Fellow Pilots? Anyone else who "flys the coop"?

[seismic wonder2]

I wanted to be a controller but I'd have been too old after completing school.

One thing I DO subscribe to is the notion that all controllers should be required to at least SOLO before they can be controllers.

I've had those guys ask me to do some STRANGE stuff when they get buisy.
There's one guy here that always works SOCAL Approach that gets soooo worked up if you goof up a repeat back. A few months ago I was doing a practice (IFR) approach on the ILS at MYF and goofed the repeatback. (my safety pilot was laughing at me) Anyway, this fool went on for at least 35 seconds about "amateurs" clogging the airspace and wasting his time. I lost my mind. I said, "Listen, PAL, the only way for us amateurs to get better is by getting out here and getting experiance. Now, Am I cleared for the ILS to MYF or not?"

Dude, get over yourself!

 

[Texas ChickenZ]

Quote:
LOL! Love it. You are right about them needing to know something about flying the aircraft and not just vectoring it. We have a couple here in DFW that get worked up easy. They will try to turn you into an aircraft that is on the TCAS display, and you know it will set off a Resolution Advisory if you turn, but they get mad when you don't. It's called Traffic/Collision Avoidance System for a reason.

The thing I hate the most is when they won't let you come down and you wait and wait, then they finally give you a crossing restriction that requires a 5000 to 6000 FPM descent rate. I've got people on board. It's not a good idea to take a Fortune 150 CEO or Presidential candidate on an unannounced roller coaster ride. Then they get their feathers ruffled when you tell them you can't make the crossing. The air-brakes are for my mistakes, not theirs. You know what they say- "When a pilot makes a mistake, the pilot dies. When a controller makes a mistake, the pilot dies!"

Ok, that's enough controller bashing. Most of them are great and are under paid, over worked and do everything they can to help us out with shortcuts, etc. I appreciate the vast majority of them and couldn't do my job without them.

 

[seismic wonder2]

Oh, don't get me wrong, I LOVE controllers. I go to the towers when ever they will let me. (it all has to be pre-arranged)

I like to sit back, listen, and position the aircraft in my mind as they call them. It's great for increasing situational awareness when you see things form THEIR side too.

"Pilots" sometimes ask for crazy stuff.
I think they are the guys you see doing crazy things on the freeway that causes me road rage induced terrets syndrome. I was at my FBO at Gillespe field ranting (to my instructor at the time) about the moron in the red truck that almost killed me. From the cubicle behind us I hear "That was YOU?".

I canceled my training flight and went home.

 

[cindydj]

I LOVE CONTROLLERS TOO!!!!

I hear ya years ago when he first got started they had to have so many familiarization flights a year but you know how that goes the gov ended that. And I hate to tell ya but they are so short staffed and expected to do so many things they don't want to, to ya'll that they are all retiring or just stressing out LOL! Unless our new President is better with their agency I can assure you things are only going to get worse.....as with any union agency....

As with pilots, controllers or any jobs there are always idiots......