Fun with pilots

Timbeck2

Timbeck2

Final Approach
Joined
Nov 4, 2015
Messages
9,222
Location
Vail, Arizona
Display Name
Display name:
Timbeck2
Yesterday I had a guy call up and tell me that he was 20 miles East of my airspace and wanted to transition. I've seen this a million times, another guy who wants to fly over the boneyard only this guy hadn't contacted Tucson approach prior and was just a primary target on radar. I asked if he was talking to approach and he replied that he was "under their airspace."

[insert the screen shot of the little box on the sectional which states "contact Tucson approach on (freq) within 20 miles here]

I typed him into the system and got a beacon code and asked him to squawk it. He acknowledged but he never came up on the scope. I verified that he got the code and he said that it was in the transponder. I asked if the transponder was on and in the ALT mode. He said yes. Now at this point he is either playing me and knows that he doesn't have a working transponder (why he didn't bother calling approach) or he has a transponder malfunction...not a big deal. He then got bold and asked if he could "orbit the boneyard"...aha, now we know for sure. I told him that he could fly over the boneyard but couldn't make more than a 180 degree turn (as per base regulation) and then he needed to leave. "That's perfect, I'll just fly over on my way to Marana." Meanwhile we have a medical helicopter that needed to be separated from him along with a lifeguard Air Commander coming from another direction, both had him in sight according to approach.

At this point, I got curious and looked up his tail number and got his name and registration info. A Cessna 152 based out of Salt Lake City. To his credit, he continued NW to Marana and thanked me for letting him transition. I replied, "you're welcome [first name]" Long pause..."okay, you got me, how did you get my first name?"

I replied in my best German accent, "Oh...vee haff vays."

Side note: Found out later that the guy I relieved yesterday was exposed to the corona virus...schedule pending. He's quarantined.
 
Timbeck2 said:
Side note: Found out later that the guy I relieved yesterday was exposed to the corona virus...schedule pending. He's quarantined.
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I hadn't thought of how the virus might affect aviation by sidelining ATC staff until you mentioned it.

What is the contingency plan should it sideline a significantly large enough number of staff in a TRACON or Center?
 
As far as I know its just based on the hope that they have enough staying healthy to man the facilities. It isn't like we can just hire someone else to fill in for a while.
 
Timbeck2 said:
As far as I know its just based on the hope that they have enough staying healthy to man the facilities. It isn't like we can just hire someone else to fill in for a while.
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Does the announced "slow down" of domestic air travel affect staffing needs?
 
Can't say. Although I deal with "domestic" on a daily basis, most of my air traffic isn't.
 
AggieMike88 said:
I hadn't thought of how the virus might affect aviation by sidelining ATC staff until you mentioned it.

What is the contingency plan should it sideline a significantly large enough number of staff in a TRACON or Center?
Click to expand...
Worst case scenario....like Norway did:

COVID-19 VFR AND SCHOOL FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS IN NORWAY.
ACCORDING TO A NEW TEMPORARY NATIONAL REGULATION PROMULGATED
14.03.2020 BY THE NORWEGIAN CAA,15 A RESTRICTED AREA HAS BEEN
ESTABLISHED IN ALL NORWEGIAN AIRSPACE (NORWAY FIR).
ALL FLIGHTS ACCORDING TO VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) IN NORWEGIAN
AIRSPACE ARE PROHIBITED UNLESS PRE-APPROVED BY AVINOR ANS.
ALL SCHOOL FLIGHTS IN NORWEGIAN AIRSPACE ARE PROHIBITED UNLESS
PRE-APPROVED BY AVINOR ANS.
REQUESTS FOR PRE-APPROVAL OF FLIGHTS MUST BE FORWARDED TO
OPERATIVSTOTTE.NACC(AT)AVINOR.NO, NO LATER THAN 1H PRIOR TO PLANNED
DEPARTURE.
THESE RESTRICTIONS DO NOT APPLY TO MILITARY, POLICE, AMBULANCE AND
SAR FLIGHTS. OBSERVATION FLIGHTS CONDUCTED UNDER THE TREATY ON OPEN
SKIES ARE ALSO EXEMPTED.
PRE-APPROVAL WILL NORMALLY NOT BE GIVEN UNLESS THE FLIGHT HAS A
SPECIAL SOCIETAL USEFULNESS.
 
As a physician, I am taking care of patients with Coronavirus. If you, or any other controllers, on this board have questions or concerns, send me a PM.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Back when I was doing civil engineering, there were many times I had to research adjacent property owners and visit them to inform them of the project or ask permission to come onto their property to for various reasons. The look on some of their faces when I called them by prefixes and last name, after they opened the door and they clearly had no clue who was standing before them, you could tell it shocked some.

It's unsettling when someone has your information and you have none on them, I guess. Or, it used to be before everyone wanted to be an internet celebrity.
 
Timbeck2 said:
As far as I know its just based on the hope that they have enough staying healthy to man the facilities. It isn't like we can just hire someone else to fill in for a while.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately we know now that it could shut down a major tower [Midway], at least for a while.
 
AggieMike88 said:
I hadn't thought of how the virus might affect aviation by sidelining ATC staff until you mentioned it.

What is the contingency plan should it sideline a significantly large enough number of staff in a TRACON or Center?
Click to expand...

See and avoid.
 
Timbeck2 said:
As far as I know its just based on the hope that they have enough staying healthy to man the facilities. It isn't like we can just hire someone else to fill in for a while.
Click to expand...

I’ve been predicting that as whole facilities go down, there will be a point where they’ll ask you guys and gals who got sick to come back in, and man “sick” vs “not sick” buildings — if it gets bad enough.

It’s just a numbers tipping point and time if a boatload get sick at the same facility.
 
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