On the Air: October 2021

IFR Staff

Monday, October 04, 2021 at 04:43 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

During a severe Texas freeze, a pilot finds an isolated ATC controller who grants an unusually direct flight clearance due to the lack of other traffic.
A pilot flying over Canada witnesses the RCAF Snowbirds performing a dramatic vertical climb through clouds directly below their aircraft, offering a unique aerial spectacle.
A 16-year-old student pilot on his first long solo cross-country repeatedly misunderstands "progressive instructions" from ATC, causing multiple runway incursions and eventually turning off his radio to escape the chaotic situation.

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There are many stories about the horrible freeze we had in Texas this year, but I think this one of the funniest.

I planned a flight to McAllen, TX, from the Lago Vista Rusty Allen Airport in the Austin area, and the runway was frozen over and covered with snow. Having grown up in North Dakota, I was, of course, undeterred. I pushed my Viking through the muck and was off. There was a low stratus layer at 3000 feet. so I called Austin Approach for a pop-up clearance. I dialed in the frequency and heard nothing. I waited a few moments then said, “Austin Approach, November 5l Lima Hotel.”