ATC

[kellwolf]

[ QUOTE ]
ATC wanted us to slow to final approach speed 45 miles out from DAB

[/ QUOTE ]

Sounds like there were a lot of Riddle planes practicing approaches that day.....

Orlando Approach is normally really good about working with you. If you're coming in from the southeast, the approach controller is normally bored out of their mind. However, the guy handling northwest is ready to shoot someone since everyone and their cousin is over Lake Apopka or holding at MAMBO.

Only bad experiences I've had with ATC have been Miami Approach and DAB Approach. The guy working Miami Approach was really hard to understand (I think they took that read and write English thing and stretched it to get this guy a job). He vectored us THROUGH the final approach course, so I queried him. He came back with an attitude and said, "Cessna XXX, that's what I said." DAB just has a tendency to forget you when you're on downwind for 27. I'm over the ocean, call to see if they forgot, and hear 'Oops. Sorry, turn left heading XXX.'

 

[derg]

Probably only the people that fly up in the 'flight levels' will appreciate this, but a few months ago I heard this:

"N123, contact Albuquerque center on 123.45"

(pause)

"N123, contact Albuquerque center on 123.45, good day"

(pause)

"N123, Albuquerque center?"

(pause)

"N123, how do you read?"

(pause)

"Ahhh, umm, center N123 was on the land line, say again?"

 

[E_Dawg]

Oh yeah I got b**ched at the other day for descending VFR without asking first.... go figure

 

[Eagle]

that's really funny.

 

[ClipperPilot]

My uncle is an approach controller at MIA, iv spent many midnight shifts with him behind a scope. I remember one time vividly which, if he ever saw this post would get pist, one time i think it was 3 am and there wasnt a single blip on the screen, "I have to take a piss, run and get me if anyone comes in". I was in shock.

 

[ClipperPilot]

To add on to that, i remember it was post 9/11. when you gotta go, you gotta go.

 

[pilot602]

On the flight home from my IA ride I picked up flight following out of Tucson ... I got over Coolidge (nearly 40 miles north of Tucson, and 20 miles north of the "contact within 20nm" ring) and never got a hand off so I called up TUS approach and said "Uh do you want me to sqwuak 1200 or go to center?" "Apache XXX, stand by ..." "Apache XXX, Uh yeah contact Albequrqe on 125.40" I go to center and he said he had tried to reach me because he he had traffic less than a mile out. I was VMC/VFR but ...

The dumbest thing I ever heard was a mooney who wondered into IMC east of Gateway. I could only hear PHX approach's side of the conversation but the mooney got into IMC and he wasn't IFR rated and that terrain is pretty nasty. Approach kep telling this guy to look at a SECTIONAL instead of giving him a vector/MSA!

I've been given the helicopter pattern at Bullhead city because he thought we were an Apche helicopter.

And I don't know how many times I've been into DVT where they tell you to "enter base" or "downwind" and then never give you any further sequencing until you're talking to ground - all the while other aircraft are entering and departing the pattern.

 

[Mr_Creepy]

[ QUOTE ]
Orlando Approach is normally really good about working with you.

[/ QUOTE ]

HAH that's a laugh. Orlando approach has a horrible reputation throughout the country. They are not good at handling mixed traffic. Some tower chief thought it would be cool to make "arrival areas" a few years back and JAX and MIA Center still hate them for it.

I hear "This is worse than Orlando!" all the time in the NE Corridor (IAD, DCA, PHL, LGA, BOS, etc.)

And it's mostly because of bad politics.

Aside: "Politics: coming from Poly (meaning many) and Tics (meaning bloodsuckers.)"

Back to MCO ATC: You can get handed off all the way from PHL to Daytona class C and when you get to be handed off to Orlando? "Squawk VFR, radar svc terminated..."

There are some good guys down there at MCO though. Mostly it's the problem they have at management levels with JAX and MIA, since they are "smack dab in the middle" as one FBO used to say.

PBI is another "favorite" of mine. About 1/3 of the controllers down there will work with you. 1/3 don't care either way, and the remaining third are just plain hostile. Don't know why.

 

[E_Dawg]

Well we must have it awesome here in Socal then! I've only been turned down for VFR following ONCE... and it was an 'ask the next guy' kinda thing.



In contrast... the one and only time I've ever flown into a TRSA (remember those big black lines on the sectional) I tried to participate (pilots are 'encouraged to participate', right?).

Anyways I got a nice big 'standby'. A few minutes later I asked for an update to which I got another 'standby'.... I tried once more yet a few minutes later, to no avial. By then I was almost out of it anyways so I said screw it.... They could have at least told me 'unable' or something so I wasn't wasting my time with them.

What's the point of that airspace anyways... why don't they just make it all echo; that's what it pretty much is anyways.

 

[JHines]

Speaking of ATC, anybody else notice controllers are getting so used to GPS equipped planes that they forget everyone doesn't have it?

A couple of weeks ago I got "proceed direct ABC intersection". ABC intersection is a DME fix from the localizer runway 20. I was maybe 15 miles east of the airport in a C172/U

 

[juskl]

Phoenix is bad...... They pretty much have a reputation for being one of the most rude ATC in the southwest. Not all of the controllers, but quite a few. It is very obvious that they only have time for the heavies. During my IFR checkride they gave me vectors to turn to base and then stopped the rest of the clearance. When I questioned them (after passing the localizer) they yelled "Helicopter xyz you need to get your head in the game, I told you to..........") My examiner told me to just turn back to the localizer and I finished the approach. It all went well with the examiner, but approach kept refering to me as a helicopter (not skyhawk).

 

[tonyw]

[ QUOTE ]
I hear "This is worse than Orlando!" all the time in the NE Corridor (IAD, DCA, PHL, LGA, BOS, etc.)

[/ QUOTE ]

Ah, yes, the guys at Potomac approach. Most of the times they do their job well. They may be a little curt and short with GA airplanes but that I can deal with.

But when they screw up, it's a doozy. One time they cleared me into the ADIZ squawking 1200. I said, confirm clear into the ADIZ with a 1200 squawk and the guy got all pissy with me and said, there's no need to embarass me like that, standby.

I ended up circling just outside the ADIZ for about 15 minutes for that one.

But I figure it's better to piss off one controller than to end up having a proctological exam from the guys at Customs.