Phone in to Win

Here is the ADF story I promised. I heard it from a pilot at a training course, years ago.

The crew is flying a heavy Boeing into Vancouver, the captain's home town. It's a VFR morning, and Vancouver has an ILS so they don't need the ADF. They have had it tuned to a local AM radio station since before the top of descent, and are listening to the tunes, the traffic, the weather, and a phone in contest. Tenth caller wins! The captain pulls up his cellphone out of his flight bag, turns it on, and dials in.

"Congratulations! You're the tenth caller."

It turns out that this is the same radio station that many of his colleagues listen to. In fact people he knows are listening to it at that very moment. They recognize his voice. And they recognize the steady whoosh-grind sound of the jet engines as heard from the cockpit. And of course everyone knows you're not supposed to be using your cellphone in an airplane. Especially while you're the one landing it.

The DJ asks the captain his first name, and he gives it. The DJ can hear the background noise, too, but he can't place it. "What are you doing right now?" he asks.

There's a bit of a pause, and then the captain replies "I'm ... driving ... a .. truck."

No word on what the the prize was, or even if this really happened. But I like the story.

Also, apparently Cockpit Conversation is now the third Google result for "how to impress your teenage girlfriend." In the interest of helping those who come here for that, I'd suggest respecting her, planning ways you can spend time together, spending time with her when you pay attention exclusively to her, and not to your ipod or Nintendo, and introducing her to your friends when you meet them while you're out. Oh and get your sister's help on what to wear.