Landline to tower?

EatSleepFly

EatSleepFly

Well-Known Member
Why might an aircraft request the tower's number?

We were on final into PHL this morning, and a US Air jet holding short for departure asked the tower for their landline number. Any idea why they might do this? We were thinking it was because they didn't get let out in between us, and the 7-something in front of us and wanted to complain (though we were too close to the 7-something as it was and had to get vectored through the loc and back for more spacing).

Just curious...the pilot didn't sound real thrilled about something, so I'm assuming he was just getting it to gripe.
 
I've called the tower before...

The controller messed us over while inbound for landing. She made what I thought was a very bad judgement call in our sequencing.

She put us and another plane on opposite base legs, after she gave me a 360 for spacing with a different plane, without any visual contact. Darn near had a mid air (100 feet separation).

We had a few words...

Filed a NASA form and still am extremely mad about the entire situation because she pays no attention to her airspace.


[rant]

Prime example just the other day...she clears me for the option and after I land I tell her it will be a full stop, she then clears me to land again. My friend and I look at each other and he tells her we are already on the ground.

Guess who wasn't even looking out the window?

[/rant]
 
By Crickey, ive never heard of such screwups!

Damn, looks like ive got a lot to learn yet!

Aussie
 
We used to ask for the tower phone number occasionally when the wx sucked and we were awaiting the end of ground stops and/or an EDCT time. Usually we just asked the station people though, they always had the tower's number somewhere.
 
I requested the tower's number when I landed with a oil-spweing, sucked valve c172N and the tower asked me to just stop and shut down right where I landed (and not taxi). Just before I shut down, I requested their number so I could communicate with them once things were all shut down.
 
When I was a private student we had a near miss (near hit?) in the pattern... thanks to my CFI seeing it we are still here.

Tower completely dropped the ball before, but especially after; Realizing the situation unfolding, he told everyone to 'standby' when he should have helped solve the problem he created.

Anyway we wanted the name of the tower guy, which they wouldn't give... didn't even give initials, but we did get a number we could call. They said they'd 'review the tapes'...
 
Don't know what's worse, having to ask the tower for their number or having them give it to you with instructions to call. Probably the latter, which is the only one I've had the misfortune of experiencing. It's bound to happen eventually if you fly out of controlled airports long enough.
 
[ QUOTE ]
a near miss (near hit?)

[/ QUOTE ]George Carlin had a bit on that. "It's not a near miss! A near miss is a hit! As in, 'They nearly missed!'" Funny stuff.

Actually, his whole bit about the airport/flying is pretty funny. "I'm not getting on the plane, I'm getting IN the plane. Tends to be a bit less wind that way!"
 
This afternoon we had a near "call the tower" situation. I was back-seating on an instrument training flight on the ILS. About 30 seconds from touch down, an RJ was 75 yards down the taxiway from the threshold. The tower says to him, "SkyWest blah blah blah, cleared for takeoff, expedite for landing traffic." The captain read back and continued toward the runway, but thankfully the FO must have seen how close we were on final and declined the clearance. If they had taxied out onto the runway, we would have had no choice but to go around. There was NO way they had the space or time to even line-up, let alone take off.

After they declined, the tower told them (in an exasperated voice) that they would now have to wait four minutes for 'flow' . . . They would have had to wait even longer if they'd listened to tower and our Seminole had come crashing through their ceiling!
mad.gif
shocked.gif
mad.gif
 
I'm still pissed at myself for not giving them a piece of my mind for that one, Photo. And for the record, the tower asked the RJ, without any prompting, if they were ready to go. He was clearly pushing to get them out. They were about 20 seconds from being in position to hit the throttles and we were less than 30 seconds from landing. I'm surprised my student didn't crap his pants with me yelling from beside him and Photo yelling from the back!
 
I have played the "Give me your phone #" card from time to time. It's usually because of tempers flaring in "the heat of battle" with ATC.

ATC can be your best friend, and they can also be your worst enemy. Most of them realize that Controller is a Title and not a Job Description, but there are some notable exceptions.

If they want you to call them don't panic. It's usually just to work out a problem. Of course, you get the occasional arsehole that just wants to lecture you.

I usually say "Thanks for the flying lesson - where do I send the check?"

Sorry, sarcasm is one of my "gifts."
 
If you remember the tapes of the AA flight out of DFW that had the small cargo plane taxi infront of it - he requested the number of the tower.
 
[ QUOTE ]
If you remember the tapes of the AA flight out of DFW that had the small cargo plane taxi infront of it - he requested the number of the tower.

[/ QUOTE ]

is there a website where i can hear that?
 
am I the only one that has had the following convo with the tower?

(during the Blizzard of December in the northeast:

"Danbury tower, this is Dave..."
"Hi Dave this is Brendan from the flight school... I'm stuck here for a while until they plow me out of the parking lot... you wanna order out pizza?"
"uhhh ok, we have to be open until ten so we were thinking of doing the same too... what toppings do you want?"
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top