A plane takes off from Hollywood Burbank Airport as operations resume a day after the airport operated for hours without a staffed control tower due to staffing shortages amid the U.S. government shutdown in Burbank, Calif., on Tuesday. (Daniel Cole/Reuters - image credit)

Of all the replies a pilot doesn't want to hear when they radio air traffic control, "the tower is closed due to staffing" is probably pretty high on the list.

But that's apparently what happened Monday at Hollywood Burbank Airport in Southern California as a pilot was preparing for takeoff and looking to co-ordinate his departure, according to audio recorded by LiveATC.net and reported on by CNN.

Burbank's air traffic control tower was temporarily unstaffed Monday, one of many incidents in U.S. airports caused by sta

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