Airdale
Well-Known Member
I have a question. I think HEF has a couple of the worst controllers to ever work on a radio. I was in the Coast Guard for 4 years, one of my jobs was handling radio communications between ship to shore for the coordination of rescue missions, so 99% of the time, I talk on the radios in the airplane like a pro. Short, sweet, polite and to the point. Well in Manassas, we have got a serious problem with a few of the tower controllers. From yelling at student pilots on the radio when calling ground for a taxi, to completely loosing their cool when there are 4 planes inbound to land. Just the other day we were told to "GET OUT!!" by the controller. When asked what "Get out" means, he replied just stay away from the airport!! The guy had 3 planes in the pattern and completely lost his cool. He even admitted over the radio that he didn't even know what was going on his airspace.
He yelled at me once because I requested a taxi to remain in the pattern so I could get a few landings in with my student before his checkride. He flipped out because 2, yes 2, airplanes were already in the pattern and he had 2 more guys inbound for a full stop. He can't even handle more then 4 planes in the air.
I had a student call to get a taxi and our ADIZ squawk code. Well, my student calls and says "Manassas Tower XXXXX, at the XXX ramp with Echo, ready to copy ADIZ clearance". Well, you can't take off or land without a squawk, and you can't be in the ADIZ without talking to someone, so essentially you need permission to enter and exit the ADIZ, even just to take off out of here. Well instead of being polite about it, the tower guy gets on the radio and screams at my student "How many times do I have to tell you guys, its not a clearance its a squawk code!! Squawk 4553!" Well this time I got on the radio and told the controller I would appreciate it if he did not YELL at my students, they are learning how to talk on the radios and I would appreciate some professionalism from the Tower. He replies incredibly rude to taxi and I was pissed!!! Yell at me, big deal, I'll give ya some crap back if its uncalled for. Yell at my student, and I get really angry. My students are trying to learn, occasionally they WILL screw up a radio call. But they will never learn if I always take the radios for them.
We here at the flight school are TIRED of this controller and would like to know if there is a way to report him to the FAA for being unprofessional and at times, very unsafe. He had 3 airplanes cleared to land on the same runway and got everything mixed up and started freaking out on the radio. Almost had a mid air because of it and the aircraft in the sky had to move all over the place to prevent a mid air because the controller freaked on the frequency. Its ridiculous, but even more so, its dangerous.
He yelled at me once because I requested a taxi to remain in the pattern so I could get a few landings in with my student before his checkride. He flipped out because 2, yes 2, airplanes were already in the pattern and he had 2 more guys inbound for a full stop. He can't even handle more then 4 planes in the air.
I had a student call to get a taxi and our ADIZ squawk code. Well, my student calls and says "Manassas Tower XXXXX, at the XXX ramp with Echo, ready to copy ADIZ clearance". Well, you can't take off or land without a squawk, and you can't be in the ADIZ without talking to someone, so essentially you need permission to enter and exit the ADIZ, even just to take off out of here. Well instead of being polite about it, the tower guy gets on the radio and screams at my student "How many times do I have to tell you guys, its not a clearance its a squawk code!! Squawk 4553!" Well this time I got on the radio and told the controller I would appreciate it if he did not YELL at my students, they are learning how to talk on the radios and I would appreciate some professionalism from the Tower. He replies incredibly rude to taxi and I was pissed!!! Yell at me, big deal, I'll give ya some crap back if its uncalled for. Yell at my student, and I get really angry. My students are trying to learn, occasionally they WILL screw up a radio call. But they will never learn if I always take the radios for them.
We here at the flight school are TIRED of this controller and would like to know if there is a way to report him to the FAA for being unprofessional and at times, very unsafe. He had 3 airplanes cleared to land on the same runway and got everything mixed up and started freaking out on the radio. Almost had a mid air because of it and the aircraft in the sky had to move all over the place to prevent a mid air because the controller freaked on the frequency. Its ridiculous, but even more so, its dangerous.
