Sat, Apr 23, 2005
Our Apologies To The Late (and Great) Johnny Cash....
Something of a tempest
in a teapot (or is that tee-pee?) has been settled with the FAA now
that the University of North Dakota may resume using the name
"Sioux" as its airborne call-sign.
Several days ago, the FAA put the kibosh on this call-sign for
reasons not fully-explained, requiring them instead to resort to
using the slightly more cumbersome "November-Delta." The
prohibition applied to operations outside of a 40 mile radius
of the University's flight operations area and was reportedly NOT
done in order to seek any sort of politically-correct agenda. Uh...
yeah. Sure.
The entire rationale behind the move is a bit fuzzy... Great
Lakes Region FAA Spokesperson, Elizabeth Cory, a spokeswoman with
the FAA's Great Lakes Region claimed that, "There was a question at
another FAA facility whether the (Sioux) call sign might be a bit
of a tongue twister... Somebody heard 'Sioux' and thought it was
'two.'" OK... that's somewhat more plausible.
This raised a few eyebrows, since the call-sign (especially in
regards to the word's use for athletic events) has been the source
for some occasional rancor from those who thought it
disrespectful of Native American interests... but about the time
the story was gaining some steam, the FAA changed it's mind and not
only re-authorized the use of the "Sioux" call-sign, but
recommended even wider adoption. This is a move welcomed by UND
officials, noting that it will be much easier to use, especially
now that the FAA is encouraging one call-sign for all ops.
UND has used the distinctive call-sign for nearly thirty years
as part of an increasingly busy flight training program that
is a cachet endeavor for the University, known world-wide for it's
aerospace programs. So... for now, UND will go back to using planes
named 'Sioux." We'll keep you informed as to how that works out...
who knows, it might even inspire a song or two. It's been known to
happen.
More News
Airbus Racer Demonstrator Makes Inaugural Flight Airbus Helicopters' ambitious Racer demonstrator has achieved its inaugural flight as part of the Clean Sky 2 initiative, a corners>[...]
A little Bit Quieter, Said Testers, But in the End it's Still a DA40 Diamond Aircraft recently completed a little pilot project with Lufthansa Aviation Training, putting a pair of >[...]
Line Up And Wait (LUAW) Used by ATC to inform a pilot to taxi onto the departure runway to line up and wait. It is not authorization for takeoff. It is used when takeoff clearance >[...]
Contributing To The Accident Was The Pilot’s Use Of Methamphetamine... Analysis: The pilot departed on a local flight to perform low-altitude maneuvers in a nearby desert val>[...]
From 2015 (YouTube Version): Overcoming Obstacles To Achieve Their Dreams… At EAA AirVenture 2015, FedEx arrived with one of their Airbus freight-hauling aircraft and placed>[...]
Airbus Racer Helicopter Demonstrator First Flight Part of Clean Sky 2 Initiative
See All