I was taxiing out to the active in a 172 and I had just dialed up tower and checked the approach which was clear. The weather was 15+ vis and no ceiling. I was just about to call tower for clearance when I heard this.
ABC: London tower this is alpha bravo charlie on short final 33.
TWR: Alpha bravo charlie, negative visual contact pull up go around.
I took a good hard look for the a/c and saw nothing so I called tower and got cleared to go. I heard 2 more renditions of the “On short final” and “Pull up go around” act. On the fourth try the pilot got a bit frustrated about the wave off. It went like this.
TWR: Negative visual contact pull up and go around.
ABC: Well look out you window, I’m right bloody in front of you!
Tower came back very cool and collected.
TWR: Alpha bravo charlie look down into the centre of the runway pattern. Do you see a big white radar dome?
ABC: err….negative dome tower.
TWR: That’s because you’re not over London. You’re over Waterloo-Wellington 50 miles north-east of my position. Waterloo-Wellington tower frequency is 125.00. I think they would like to talk to you.
ha ha ha ha funny, i visually imaged a plane just on final and then go around to come back and go around again 🙂
C’mon that can’t be true, any controller would’ve switch him since the first approach. Assuming he has radar coverage, as he knew exactly where he was…
runway 32 of Waterloo Wellington (Breslau, Ontario , Canada), is approximately 50 miles NE of London International Airport (London, Ontario, Canada), which has a runway 33. (it was not London, England)
That happens frequently. I learned early on, that if the tower can’t see you when you think it should, you’re probably not where you think you are.