Weird call sign on UA flight ORD->YYZ
Jul 3, 2003, 3:44 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: YYZ
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Posts: 5,950
Weird call sign on UA flight ORD->YYZ
Ok this might belong in the UA forum, but some AC content...
Flew last week on UA114 from ORD->YYZ.
As most of you know, on UA you can listen to tower communications on Ch 9.
Here's the odd part.
From ORD to the Canadian border, the call sign being used was *AC* 1014. And them from there to YYZ, it was UA 8109.
I'm pretty certain that this was us as we followed all the directions given by the tower, and I'm pretty sure there was no UA 8109 with our equipment type landing at YYZ at that same moment.
Thoughts?
Simon
Flew last week on UA114 from ORD->YYZ.
As most of you know, on UA you can listen to tower communications on Ch 9.
Here's the odd part.
From ORD to the Canadian border, the call sign being used was *AC* 1014. And them from there to YYZ, it was UA 8109.
I'm pretty certain that this was us as we followed all the directions given by the tower, and I'm pretty sure there was no UA 8109 with our equipment type landing at YYZ at that same moment.
Thoughts?
Simon
Jul 4, 2003, 4:58 am
#2
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Mississauga Ontario
Posts: 4,105
This has nothing to do with your post other than that it involves a call sign -- I flew ORD-SJC once on United...and was listening in. We were referred to as "Lifeboat XXXX", with XXXX being the call sign. The captain came off after take off, noting that for those of us listening in, Lifeboat was a special term meaning that we were carrying human organs for transplant -- and so we had special priority.
Makes sense -- I was wondering why at O'Hare we had scooted right to the front of the pack, passing 18 planes in the line for takeoff.
At each step along the way, as we were handed off to the next control sector (i.e. Denver) you could hear a special tone in the controller's voice as soon as the United Pilot announced our call sign with "lifeboat." And in SJC, we were given a straight in landing, you could hear them moving a bunch of other flights out of the way. We were met on the ground with an ambulance.....I only hope that the transplant went well!
Makes sense -- I was wondering why at O'Hare we had scooted right to the front of the pack, passing 18 planes in the line for takeoff.
At each step along the way, as we were handed off to the next control sector (i.e. Denver) you could hear a special tone in the controller's voice as soon as the United Pilot announced our call sign with "lifeboat." And in SJC, we were given a straight in landing, you could hear them moving a bunch of other flights out of the way. We were met on the ground with an ambulance.....I only hope that the transplant went well!
Jul 4, 2003, 9:37 am
#4
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 11
The idents used to identify medical priority flights are "lifeguard" (USA) and "medevac" (Canada). Other priorities given are for aircraft that have declared an emergency, those carrying heads of state, and those on air defense missions.
Jul 7, 2003, 10:32 am
#5
formerly ssw207
Join Date: Apr 2000
Programs: BAGld, JLJGC, TK*G, EK-G, HH Dia,IHG Amb-PE, Bonvoy Gd, Shangrila DM
Posts: 657
I think they call the non-combat USAF/USN flights "Liberty xxxx". Heard that at HKG, when I was on a outbound UA flight and a USN P-3 Orion came in for landing.