Air Traffic Control Diversity Hire Tells 15 Year Pilot He's Wrong About Landing Cuz She Asked Google

A female air traffic controller argues with a pilot who’s been flying for 15 years about a landing and says she “googled it” so she’s right and knows best. This happened at DTO, a small airport in Texas.

Controller: “You should have turned your base before you hit the approach end of the runway. You’re outside the airport traffic area.”

Pilot: “We’re on about a quarter mile base, ma’am.”

Controller: “Yeah, I know, you should be inside the airport. You should have turned your base abeam the numbers.”

Pilot: “We can’t do that and land on the thousand footers.”

Controller: “Well that’s what a short approach is.”

Pilot: “I’m sorry, I guess I should… we need to come up with something different, because in order to complete a commercial check ride, we gotta do what’s called a power off 180.”

Controller: “That’s fine, but don’t ask for a short approach if you’re gonna do a power off 180. That’s my point.”

Pilot: “Well, okay, I will remember that from now on. No problem.”

Keep in mind that this is all happening on the frequency during a critical phase of flight for pilots, when the focus is supposed to be on safely directly pilots. You’d think that the conversation would have ended with the above, but nope. The controller needs to do a bit more schooling…

Controller: “When you ask for a short approach, I expect you to turn your base abeam the numbers.”

Pilot: “This is gonna be a full stop, and maybe we need to talk about that some more because you’re the first controller in 15 years that’s ever said that.”

Controller: “Well, I’m just, you know, if you ask for a short approach, a short approach is when you turn your base abeam the numbers. If I know that you’re a student asking for a short approach, I know you’re out there practicing and you probably will extend. But if you’re doing something other than a short approach, don’t ask for a short approach.”

Pilot: “Well, I will definitely look up the definition of short approach because I’ve never seen where it says you turn base abeam the numbers, cause I don’t see how you could possibly do that.”

Controller: “Well, I Googled it, actually. I Googled short approach and it said to turn your base abeam or before the numbers and you will land, probably, touch down, around midfield.”

Pilot: “Okay, well, then I apologize for requesting the wrong thing, because everywhere else short approach means power off 180, but that’s definitely not what it means here.”

Controller: “Yeah, well, I mean, you know, I don’t know. Maybe it’s just because I’ve worked at different airports. I don’t know. But just ask for what you need so I know what you wanna do so I can accommodate.”

Pilot: I will most definitely do that. It’s just most controllers don’t know what a power off 180 is.”