Aviator_VanLan
Pre-Flight
I saw this post on North Texas Aviators Facebook page last night and thought I would share the laughs on here as well.
KGTU to T67 – Doing the Tango…
This happened a few years ago on a cross country to Georgetown. Our aircraft for the day was Cessna 172, N5684T or “84Tango”.
The mission was to pick up my mother at Georgetown (KGTU) and fly her back to the DFW area.
It was a beautiful VFR day. Hardly any traffic. Departed Hicks (T67) and flew VFR direct to KGTU (Georgetown). Picked up Mommy Dearest at the terminal, departed Georgetown, and picked up flight following northbound. On course heading was about 360 so we headed to 5500’ VFR cruise altitude.
We were handed off from Georgetown tower to Houston Center for flight following.
Then handed off to Gray Approach.
We contacted Gray approach to check in.
84Tango: “Cessna 5684Tango level at 5500’”.
Gray: “5684Tango, roger radar contact, Gray altimeter 29.xx”
All is good. We were in the sector for about ten minutes when we heard another transmission that went like this:
“Gray approach, Cessna 5685Tango with you at 6000’”
With that, Larry and I looked at each other. 85Tango! We’re 84Tango. We said “Holy mackerel, that is the 172 that was just behind this one in the factory assembly line back in 1964. How cool is that? What are the odds?”
With that Gray came back with:
Gray: “84T I had you at 5500’. Have you changed something?”
85Tango: “Negative 5685Tango at 6000’ direct to Gillespie County, Fredericksburg, Tango82”
Gray: “Oh I thought you were headed north to Hicks, Tango67 at 5500’”
Note: At this point Larry mentioned we should barge in and get it all sorted. We agreed that we would “wait for it” as this was too good to pass up.
85Tango: Negative. 85Tango no changes. 6000’ direct Tango82, Gillespie County”
Gray: OK, let me get this straight. 5685Tango Gillespie County, Tango82, 6000’, direct.”
85Tango: Affirmative Gray, 5685Tango Gillespie County, Tango82, 6000’, direct.”
Gray: Cool, thanks for getting that cleared up. Not sure what was going on there, bad strip I guess…”
At this point we figured Gray’s head was spinning a bit. We sipped our coffee for a minute or so, cracked our knuckles, and then keyed the mike:
84Tango: “Gray Approach, 5684Tango just checking in, 5500’”
Gray: “85Tango I thought you were at 6000’?
84Tango: “Negative. 5684Tango. Haven’t changed a thing. Still 5500’ direct Hicks, Tango67”
Gray: “I had you as 85Tango going to Tango82, Gillespie County”
84Tango “Negative. No changes. That isn’t us. We are 5684Tango. Direct Hicks, Tango67. Somebody else I guess.
There was a long pause. We figured the controller’s head exploded about this time. He had torn up our original strip and now had to recreate it….. (not sure how he handled gaffing off our squawk…)
Gray: OK, so let me get this straight. 5684Tango VFR direct Tango67 at 5500’
84Tango: Correct. 5684Tango VFR direct, Tango67, 5500’
Gray: 84Tango, thanks.
Now, this is where is really got fun. About five minutes later we came up with a better idea. You see, I live on a little airstrip north of Fort Worth by Decatur. Heritage Creek. 58T. My wife was home at the time and it was a pretty day so we figured we can just drop Mommy Dearest off at the house and then double back to put the plane back at Hicks. Afterwards, we could have an unencumbered adult beverage at the hangar to finish the day.
To wit, we keyed up the mike:
84Tango: Gray, 5684Tango request.
Gray: “5684Tango, say request”
84Tango: Yeah, 84Tango, we’d like to change our destination.
There was a bit of a pause here. We assume Gray’s head was still hurting…
Gray: “84Tango, Gray, go ahead.”
84Tango: “Yeah, we’d like to change our destination from Tango67 to 58Tango, Heritage Creek.”
Gray: “Uhhhh, Tango 67 to 58Tango?”
84Tango: Affirmative, 84Tango to 58Tango
Gray: 84Tango, where is 58Tango?
84 Tango: “Yeah, if it helps 58Tango is just south of Decatur, Lima Uniform Delta, a few miles north of Tango67, just east of Tango76 and south of 76Tango”
Gray: “84Tango, Yeah, right. Uh, tell you what, contact Fort Worth Approach on 128.32 and let them handle it”
84Tango: 128.32, 84Tango. Thanks for the help. Have a swell day!”
Booyah! Flying is fun!
KGTU to T67 – Doing the Tango…
This happened a few years ago on a cross country to Georgetown. Our aircraft for the day was Cessna 172, N5684T or “84Tango”.
The mission was to pick up my mother at Georgetown (KGTU) and fly her back to the DFW area.
It was a beautiful VFR day. Hardly any traffic. Departed Hicks (T67) and flew VFR direct to KGTU (Georgetown). Picked up Mommy Dearest at the terminal, departed Georgetown, and picked up flight following northbound. On course heading was about 360 so we headed to 5500’ VFR cruise altitude.
We were handed off from Georgetown tower to Houston Center for flight following.
Then handed off to Gray Approach.
We contacted Gray approach to check in.
84Tango: “Cessna 5684Tango level at 5500’”.
Gray: “5684Tango, roger radar contact, Gray altimeter 29.xx”
All is good. We were in the sector for about ten minutes when we heard another transmission that went like this:
“Gray approach, Cessna 5685Tango with you at 6000’”
With that, Larry and I looked at each other. 85Tango! We’re 84Tango. We said “Holy mackerel, that is the 172 that was just behind this one in the factory assembly line back in 1964. How cool is that? What are the odds?”
With that Gray came back with:
Gray: “84T I had you at 5500’. Have you changed something?”
85Tango: “Negative 5685Tango at 6000’ direct to Gillespie County, Fredericksburg, Tango82”
Gray: “Oh I thought you were headed north to Hicks, Tango67 at 5500’”
Note: At this point Larry mentioned we should barge in and get it all sorted. We agreed that we would “wait for it” as this was too good to pass up.
85Tango: Negative. 85Tango no changes. 6000’ direct Tango82, Gillespie County”
Gray: OK, let me get this straight. 5685Tango Gillespie County, Tango82, 6000’, direct.”
85Tango: Affirmative Gray, 5685Tango Gillespie County, Tango82, 6000’, direct.”
Gray: Cool, thanks for getting that cleared up. Not sure what was going on there, bad strip I guess…”
At this point we figured Gray’s head was spinning a bit. We sipped our coffee for a minute or so, cracked our knuckles, and then keyed the mike:
84Tango: “Gray Approach, 5684Tango just checking in, 5500’”
Gray: “85Tango I thought you were at 6000’?
84Tango: “Negative. 5684Tango. Haven’t changed a thing. Still 5500’ direct Hicks, Tango67”
Gray: “I had you as 85Tango going to Tango82, Gillespie County”
84Tango “Negative. No changes. That isn’t us. We are 5684Tango. Direct Hicks, Tango67. Somebody else I guess.
There was a long pause. We figured the controller’s head exploded about this time. He had torn up our original strip and now had to recreate it….. (not sure how he handled gaffing off our squawk…)
Gray: OK, so let me get this straight. 5684Tango VFR direct Tango67 at 5500’
84Tango: Correct. 5684Tango VFR direct, Tango67, 5500’
Gray: 84Tango, thanks.
Now, this is where is really got fun. About five minutes later we came up with a better idea. You see, I live on a little airstrip north of Fort Worth by Decatur. Heritage Creek. 58T. My wife was home at the time and it was a pretty day so we figured we can just drop Mommy Dearest off at the house and then double back to put the plane back at Hicks. Afterwards, we could have an unencumbered adult beverage at the hangar to finish the day.
To wit, we keyed up the mike:
84Tango: Gray, 5684Tango request.
Gray: “5684Tango, say request”
84Tango: Yeah, 84Tango, we’d like to change our destination.
There was a bit of a pause here. We assume Gray’s head was still hurting…
Gray: “84Tango, Gray, go ahead.”
84Tango: “Yeah, we’d like to change our destination from Tango67 to 58Tango, Heritage Creek.”
Gray: “Uhhhh, Tango 67 to 58Tango?”
84Tango: Affirmative, 84Tango to 58Tango
Gray: 84Tango, where is 58Tango?
84 Tango: “Yeah, if it helps 58Tango is just south of Decatur, Lima Uniform Delta, a few miles north of Tango67, just east of Tango76 and south of 76Tango”
Gray: “84Tango, Yeah, right. Uh, tell you what, contact Fort Worth Approach on 128.32 and let them handle it”
84Tango: 128.32, 84Tango. Thanks for the help. Have a swell day!”
Booyah! Flying is fun!
