ATC Humour (Merged)
Avoid imitations
Joined: Nov 2000
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 15,112
Likes: 1,086
From: Wandering the FIR and cyberspace often at highly unsociable times
I overheard this one.
A lady controller at E. NEMA airport gave a base turn heading to a commercial jet pilot. He read it back to her and then immediately went on to say, presumably intending to alert his cabin staff over the PA, but with the VHF still accidentally selected: "If you folks would like to sit down now, we're about to begin our final approach"...
ATC, quick as a flash: "I am sitting down!"
A lady controller at E. NEMA airport gave a base turn heading to a commercial jet pilot. He read it back to her and then immediately went on to say, presumably intending to alert his cabin staff over the PA, but with the VHF still accidentally selected: "If you folks would like to sit down now, we're about to begin our final approach"...
ATC, quick as a flash: "I am sitting down!"
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 111
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From: P@$#ing distance from 2 borders
Lestump,
Just a question your not an ex FSO currently working for QF by anychance ??
Don't worry about Jerricho, his wit, decreases with the temperatures he lives in, must be bloody cold there by now Jerricho, not like the days in Bris Vegas heh !!
Just a question your not an ex FSO currently working for QF by anychance ??
Don't worry about Jerricho, his wit, decreases with the temperatures he lives in, must be bloody cold there by now Jerricho, not like the days in Bris Vegas heh !!
Manchesters Most Wanted PPRuNer
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 818
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Not a witty retort as such but a while ago a colleague at MACC, upon handing off an aircraft late one afternoon shift to a young female controller, instructed the crew to "Contact lovely (female ATCOs name) on 123.45".
Fair play to the crew
The female ATCO had her headset off, as we were quiet at the time so the RT was switched to speaker as is normal, and sure enough, a minute or so later, booming throughout the ops room, a deadpan....................
"Lovely (female ATCOs name) this is................."
To say she blushed is an understatement.
It made us laugh anyway
Fair play to the crew
The female ATCO had her headset off, as we were quiet at the time so the RT was switched to speaker as is normal, and sure enough, a minute or so later, booming throughout the ops room, a deadpan...................."Lovely (female ATCOs name) this is................."
To say she blushed is an understatement.
It made us laugh anyway
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 561
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From: Brisbane, Australia
Heard this one recently,
ATC - "Virgin 501 contact Brisbane Centre on 130.9, expect star clearance."
No response.
ATC - "Virgin 501 Brisbane Centre, contact Centre on 130.9, expect star clearance"
No response.
ATC - "Virgin 501 Brisbane Centre"
No response.
ATC - "Virgin 501 Brisbane Centre"
VOZ 501 - "Virgin 501, was that you calling Centre?"
ATC - "Yes Virgin 501, I was beginning to thinks my kids were flying the aircraft, they don't listen to me either!"
ATC - "Virgin 501 contact Brisbane Centre on 130.9, expect star clearance."
No response.
ATC - "Virgin 501 Brisbane Centre, contact Centre on 130.9, expect star clearance"
No response.
ATC - "Virgin 501 Brisbane Centre"
No response.
ATC - "Virgin 501 Brisbane Centre"
VOZ 501 - "Virgin 501, was that you calling Centre?"
ATC - "Yes Virgin 501, I was beginning to thinks my kids were flying the aircraft, they don't listen to me either!"
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,055
Likes: 31
From: Liverpool based Geordie, so calm down, calm down kidda!!
Sorry for hijacking your excellent thread, but it was always fantastic to wind up military controllers when flying Wessex/Gazelle/squirrel. When calling finals and they ask confirm gear down.... The reply was always 'down and welded'.
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 545
Likes: 1
From: scotland
Ah yes 'down and welded' how amusing. How about student rotary pilot being very dull, controller transmits 'speechless ac if you are receving my tx's nod your head', Instructor pops on with, yep he nodded.
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 489
Likes: 0
From: Asgard
I think I have posted this one before, but it is a tribute to the stunning wit of my flying instructor.
We were downwind, and yours truly not having a good day when the tower asked " Golf ****, are you dual or solo?"
Before I could reply, my instructor replied " Well, I think we are dual"
We were downwind, and yours truly not having a good day when the tower asked " Golf ****, are you dual or solo?"
Before I could reply, my instructor replied " Well, I think we are dual"
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 234
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From: Silicon Hills
Situation: Civilian LearJet under military contract of some sort is taxiing for departure
ATC: "Lear XXX, say direction of flight?"
NXXX: "That's Classified"
pause
ATC: "Lear XXX, expect a delay.."
NXXX: "Umm, how long?"
ATC: "Depature says that's classified..."
Female controller on busy weekend:
"Y'all pretend we're married and shutup and let me talk"
ATC: "Lear XXX, say direction of flight?"
NXXX: "That's Classified"
pause
ATC: "Lear XXX, expect a delay.."
NXXX: "Umm, how long?"
ATC: "Depature says that's classified..."
Female controller on busy weekend:
"Y'all pretend we're married and shutup and let me talk"
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
From: north of the harbour
Heard by a fellow crew-member somewhere over New York airspace:
ATC (Female)(using mid-range female voice): ABCxxx yadda yadda yadda.
ABCxxx (Male)(using Texan-drawl) "Sorry.... was that for ABCxxx?"
ATC: (using higher-than-mid-range female voice) ABCxxx yadda yadda yadda
ABCxxx (as above) "I'm sorry, could you say that a little slower for me?"
ATC (using very-high female-voice-pending-iminent-collision?) ABCxxx yadda yadda yadda NOW
ABCxxx (as above) "Damn, were we married once?"
Apparently a true story, mid 1998
ATC (Female)(using mid-range female voice): ABCxxx yadda yadda yadda.
ABCxxx (Male)(using Texan-drawl) "Sorry.... was that for ABCxxx?"
ATC: (using higher-than-mid-range female voice) ABCxxx yadda yadda yadda
ABCxxx (as above) "I'm sorry, could you say that a little slower for me?"
ATC (using very-high female-voice-pending-iminent-collision?) ABCxxx yadda yadda yadda NOW
ABCxxx (as above) "Damn, were we married once?"
Apparently a true story, mid 1998
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 98
Likes: 0
From: earth
Over Germany;
Rhein radar; "Alitaliaxxx, Rhein....?"
Silence
Rhein; "Alitaliaxxx, Rhein....how do you read?"
Silence
Rhein; "Alitalia, Rhein radar.....?
Unidentified german pilot;" Zey probably vent on a spontanious strike"
Rhein radar; "Alitaliaxxx, Rhein....?"
Silence
Rhein; "Alitaliaxxx, Rhein....how do you read?"
Silence
Rhein; "Alitalia, Rhein radar.....?
Unidentified german pilot;" Zey probably vent on a spontanious strike"
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 84
Likes: 0
From: There's no place like home!
Absolutely priceless tit-bits here - just not enough hours in the day to read em all
Some of em reminded me of a story told to me a couple of years back by an old(ish!) instructor:
He was working a fairly quiet en-route sector with not a whole lot happening for hours on end. Two 747's inbound to land with only separation of 1000', otherwise the targets on the screen were merged. Obviously only one of em could be the number 1, but which one? Said controller knew that one of the i/b's was hauling cargo, but couldn't quite remember which one. So, in the interests of expedition etc. he contacted one of the a/c to find out:
ATC: xxx123, yyyy, are you hauling pax or boxes this evening?
(Not exactly standard phraseology admittedly!)
Pilot (in the mandatory slow Southern drawl): Well sir, ah've got abaht 485 units on board, an' Ah reckin abaht half of 'em of got boxes!!
Cue much mirth in the otherwise sleepy center!! 
Some of em reminded me of a story told to me a couple of years back by an old(ish!) instructor:
He was working a fairly quiet en-route sector with not a whole lot happening for hours on end. Two 747's inbound to land with only separation of 1000', otherwise the targets on the screen were merged. Obviously only one of em could be the number 1, but which one? Said controller knew that one of the i/b's was hauling cargo, but couldn't quite remember which one. So, in the interests of expedition etc. he contacted one of the a/c to find out:
ATC: xxx123, yyyy, are you hauling pax or boxes this evening?
(Not exactly standard phraseology admittedly!)
Pilot (in the mandatory slow Southern drawl): Well sir, ah've got abaht 485 units on board, an' Ah reckin abaht half of 'em of got boxes!!
Cue much mirth in the otherwise sleepy center!!
Avoid imitations
Joined: Nov 2000
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 15,112
Likes: 1,086
From: Wandering the FIR and cyberspace often at highly unsociable times
Heard a funny today on 130.2 Cottesmore Approach.
ATC: "G-****, state your POB"
G-**** (After pause): "Er, Say again?"
ATC: "G-****, state your POB!"
G-**** (After pause): " Er, overhead.. er... Corby.
ATC: G-****, Roger, ..... clear change to en route frequency, good day!"
Can't say I blamed him......
ATC: "G-****, state your POB"
G-**** (After pause): "Er, Say again?"
ATC: "G-****, state your POB!"
G-**** (After pause): " Er, overhead.. er... Corby.
ATC: G-****, Roger, ..... clear change to en route frequency, good day!"
Can't say I blamed him......
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 89
Likes: 0
From: S coast
I'd almost forgotten this one:
Student pilot on qualifying Xcountry calls and is unreadable.
ATCO says "unreadable, use the speechless code - once for yes, twice for no. The question is...are you visual with the field?"
Student pilot replies (in anguished voice) having got closer to the field and thus more readable... "once for yes!"
Luckily I remembered 'Aviate, howl with laughter, Navigate, Communicate' or I might never have got down in one piece.
Tori
Student pilot on qualifying Xcountry calls and is unreadable.
ATCO says "unreadable, use the speechless code - once for yes, twice for no. The question is...are you visual with the field?"
Student pilot replies (in anguished voice) having got closer to the field and thus more readable... "once for yes!"
Luckily I remembered 'Aviate, howl with laughter, Navigate, Communicate' or I might never have got down in one piece.
Tori