"No, it's not a helicopter."

jmaynard

jmaynard

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Jay Maynard
On a cross-country flight yesterday, I'd gotten flight following from Minneapolis Center, and replied to the usual "Say type designator and equipment suffix" with "CH60/G, and no, it's not a helicopter." That got the usual chuckle. Sioux City Approach took one look at the strip when he got the handoff, and immediately replied to my callup with "Helicopter 5ZC..." That led to the following:

Me: 5ZC is not a helicopter.
Approach: Well, then what are you?
Me: A CH60 is a two-place light sport aircraft. The helicopter is just H60.
Approach: I thought the civilian N number on that looked funny, but I figured anything was possible.
Me: I might look like it on the radar screen.
Approach: I didn't think any of those were in civilian hands yet.
Me: Well, you know, some third world country might have turned loose of one.
Approach: Could be...but thanks for telling me.
 
aw, c'mon Jay - play along with 'em ... if they keep calling you "Helicopter" long enough, you might actually start believing them! :)
 
gkainz said:
aw, c'mon Jay - play along with 'em ... if they keep calling you "Helicopter" long enough, you might actually start believing them! :)
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until they give you a "hold in place" command lol
 
Like the blimp that was told to hold over some VOR, and did just that? :D
 
I'd say, next time they call you that, just pull it back into slow flight and play along!
 
I had a similar ATC confusion:

Back when it was legal to do so (THANK YOU, Lidle and Stenger!), I was flying south in the NYC East River corridor in a Cherokee. Southbound, first you get Bravo clearance while north or northeast of the Bravo, proceed until you got to the exclusion, and then I wanted to descend into the corridor and proceed VFR.

"Cherokee 4198F requesting Bravo clearance to fly the Throggs Helicopter Route to the East River Southbound."

"What kind of helicopter is a Cherokee?"

"Negative, Piper PA-28 Cherokee, fixed wing airplane with the spinning thing on the front, not on top."

"How are you going to terminate this flight? Are you a Cherokee on floats?"

"Negative, when we get to the exclusion we intend to descend out of the Bravo and proceed VFR. "

-Skip
 
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Jay, you need one of our electronic geniuses here to build you an inline box for your headset to plug into that gives your transmissions that "whup whup whup" sound helicopter pilots have... that'll really confuse ATC!
 
TangoWhiskey said:
Jay, you need one of our electronic geniuses here to build you an inline box for your headset to plug into that gives your transmissions that "whup whup whup" sound helicopter pilots have... that'll really confuse ATC!
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I'd rather have that high frequency whine noise the jets have in the background. Mebbe that would help us get respect from C90. :D
 
On Patuxent Approach using FF, the female military controller said to me, Grumman 641, company F-14 at your six O'clock. Gotta love it. Damn I miss the F-14.
 
jmaynard said:
On a cross-country flight yesterday, I'd gotten flight following from Minneapolis Center, and replied to the usual "Say type designator and equipment suffix" with "CH60/G, and no, it's not a helicopter." That got the usual chuckle. Sioux City Approach took one look at the strip when he got the handoff, and immediately replied to my callup with "Helicopter 5ZC..." That led to the following:

Me: 5ZC is not a helicopter.
Approach: Well, then what are you?
Me: A CH60 is a two-place light sport aircraft. The helicopter is just H60.
Approach: I thought the civilian N number on that looked funny, but I figured anything was possible.
Me: I might look like it on the radar screen.
Approach: I didn't think any of those were in civilian hands yet.
Me: Well, you know, some third world country might have turned loose of one.
Approach: Could be...but thanks for telling me.
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I get the helo thing all the time when I am using the Coast Guard Callsign.

I even got told once as I was passing through some Class D airspace that there was a fixed wing close to my position. I let them know I WAS the fixed wing. We had a laugh.

I also get asked if I can give them a radio check on 234MHZ too. But alas no UHF in the plane but I do have a marine radio. I can give them a call on channel 16.
 
mikea said:
I'd rather have that high frequency whine noise the jets have in the background. Mebbe that would help us get respect from C90. :D
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Just use the callsign "Cherokee 284Mike Heavy." The way you load the plane, it should qualify. ;) :rofl:
 
the time I got called 'Lear' in error, I hung on to that for as long as I could milk it!

(to self "yeah, I'm a Lear!")
 
I got called a "T-6" once....

MINE.GIF


Ron Wanttaja
 
KennyFlys said:
Yeah, I can see how that could happen. :frog:

Perhaps you were putting steroids in the fuel at the time? :)
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Be fair...the tower controller had a large family, and probably needed the $20 it cost me...

Ron Wanttaja
 
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