Originally Posted by
The name is Porter
They only assist because if it's observed on radar, nothing was said and something happened they'd (ASA) be liable. It's not about providing a service, its about arse covering.
Its really a quite cynical view of the world you have 'The name is Porter'. I'm not sure if you know any ATC's, or whether you have been one before or what, but having worked closely with ATC for many years I'm yet to meet one that would simply ignore a person in distress. Sure, I might not always get the clearance I'm after, or they might 'sound grumpy' but this isn't because they're sitting at the console sipping coffee and eating donuts, its because of operational reasons in 99% of the cases.