Ever have such a dumbass moment that you wonder how you ever earned your pilot's license to begin with?
I'm flying back from AQO to AUS the other night, Houston Center hands me off to AUS approach about 35nm out.
"Austin approach, Skyhawk 1234, five thousand five hundred."
"Skyhawk 1234, expect a right base for one-seven right."
"Skyhawk 1234."
So I drone along for a few minutes and I'm thinking about it. 17R? Why the hell do they want me to come in on 17R? That's totally bizarre. That means I have to swing around SE of the airport and then reverse course to make the turn.
"Approach, Skyhawk 1234 with question."
"Go ahead, Skyhawk 1234."
"I'm 35nm northwest of AUS. Do you want me to swing southeast of the airport for a right base?"
"Skyhawk 1234, I don't understand. You're cleared for a right base to 17R. Did you want something else?"
"Negative, approach. I'll fly wherever you need me to, just curious about the routing."
At this point, something in the back of my head is telling me I've got this way wrong, but it hasn't clicked yet. Approach comes back to me in a somewhat firmer tone.
"Skyhawk 1234, I don't understand what you want. You're northwest of the airport. If you fly straight on your present heading you'll be lined up perfectly for a right base. I don't get your drift."
And then it hits me. And oh my God, how stupid do I feel? I can imagine everyone else on frequency snickering to themselves, and rightly so.
Because he cleared me for 17R. And what I was thinking of was 35R. Which would have required a long swing around the airport.
Oh God, I am such a moron. I am a tool. I am navel lint.
"Approach, Skyhawk 1234. I...uh...had the airport diagram reversed. Sorry about that. Right base for 17R."
"Ah, that explains it. Just wanted to make sure we were clear."
Controller was very friendly and professional about it. But God, did I feel dumb. I swear I will never make that mistake again. If any of you heard that one, sorry. Hope you had a good laugh.
:banghead::banghead::banghead:
(NOTE: I write a lot about the dumb things I do in the air. I do a lot of things right, too. But I figure if I share the learning stuff - the stuff that's somewhat amusing in retrospect, it not only cements the lesson in my own mind, but may help someone else.)