Charlie One, Cross 9-27.”
Skylane 258 (after a short pause): “Anoka Tower, ahhh, we made a wrong turn.”
Tower: “I see that. That’s OK. Cross 9-27, left on Alpha Three.”
Skylane 258: “Cross 9-27, left on Alpha Three.”
Skylane 258 (after another pause): “We just had a teachable moment.”
Tower: “Did that involve a pencil and paper?”
Skylane 258: “Affirmative … and a red-faced instructor.”

Woody Minar
Dresser, Wisc.