Back in the days when Essendon was Melb Twr... long before the readback requirements were changed in 1997 there was only about five items on the readback list.
A certain F27 pilot had the habit of reading
everything back and it gave the controllers the sh1ts big time.
One day it got the best of the Twr controller who said something along the lines of:
"ABC, you are reminded that the only elements of a clearance or instruction you are required to read back are altitude anything prefixed with amended and blah blah etc"....
You guessed it... the pilots replied...
" ABC understand the only elements of a clearance or instruction you are required to back are... etc etc"
I think they gave up after that!!
