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.

FMI: www.aero.und.edu