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:

Aviation radio communications sometimes feature humorous misunderstandings, like being given a "call FAA" number that was merely for IFR cancellation.
Pilots and air traffic controllers occasionally engage in witty banter, from inquiring about celebrity aircraft to lighthearted complaints about not being pointed towards interesting aerial phenomena.
The anecdotes collectively illustrate the human element and unexpected moments of levity that can occur within the otherwise formal environment of aviation communication.

See a mistake? Contact us.

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?”