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:

Humorous radio interference during a flight led to a witty exchange between a pilot and air traffic control.
A language barrier caused a funny misunderstanding between a ground controller and a Chinese student pilot about flight intentions.
An interaction during a skydiving operation included a woman's scream on the radio, prompting humorous comments about her willingness to jump.
A pilot's accidental transmission of a regional joke resulted in a playful "punishment" from a quick-witted air traffic controller.

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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