PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Mooney accident pilot refused a clearance at 6,500'
Old 11th Nov 2019, 02:00
  #74 (permalink)  
Atlas Shrugged
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Hiding..... in one hemisphere or another
Posts: 1,067
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Dick... if the airspace was class E, then yes the VFR would be able to do whatever he wanted. But you'd also have VFR and IFR traffic mixing it in the middle of approachs that most of the time wouldn't be talking. Seperation not required, but if I told a jet he was in direct conflict with someone and cleared them for the approach he'd want to hold until clear. You now have a roadblock the other way around, if you have good radar coverage you might be able to tell them they are about to hit someone, or you might just hope TCAS picked them up or the VFR is keeping a good eye out.

I work airspace where I deny clearances to VFR all the time. Its just not possible to get aircraft in and out of my airport with VFR in certain spots. I tell them an expected delay, or they can go around. If I know the weather is marginal, I'd be confirming that is a safe course of action.. but I have absolutely no idea what conditions they are flying through unless they tell me... and I have weather cameras a few miles away and a tower giving me weather updates.

I'm not going to delay mutliple IFR planes for a VFR to have a jolly or cut a few minutes off their journey... UNLESS they REQUIRE to go through my airspace. As it has been pointed out in this thread, and many other threads... if that pilot says "I'm coming in anyway" or "I require it due weather"... then I make it work. I stop departures, I hold arrivals, and I put delays on the IFR guys to make sure everyone is safe.

"However, at 0724, the pilot advised the tower controller that he was operating in clear conditions at 4,100 ft AMSL" at this point my level of concern for a VFR is ZERO. If you tell me you are fine, I have no choice to believe you.

If at any point the pilot said they were concerned about staying visual or required a clearance they would have got it... don't you understand this? This sounds like it is about pilot education... they need to stop being scared about talking to us, or saying no... there are no repercussions to doing this... and its not worth your life to save the embarassment of talking to ATC.
ausatc123, without doubt, the most straight forward and logical reply to the otherwise usual gibberish... some people will just never get it.

100% correct.
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