As an aviation geek, I love listening to air traffic control audio, and always enjoy the VASAviation YouTube channel, which does a great job covering noteworthy air traffic control interactions. Here’s one of the most interesting conversations I’ve heard on frequency in a long time, and it has a very different vibe than the interactions typically covered (which usually involve either yelling or someone making a mistake)…
In this post:
Breeze pilot asks air traffic controller for her number
Air traffic controllers in New York are sometimes known for their lack of friendliness and general attitude. However, there seems to be a super friendly female controller at New York Center. I’ve gotta say, it’s really nice to listen to her, as she has a pleasant voice and a positive attitude.
In this particular instance, the pilot of Breeze Airways flight 516 (which uses the callsign “Moxy”) seems to have taken a liking to the air traffic controller. After a few interactions, he’s told to switch frequencies, and that communication is pretty straightforward:
Controller: “Moxy 516, Cleveland Center, 132.12, have a good night!”
Breeze pilot: “Cleveland Center on 32.12, Moxy 516.”
But then he reappears a few moments later, and that conversation goes as follows:
Breeze pilot: “New York, Moxy 516.”
Controller: “Yeah?”
Breeze pilot: “Hey there! I pulled you up on my number two radio and I was like… hey, is it inappropriate to ask for a controller’s number?”
Controller: “Wait, say it one more time?”
Breeze pilot: “Moxy 516, you wanna send me a text sometime?”
Controller: “Sir, I’m married.”
Breeze pilot: “No, sincere, I’m not interested like that, but figured you had a personality, it’s kind of rare.”
Controller: “Oh! Well, thank you, ha ha.”
The reactions from the other pilots on frequency are hilarious, ranging from “cheerio,” to “wowwwww,” to “what just happened tonight.” She responds to those pilots by saying “I don’t know, I think I was a little too nice to that guy.”
You can listen to the interaction for yourself below…
I don’t even know what to make of this interaction
I’m not sure where on the scale of kind of adorable to creepy this falls, but the whole dialogue couldn’t help but give me a laugh. A few thoughts:
- I’m a gay dude, but I’d want to hang out with this controller, because she seems like a great vibe!
- In an era that’s so superficial, it’s kind of refreshing to see someone (maybe) hitting on someone else for their personality, rather than based on how they look
- When you then go back and listen to the air traffic control audio, it’s funny how excited the Moxy pilot got when the controller asked him for a ride report
- Usually pilots hate when they get phone numbers from air traffic controllers, since it’s usually due to a possible pilot deviation; so there’s a certain irony to a pilot asking an air traffic controller for their number
- I’m curious what the other pilot on the Breeze plane was thinking as this guy switched back to the previous frequency on his radio to ask the controller for her number
Bottom line
New York Center has a friendly female controller, who has a pleasant voice and a good attitude. This got one pilot interested, who ended up coming back on the frequency to ask for her number. When she rejected him and said she’s married, he responded by saying that he didn’t mean it like that.
What do you make of this interaction — sort of endearing, creepy, both, or…?
Since he works for a low cost carrier maybe she was just afraid she’d have to pay for her own dinner.
Listened to that exchange earlier today. It was a bit creepy. You could tell the other pilots on the frequency were having the time of their lives listening in.
@Lucky,
Did you sell OMAAT to VFTW?
Thought I got re-directed to VFTW, so I had to double check my browser configuration.
Heads up, you missed out on the ATL brawl, coming soon?
Ben has stated he won't cover brawls and similar incidents that exploit the low class or mentally ill. Good on Ben.
Ben has been covering VASA Aviation clips for a long time. While I personally have as little interest in this clip as you do, it's not exploitative and it's in good humor. It won't bait racists and bigots in the comments, as VFTW repeatedly does.
In 5-10 years when Ben retires from travel blogging,...
Ben has stated he won't cover brawls and similar incidents that exploit the low class or mentally ill. Good on Ben.
Ben has been covering VASA Aviation clips for a long time. While I personally have as little interest in this clip as you do, it's not exploitative and it's in good humor. It won't bait racists and bigots in the comments, as VFTW repeatedly does.
In 5-10 years when Ben retires from travel blogging, he can be proud of his work, as will his son. Gary's kids are going to hate him for being an amoral embarrassment.
Are you unwell Arps?
No expletives, no low taste comments, no bragging about your millions …. one is impressed, long may it last.
"is it inappropriate ... " - excellently polite - a good example for consent training.
Allows the other party to easily say "it is" with a variety of tone from deeply disapproving to light-heartedly accepting the compliment.
The lady here gave a clear answer, and no offence taken or given.
If every man behaved ny asking like that, rather than assuming entitlement, MeToo would not have been necessary.
Yeah, the idea that this is inappropriate is why there's all these studies out there showing that so many men in their mid 20's have never approached a woman.
He asked, she said she's married, he laughed it off and both moved on. That's how asking for someone's number / asking someone out is supposed to go.
I feel like the Moxie pilot has a katana collection
Wonder what the guy in the other seat was thinking
Didn't seem threatening and the guy pulled up really quickly in a lighthearted way. Definitely took some guts to try that. The responses from the others on the channel were great
Lol, thought the same thing about the second pilot on board. Maybe they were fine with it, but also could've been super awkward for the rest of the flight knowing what he just tried.
Fired yet?
I hope not
byeee . . . :-)
..... and no doubt, she is damn nice and sounds cute.
Easy and knows her job.
So why not get a bit personal.
She's good!
He on the other hand, showed guts too. ;-)
It’s sad this first officer is still working for the airline. These types of pilots only cause further issues later on.
Is she at the Cleveland Center?
As a female, that's creepy, but have to admit BOLD on the pilto's part to try.
For that reason, I say, so what! I'm old school from a time when guys would actually flirt with girls. Don't mind that myself!
She's New York Center, handing him off to Cleveland Center.
Sorry but it’s really unprofessional and typically American
Overreacting too much Icarus?
A bit of cute talk and banter is quite common. You should fly over Saudi airspace and Iraqi airspace, those guys love it
Look where banter gets people nowadays with the me too movement. She’ll probably file a complaint in 15 years
Once had, way back in the late 80's at ZBW ARTCC, a B-52 pilot ask a female controller for some felatio on frequency.
It did not end well for the aviator.
One might say it sucked for him..