capt happy Lima Mike mixup on CNN
 

Just saw this on CNN. Video - Breaking News Videos from CNN.com

Unfortunate editing means that the first ?few? exchanges were cut. IMHO, and on the partial snippet in the clip, the ATCO has no case to answer.

It'd be interesting to hear the FULL conversation.....


It's on YouTube in its entirety

I don't understand the pilot's problem; the controller was only advising him he was on the wrong taxiway, he wasn't :mad: him for being there. The crew should have a taxy chart to help guide them and if unsure, ask for progressive taxy guidance.

It wasnt difficult to establish who had the bad attitude there. I would expect more professionalism from a pilot than that. Hope that was his last trip of the day.

Quite astonishing attitude from the pilot; how many incidents, some of them fatal, caused by aircraft taking the wrong taxyway? Been controlling for longer than I care to remember and never come across an exchange like that.

Heard a similar one in the 70s when heathrow was doing continuous descent trials...T3 copilot gave the controller a rollicking as his Doppler trip gave him a couple of miles more track distance...hung himself a few weeks later.
In hindsight perhaps associated with Aerotoxic syndrome...maintainace deplorable...around that time I was given a week to live due to liver problems.

Did anyone notice that the commentator on CNN said this occurred "after arrival", but the taxi instructions were clearly to the runway? I guess they're not so perfect either...

capt happy Lima Mike mixup on CNN
 

............

Would you like instructions passed in rhyming couplets perhaps, or possibly with carefully chosen subdued background musack; sounded perfectly o.k. to me.:D

Unless there are bits missing from that conversation, he was having a very "bad hair day" indeed, & came across as an arrogant twunt.

Have heard similar (albeit less strident) attitudes in Europe over the years, most recently an AF on Paris control bemoaning his inbound routing, & obviously expecting all ahead of him to clear his path.

Seems to mainly (but not uniquely ) involve the "major" of the country concerned.

Cardinal rule.....never have it out over the air especially in this age. If one feels that a chat is required.....ask them for their phone number. Being a prick over the air achieves nothing and just feeds the vultures here.

I did invite a pilot once to phone in so we could discuss an issue.....he didn't bother. Perhaps it was my "to avoid embarrassing you on the frequency, perhaps you might consider phoning the tower when you can" that did the trick.

It could be argued that some of the Deltoids still suffer from the OGA, Once Great Airline, syndrome.

Back in the day, the folks hired by Delta considered themselves a cut above. When airlines like Western and Pan Am were merged onto the seniority list, the original Delta folks referred to themselves as RD's, Real Deltas.

The RD's wouldn't converse much with outsiders on the hotel van or in the terminal (don't ask me how I know ;) ). Years ago, Delta folks would take jumpseats on other carriers but not reciprocate because 'we don't consider it to be professional' as a JFK-ARN rider once told me.

Traditionally, the odds of getting hired by Delta were lessened if you weren't a Navy pilot, drove a Corvette, were a Catholic and didn't have lunch at the Barbecue Kitchen.

Bankruptcy brought some needed humility back to many of us in the business, even the Deltoids.

Judging from the ATC recording, maybe the RD's are on the rise again...

Yes, reciprocal wasn't in the vocabulary. After 9/11, they were the slowest at returning JS privileges. It took a threat of banning them from other carriers JS leading up to the SLC Olympics to get DAL and DALPA to move on the subject.

I bet that pilots wishes he could turn the clock back...

Delta 2722 subsequently makes the opposite error - entering Lima instead of Mike - and when informed of his error refuses to believe it, abuses the controller and states he is on Mike.


Brilliant. Hope that gets played back at him a few times until he understands his errors.

http://www.sunshineskies.com/atl/atllayout80jep.jpg

KATL has changed a wee bit since July 1980. Here's a recent airport diagram.

http://flightaware.com/resources/air...RT+DIAGRAM/pdf

Never liked ATL. I've seen people eating french frys with mayonaise there.

We should all help each other out because no one is perfect. Even controllers! I remember requesting and getting a clearance through a restricted area. when I was exactly in the middle of it, ATC said: you are in a restricted area, get out. I said: YOU CLEARED ME INTO IT three minutes ago.

Oops.