What airport has the worst controllers?

[Typhoon1244]

I can't wait for the thread on which airline has the worst pilots...

Well now I'm curious: who gives you guys the most trouble?

 

[LAXSaabdude]

I can only speak for one controller, but there is one guy at SBP who gets so wrapped around the axle whenever there are more than about 2 airplanes in his airspace. He will constantly try to micromanage the pattern, and is FAR too optimistic regarding issues of spacing and closure rate. In other words, if there is a Saab (Final speed 125 kts) on a 3 mile final and a C-172 (Final speed 65 kts) ready to turn a 1 mile base, he WILL turn the Cessna inbound.

I have gone around more times with this guy as controller than I have at probably all airports I have flown into put together.

You can recognize him on the radio, he is always the one who says "Uuuummmmmm" between every other word in his transmissions.

LAXSaabdude.

 

[chperplt]

As for the worst-a certain female who works ground in LGA.Can I get an amen?

I'll give you an AMEN on that one!!

She is terrible!!!!

 

[ATCER]

Well now I'm curious: who gives you guys the most trouble?

Southwest... they climb and descend slow, even when you ask them to pick it up they tend not to. They can be a real fly in the ointment when you have to get them down 10,000' through various traffic. No other airline deveiates for weather like AAL. Where everyone else goes 5-10 miles they go 60. Both things must be an SOP thing.

The WORST are the foreign carriers, the Varigs, Air China and the like, those guys are brutal. Old A/C, bad radios, communication barriers.

On the average day of working A/C less then 1% are trouble.

 

[inline]

Southwest must make up for slow climb/descents on the ground-these guys taxi at mach.70!

 

[lionflyer]

Amen at IAD. I just shake my head at those guys. We can't leave out the morning Signature Ramp controller at ORD. UAXers and Eagle guys know who I'm talking about. The rest of the ORD controllers RULE!

 

[Vector4fun]

Well now I'm curious: who gives you guys the most trouble?

Ask me that four different months, I might give four different answers.

Southwest... they climb and descend slow, even when you ask them to pick it up they tend not to.

Must be a high-altitude thing. When I ask them to hustle up/down, they seem to try hard to please. They are especially good on or close to the runways. You can almost smell rubber when they take the runway on an immediate.

No other airline deveiates for weather like AAL. Where everyone else goes 5-10 miles they go 60.

Amen, but it's expected, so no surprises. I hate surprises.
SOP I can deal with.

On the average day of working A/C less then 1% are trouble.

Amen again. But that 1% can be more trouble than any ten other aircraft. There have been times when particular airlines were going through some upheavel, that the pilots were a bit difficult. But it seems to always smooth out eventually.


Typhoon, I've got a question for you. Some of the CRJs seem to take an awful long time to roll after taking the runway. Is that a checklist/procedures thing? Or do you think it's more likely junior crews. They can't ALL be Navy pilots. I used to say the Navy had catapults not because of the length of the deck, but because the pilots would have sat there on the runway until bingo fuel unless shot into the sky.

You Navy guys think T-2 or TA-4. We always seemed to need a 6 mile gap on final to roll one.....

 

[shamrock]

Not a controller (thank god) but a certain female ramp 5 (atl) controller IS the worst!!!!!

Does she switch ramps occasionally? I swear I've had her on 3 or 4 also.

Edit: sorry, didn't see ATLDC9's response. Must be the same one I'm thinking of.

 

[Lequip]

Charleston, SC (CHS) BY FAR has the worst controller. His name is Leigh and he thinks he is gods gift to ATC and in reality he can't work 2 planes at a time without it turning into a total cluster. Everytime I go down there Leigh is messing up his airspace. Watch out in CHS.

 

[IFlyGC]

Without a doubt it's got to be PHX. They cannot stand GA aircraft. You have to beg and plead for a practice approach regardless of the time....and whatever ya do, don't ask to be vectored OUTSIDE the marker. Be lucky if you join at the marker.

Oh, the all time classic from them (on the only day of IMC I lived there).....

"Approach, N11111 request a contact approach into Deer Valley"

"Erm...a contact approach? Report the field in sight."

"Approach, I don't have the field in sight, hence why I need the contact"

"Roger...report field in sight"

"Approach, is N11111 cleared for the contact?"

"Negative sir, I need you to report the field in sight"

Fortunately by this point I knew I was close so I said i had it in sight anyway....what a joke that was.

~Fly~