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On The Air: May 217

Every spring, eastern South Dakota skies are filled with geese as they return home to Canada for summer nesting. On any given day during March more than a million geese, (Snows, Brants, Canadians, and lesser Canadians) can be found roaming stretches of eastern South Dakota. It can get crowded.

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Aviation radio communications can extend beyond official transmissions to include informal, personal banter and humorous exchanges between pilots and air traffic controllers.
  • Pilots encounter clever and sometimes pun-filled navigation fix names, such as "Mycro" and "BBrew" near microbreweries.
  • Experiences in aviation, especially for new pilots, can highlight communication challenges and educational moments, such as misinterpreting "hot spots" or choosing runway light intensity.
  • Aviation knowledge can be acquired through unexpected means, even for reluctant passengers, like learning an emergency frequency via a hangar bathroom code.
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During a recent long cross-country, I found myself progressing across vast open spaces in Pennsylvania. I overheard the following.

Unknown aircraft calling Approach: “Ann, is that you?”

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