coolest Atc instruction ever

[phiggsbroadband]

Hi All, I remember my first solo at Hawarden, which was supposed to be just one circuit and land... I was given the instruction to 'Orbit Right on Downwind Leg'.
The reason soon became clear, it was for the Baluga to land, back-track and park.
I had never done Orbits before, and and after about six of them I had drifted well out into the country, watching a bridge over a ditch pass underneath me.
How I held the altitude I don't know, but finaly made the landing and clocked
25 minutes in the process.

Pete

[Kengineer-130]

On one of my cross country training routes in Florida, my instructor decided it was about time we flew into Orlando Sanford for a bit of big airport practice. It was quite an experience being told I was #2 to the 747 on short finals, which is about as far from a C150 as you can get, pretty impressive watching a beast like that land from the circuit height.

The controller obviously had a sense of humour, as we taxyed back to the start of 09L, he asked if we would like to backtrack the displaced threshold as we "only" had 9600 feet of runway available for take off

[Pugilistic Animus]

Yeah I know the problem I hated the B-757 on those 'short' Runways

the 707...

My airport [FRG] is just as busy as LGA even had fighter jets take off behind he as a student...

[taybird]

First post licence flight, other half as pax in a C152. Still at ~ 200 ft on final approach, he called out on the radio "Let me out of here!" To which the air-ground operator responded "Feel free to use the door to your right..."

[Grob Queen]

Well, not as good as most of yours here, but today, on taxxiing out I heard instructions to the two KingAirs behind me:

" KingAir Charlie taxi second behind the Grob"

"KingAir Mike taxi third behind Grob"

Made me grin anyway!

[Pilot DAR]

Decades ago I was on a very long straight in final in Ohio. I got the impression that the tower controller was working both a VHF frequency (as I could hear both sides of the radio exchange), and UHF (as I could only hear his transmissions, not those of the aircraft).

After I was cleared to land, I heard tower say: "yeah, I guess that would be okay..." but it was not addressed to me, and I had no idea what was okay.

Moments later, two A-7 Corsair Jets did a low n over on me on final, and landed in front of me. It looked cool, though I wonder if the requirements for wake turbulence separation were met, without my being advised of this...

[tomtytom]

Doing circuits at Warton and air traffic said after departing Eurofighter cleared touch and go 25

[pulse1]

After taking off in India Xray I was once told to use the full call sign as I was being followed by G CVIX, the one and only Sea Vixen.

[Sygyzy]

Slight thread drift

I once phoned Sandown, on the Isle of Wight for a weather report/forecast as I intended to fly down for lunch from Fairoaks.

I rang the ATC telephone number and asked what was their current weather.

After a pause the reply was. "Well...I wouldn't go out without your coat on".

S

[mad_jock]

Phoned Cork and had a similar reply.

"be jesus its raining cats and dogs and blowing a gale"

"Will I get in IFR?"

"aye but bring a spare pair of kecks"

And he was right.

[500 above]

"No delays expected, maintain high speed" does it for me every time - call me old fashioned! Gets you to the bar quicker.

[BackPacker]

use the full call sign

Not cool, but I once was in a CTR (maneuvering, not just transiting, so quite a lot of radio communcation going on) in the PH-SVQ, together with the PH-VSQ. Confused the heck even out of the controllers. Especially since they're both DR400s.

[Hireandhire]

As a student pilot,Halfpenny Green once passed me traffic information as "airship formation", as usual no camera to hand as I steamed past a couple of the virgin blimps apparently grazing together

[John R81]

My coolest instruction from ATC

I was on final to the 26 Heli strip at a busy GA airfield, then needing to air-taxi an EC120 to a pad at the far North of the field. At 60knt and approx 300 ft, inside the airfield boundary:

TWR: XXX are you able to expidite?

Me: Afirm

TWR: XXX break at your discretion, cross 26 Left, expidite, airtaxi pad YY.

Me: Breaking now, clear to cross 26 Left, expidite, airtaxi pad YY.

Break right, nose down. At 20 ft, 60knt, 20 degree right bank turn executed around the tower then straigten up, and drop the collective / pull back the cyclic for a quick-stop down to a 12knt 12ft air taxi.

[cldbstr]

my memorable moments with ATC

1. During a profiency check in an EC120 we passed the military airport of Soesterberg. My examiner suggested we just give them a call and ask if we could land there. On short final we were instructed to continue to the tower and we were told to hover at the same height of the Tower so ATC could have a good look at the helicopter. They had never seen an EC120 before.

After about a minute hovering a Chinook reported final and asked if the little bug could get the hell out of there.

2. Crossing the Schiphol CTR, decending to about 400 ft and being told to fly 360's around the tower as much as you like.

3. During an IFR flight in a C208B we received vectors to the ILS of Dortmund airport. Unfortunately the pilot and I were talking and not paying much attention to our navigation instruments. It was great weather, CAVOK, no wind and ATC was looking out for us. So what could happen?
When we were told to contact tower as soon as we were established we noted that the HSI was way off. This just couldn't be right. At the same time ATC came back apologizing because he had us lined up for the wrong airport! He didn't stop saying sorry but it evidently was his fault as much as it was mine. I should have noticed it earlier.

Isn't every flight in one way exciting?

[Legalapproach]

Brawdy 1981
"Dragon Formation (two Bulldogs) clear final number two, one nine ship formation ahead (Red something or other)."

[piperboy84]

Back in the 90’s I was doing a lot of flying at Santa Monica airport and became friends with the guys in the tower, flying the trusty old Warrior on about a 1 mile final I get a call from the tower asking me to clear to the right to allow a fast closing “Starship” to get landing priority, I responded initially with a “yeah right a “Starship” and let me guess, Captain Kirk is at the controls right” There response made me realise they were not joking and sure as hell a plane I had never heard off passed me by and what a beautiful aircraft it was Beechcraft Starship - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[rolaaand]

At Bournemouth about 12 years ago the Battle of Britain memorial flight came in to refuel. "after the landing Lancaster line up and wait runway 08"
It's a big beast! Made my day.

[FlyingKiwi_73]

I was taxiing down to the end of 20 at Nelson airport down here in NZ, ATC - XXX Taxi to hold point echo caution gyro copter at charlie (i think)ME - Holding echoATC - XXX are you ready to departI tak a look down the runway and see the bright orange gyro copter about 100ft off the end of the runway, it was like the bloke was pedalling, and forgetting good RT i repliedME- XXX ready to go as soon as....err 'that thing' gets out of the way.ATC - XXX 'That Thing' will be turning starboard shortly cleared for take off 20The gyro copters radio was barely readable by me so it was probably just as well i didn't hear his next transmission but i did catch the word 'Thing'

[Pilot DAR]

Today, we went to visit my 91 year old Aunt in downtown Toronto. While chatting in her apartment, I could here the planes occasionally flying over. After a while, one sounded unusual, and I could not tell its type by the sound. I craned my head around looking out the limited view from her window....

The Lancaster did a beautiful swooping turn over downtown Toronto.....