On the Air: October 2016

I got the dreaded write down this number to call the FAA last week. We were flying into Lancaster, south of Dallas, for breakfast. After taking off from my local airport in a V-tail Bonanza in VFR conditions, the predicted scattered clouds at Lancaster turned out to be a low overcast. We were on VFR flight following, so I called DFW approach and got a pop up IFR clearance to shoot the GPS 31 approach. About the time we reached the FAF, we got the call to copy down a phone number.

Editorial Staff

Wednesday, September 14, 2016 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The article presents a collection of humorous anecdotes detailing various real-life exchanges between pilots and Air Traffic Control (ATC).
These stories showcase a range of human elements in aviation communication, from playful banter and dry wit to minor misunderstandings due to informal language.
Examples include an ATC agent's unusual instruction, a pilot's casual query about a celebrity's plane, and humorous verbal exchanges about flight intentions or perceived neglect.

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I got the dreaded “write down this number to call the FAA” last week. We were flying into Lancaster, south of Dallas, for breakfast. After taking off from my local airport in a V-tail Bonanza in VFR conditions, the predicted scattered clouds at Lancaster turned out to be a low overcast. We were on VFR flight following, so I called DFW approach and got a pop up IFR clearance to shoot the GPS 31 approach. About the time we reached the FAF, we got the call to copy down a phone number.

After scrambling for a pen, and with thoughts of NASA forms in my heard, I copied the phone number. After I wrote it down, and I asked DFW TRACON, “What did we do?”