refusing access to class D airspace?!?
Having just read the latest GATCO magazine (yes I really did read it), I have to comment on the article about clearance to enter controlled airspace.
Apparently the General Avaiation Safety Council and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association feel that a properly announced R/T request for crossing clearance should not be refused on such grounds as "unit working to capacity".
What is pertinent is not how 'properly announced' the R/T is, but the workload of the controller.
Surely if a unit/ATCO is working to capacity then this is perfectly acceptable grounds to refuse entry into their airspace or to offer a service beyond their means. I have spent a long time working very busy class D airspace, and I can assure pilots that we do not refuse crossing clearances. radar services etc... on the grounds that we can't be bothered. Many of my colleagues fly themselves and go out of their way to assist GA traffic. If we refuse clearance then we are genuinely too busy to cope with it and/or feel it is not safe at that time.
The article also states that checking up on class D units is not an initiative to 'pillory' controllers but it damn well feels like it. Whether we like it or not, things have changed and become busier and we are unable to accommodate everything we once could. If we are in danger of becoming overloaded and feel that we are unable to take on another joiner/crosser at that present time then pilots must understand that in the interests of safety.
I feel it would be foolish to offer a service to a pilot and then find myself unable to provide it. There is a often a lot of coordination required to get someone across CAS which is time consuming, and our priority does remain IFR passenger carrying aircraft.
Whinge over.