Occasionally, children might unexpectedly encounter their parents, but it’s rare for that to occur over an air traffic control channel while both are piloting separate aircraft. This is an incredibly charming tale that is sure to bring a grin to your face…
**Father & daughter fly different planes at Dulles Airport**
A 45-second air traffic control recording was shared on social media, showcasing a delightful recent exchange at Washington Dulles Airport (IAD). It features one of the pilots of UA108, a United Boeing 787 heading to Munich (MUC), and one of the pilots of UA4977, a United Express Embraer E145 en route to Syracuse (SYR).
To sum it up, one of the UA108 pilots reached out to air traffic control, and that voice must have sounded familiar to one of the UA4977 pilots, which sparked the fun:
Daughter: “Pops?”
Dad: “Hello, where are you?”
Daughter: “About to take off from 1R, safe journey.”
Dad: “Bye-bye.”
ATC: “That’s your daughter?!”
Dad: “Apparently.”
Daughter: “Yeah, CommuteAir 4977.”
ATC: “So your daughter’s a pilot, aren’t you proud, dad?”
Dad: “Kind of.”
ATC: “Is she still living at home?”
Dad: “Oh no, but she’s on my cell phone plan.”
ATC: “Hey, she can’t leave your cell phone plan until she’s married.”
Daughter: “I’m single.”
**What a heartwarming ATC exchange!**
I often share ATC interactions due to conflicts or negative attitudes between pilots and controllers, so it’s refreshing to have a story highlighting a positive exchange now and then.
I’m intrigued by the background of this. Was it purely coincidental, with the daughter unaware that her dad was flying from Dulles Airport that evening until she recognized his voice? Or did she have a sense of his itinerary and linked the clues while taxiing? Regardless, well done to everyone involved!
**In summary**
A father and daughter identified each other over the ATC frequency at Dulles Airport. The father was piloting a Boeing 787 to Munich, while the daughter was flying an Embraer E145 to Syracuse. Among the various unusual ATC interactions, this one stands out as particularly endearing…
What are your thoughts on this Dulles ATC conversation?