Pet peeves from the ATC folks

[smellthejeta]

Two peeves, both pilot related:

1. Pilots who pull up in line to the one departure runway at any relatively busy airport and call ready in sequence. It is stupid. You are number 5 in a line that is 20 deep. Keep your mouth shut. All you made the controller do is waste radio time telling you to hold short. When you get to be number one and nobody is on short final, they'll clear you for takeoff. If not, maybe then you can inquire. Also applies when you are number 1 at a runway with traffic on short final, and you call ready.

Whatever happened to the instruction, "MONITOR Tower?" That way everybody KNOWS to keep their mouth shut.

 

[smellthejeta]

Hey can you tell me where to get Jet-A for 2 dollar bucks a gallon?

Well... The airlines BUY Jet-A for $2 gallon, but they can't get it in the plane for that price. Gotta pay the hookup and flowage fee to the refueling company.

 

[MJG]

HoldWest,

Thanks for the straightshootin answers, they do help us understand your world. It's funny to see you guys (ATCers) and us guys (Pilots) fighting the same battle, negotiating with management. Guess some things never change.

You folks hang in there. I will remember to cut you guys some slack since you might be getting the ultimate shaft from Jane and Congress here in a couple months, I hope I'm wrong. The last things any of us need is less controllers who earn less than they should.

About Cleveland approach..........

Having flown out of CLE for the last 8 years all I can advise these days is to have both approaches briefed, tuned and ready to go. You won't know which you're getting until you've been cleared for that approach, no matter what any previous controller has told you to expect. It's absolutly infuriating if you're not used to it happening, hence lots of p.o.'d pilots who get this and go balistic. But if you understand the contraints of the airspace in CLE and the constraints of the airport setup, you'll understand that it's all done to help increase the arrival rate. It beats sitting on the ground somewhere waiting for your release time to CLE when the wx is severe clear the whole way there.

 

[smellthejeta]

Jane

? Last I checked, it was (is) Marion.

 

[MJG]

Whoops !!

Where'd I get Jane from?? She was the previous admin for the FAA right ??

 

[AZaviator]

Yeah, I used to LOVE listening to pilots unfamiliar w/ ops at LAS call up the tower w/ a "Ready for takeoff or Ready in Sequence". As they would make this mistake over on the 19's, you could practically feel the rage of the controller boiling over. We would literally cringe and duck, as if the Great Hand of the Almighty was going to reach right through the radio and strangle someone. On a good day, the reply was simply, "Roger". On a bad day, anything from, "I know" to "Don't call us, we'll call you!"

Years ago I was a CFI and flew out of Deer Valley Airport in Phoenix. The controllers there were decent for the most part considering they had two major flight schools on the field and lots of student pilots and low time pilots constantly flying in and out. On the ATIS, it specifically said "call tower only when you are #1 at the hold line." SEveral times I would hear this conversation:

Pilot: N12345 is ready for departure.
DVT Tower: N12345, cleared for takeoff
Pilot: N12345 is currently #3 for takeoff.
DVT Tower: N12345 you obviously didn't understand the complete ATIS, listen to it again and call me when you understand it.

Very funny when listening to it, but had to be very frustrating on the controllers side.

 

[Diesel]

Why is that you haven't figured out a citation X goes .92 mach. When we're cruising at 450 or 470 and we are descending into LAX why is it a suprise that we are overtaking everyone? We've been following the same two united jets since they took off out of LGA an hour before. We've watched them on the tcas and can see we are about to overrun them then as soon as we start down its, "turn 40 right reduce to .75 and descend to FL230."

So much for the speed.

PS NYC and BOS controllers are the best. They will let you know when to speak.

 

[Lrjtcaptain]

How about the jet drivers that think they have movement area immunity, if they just got off a runway apperently they can taxi on the taxiway and give me a call just as they enter the ramp. NEGATIVE guys, ill take you down for that one.

Instructors who get an entry instruction, then turn down the radio to instruct all the while, im issuing traffic, ammedning instructions etc....no answer. That is how you get kicked out of my airspace.

Instructors and students who have been on my freq for 10 mins inbound...get short final, then ask for the option. Did you just decide at that minute that is what your intentions were.

Robot pilots who get used to doing the same thing over and over that when you switch runway configurations, ask for something out of the ordinary and they just cant handle it.

Pilots who give me crap when I ommitt vis or skycover in my atis. better then 5 and 5 I dont have to say crap!

When its 25000 overcast and a pilot on the ground says...it says sky clear on the atis and the sky isn't clear ground.....no S.... we don't report anything above 12000ft so shut up!

The pilots who don't know what position and hold means....they just hold short of the runway and i have to explain to them what it means and by that time its too late....Hold short idiot....and it usually isn't student pilots, these are your typical bonanza/SR22 pilots.

The little wanna be jet jockies that spend millions on the gnatts and fuga's and escra jets and tell me that can't fly any slower than 250kts on the downwind....Okay fine....see you, exit my airspace, call me on a 5 mile final at 200kts or slower for your full stop, unable touch and go or low approach, Im not working you at that speed with cessnas in the pattern.

Pilots who look at the DG or HSI that says W hence flying west.....so that would make them east of the airport correct....tower n12345 6 west kilo to land.....n12345 enter right base runway 14 report 3 out. Tower we are better set up for a left base....duh......um, sir verify your west of the airport.....no we are east of the airport....well then tell me that the frist time j/a..

 

[Check 6]

Feel better?

 

[kf4amu]

Instructors and students who have been on my freq for 10 mins inbound...get short final, then ask for the option. Did you just decide at that minute that is what your intentions were.

Guilty as charged but its been a long time. I havent done a touch n go at a towered ap in years. Duly noted.

Pilots who give me crap when I ommitt vis or skycover in my atis. better then 5 and 5 I dont have to say crap!

I didnt know that, interesting.

When its 25000 overcast and a pilot on the ground says...it says sky clear on the atis and the sky isn't clear ground.....no S.... we don't report anything above 12000ft so shut up!

Another interesting factoid. This is where pilot/controller beer night would be a great help.