On the Airbands

Well, “Banana 1” and “Banana 2” (and they weren’t even yellow!) were cleared to land by Bankstown Tower. Then…

Unknown Aircraft: “Are you in pyjamas?” Bankstown Tower: “And I thought we were eating mandarins!”

Covert Callsigns

Noticed also at Bankstown Airport, the home of the NSW Police Airwing, some quite different and perhaps “covert” callsigns being used by the crews flying the Police choppers. Don’t be surprised if you’re watching and monitoring VH-PHW (normally callsigned “Polair 1”), and hear them call on air as “Uniform Tango Golf”, or some other unused callsign. Guess it helps them do their jobs. We heard them recently using the strange callsign “Charlie 14”.

Patton’s Ivory

Paul Finley from Fillmore in California USA comments on one of my earlier columns. He states “I believe you were in error in your May 1994 column, when you wrote a story about Ray Funnell’s Macchi, ‘Chieftain Zero-One’.”

(I had stated in that article that “Ray Funnell showed a lot of flair with his aircraft livery on the Macchi.” I went on to say that “it reminds me of Patton’s pearl handled revolver grips”.)

Paul Finley corrects my apparent error with these words:

“General Patton, when asked about his pearl handled revolvers responded as follows: ‘Only a two bit pimp in a New Orleans whorehouse would wear pearl handled pistols. These are pure ivory!’”

It would appear the good General was as colourful with his language as he was in all other aspects of his being. So, thank you Paul for your interest. Paul works for Litton and is a keen reader of “On the Airbands”. He states that “Many of the conversations relayed through your column are very enjoyable to someone who has enjoyed over 40 years in this business of aviation”.

Special Charter To Las Vegas

A very young reader who has only told me his christian name, Michael, from Sydney, tells me that in late 1993 after the Rugby League Grand Final, he was listening out for the aircraft flying the Brisbane Bronco’s team back home.

While waiting, he monitored Qantas 107 on Sydney Apron Clearance Delivery 127.5 MHz with the following:

“Sydney Clearance Delivery, this is Qantas 107, IFR for Las Vegas, requesting Airways Clearance”.

Mmmmm! Normally a flight terminating in Los Angeles. But no, it wasn’t a mistake! It was in fact a special charter from LAX through to McCarran International Airport at Las Vegas. The aeroplane had a large number of Yankee gamblers on board, who had come out here for the footy Grand Final, to lay a bet or two, and were now going home! (Qantas 107 usually flies Sydney/Los Angeles three times a week late nights, backing up the daily Qantas 11 service to LAX.)

Express To Fedex

The Federal Express callsign “EXPRESS” has been permanently replaced by “FEDEX”. Perhaps you’ve noticed it on HF, or if you live near the major capital city airports on VHF frequencies.

South Australian Contributor

Cessna: “Tower, Cessna November Uniform Tango, I’m out of fuel!” Tower: “Roger November Uniform Tango, what’s your position, and have you got the airfield in sight?” Cessna: “Oh yeah … I’m actually on the south ramp, and I just want to know where the BP fuel truck is!”

Cambridge Bay Radio

Evan Murray, from Birkdale, a suburb of Auckland in New Zealand, has forwarded us a letter telling us that he is a member of the New Zealand Radio DX League. (In radio parlance, DX means “long distance reception”.)

The boys and girls from the League have been attempting to “log” transmissions on HF from the Far North Control Centre at Bodo, in Northern Norway. No one has been successful from the membership yet, however they are getting “warm”, with some loggings of the Cambridge Bay Flight Service Station.

Evan recently received a confirmation QSL letter from Chris Strube, FSS Manager, confirming Evan had monitored Boeing 747 callsign “Alitalia 621” at 0900 zulu on frequency 11279 kHz USB at position 59N 060W, at Flight Level 370, estimating 60N 050W. Evan tells us the Alitalia pilot was told to contact Gander radio on VHF 127.9 MHz after his “Airep”.

Cambridge Bay is the most northerly ICAO radio station, providing coverage to the Canadian Arctic. It monitors frequencies 2971, 4675, 8891, and 11279 kHz, all upper sideband. It’s primary function is to assist aircraft crossing the Canadian north, by relaying flight safety messages to the responsible Area Control Centre (ACC).

Seven Flight Service Officers are located at Cambridge Bay, using 5 kilowatt Air Comm 1330 transmitters, feeding 50 ohm folded-dipole antennas.

Average summer temperature is 10 degrees Celsius, and in winter minus-50 degrees Celsius is commonplace! The small community is serviced by five Boeing 737 flights and three HS 748 flights weekly, connecting them with Edmonton, Alberta and Yellowknife, in the Northwest Territories.

The address to write to the Cambridge Bay ICAO Flight Service Station is: Transport Canada, Bag Service 500, Cambridge Bay NWT. Canada X0E 0C0.

A Little Tacker

Ansett A320: “Hotel Yankee Golf ready” Tower: “Hotel Yankee Golf, there’s a little tacker on short final, line up behind that aircraft” Ansett A320: “A little tacker? What the hell’s a little tacker, Tower?”

What’s A Joey?

On another occasion Neil remembers, another A320 Skystar was again taxying for a Runway 23 departure, with another pilot on board also from the USA. The scenario was almost identical to our last story, but with a different third player … Qantas!

Ansett A320: “Hotel Yankee India ready” Tower: “Hotel Yankee India, a Qantas Joey on final, line up behind that aircraft” Ansett A320: “What’s a Joey?” VH-TAK: “Some more training’s definitely required before you can be a real Aussie Ansett!”

The “Joey”, of course, was the newly painted Qantas 737 VH-TAK, which was the first of the former Australian 737s to be painted in the Qantas livery.

Missing Continental

“A.S.” from Sydney used to enjoy monitoring Continental Airlines aircraft talk to their company on frequency 131.5 MHz. Now that they’re gone from our Australian skies, they are sadly missed by this one devoted Continental monitor, who stated he had heard many very interesting and funny conversations on the company and ATC bands involving Continental.

This was one of the last company transmissions monitored by our correspondent on 131.5 from “Continental one-six”.

Continental 16: “Operations, one-six” Continental Company: “Go ahead Continental sixteen” Continental 16: “Off zero-six two-three, slash four-zero, Guam one-five five-two” Continental Company: “Hey, aren’t you going to Honolulu?” Continental 16: “Yeah, but first we were thinking we might stop off in Guam and get something decent to eat!” Continental Company: “Have a good trip guys!” (laughing)

Air Mike Nine-Oh-Nine

We’ll conclude our stories this issue with another Continental anecdote. Continental 909 had just departed Sydney, and bound for PGUM (GUAM) and was on frequency 123.0 MHz Sydney Departures.

Continental 909: “Departures, Air Mike nine-oh-nine runway heading, climbing to three thousand” Sydney Departures: “Confirm callsign? Air Mike or is it Continental nine-zero-nine?” Continental 909: “You can call us anything you like!” Syd Departures: “I have you as Continental nine-zero-nine, you are identified!” Continental 909: “Hell, it took me twenty five years to learn that callsign!”

“Listening In ’94” magazine is rapidly selling out, $8.00 inc. post, and “Listening In to Aircraft Radio” is $22.95 inc. postage. The address: Airband Communications, PO Box 16 Georges Hall 2198. See you in December.