Originally Posted by
captainsmiffy
Well arent we a typical bunch of pilots, overcomplicating things with rules and nitpicking on their understanding etc?! 31 posts above, many of which ‘clarifying’ what was said and yet, somehow at loggerheads with each other!! ........
... and yet we all happily fly around with no problems!!!! I suspect what this simply underlines is just how important "situational awareness" is to us all on a daily basis without us realising it as, usually, instructions from ATC make complete sense and we just do what is required - even if upside down if you are
cattletruck!!! In the case of the OP, the ATC instruction seemed to conflict with their "situational awareness/expectation picture" so they requested clarification. We are judging this case without fully understanding what else has gone on prior to this to give it propper context.
On a lighter note, I was Downwind once and met someone coming "Downwind" the other way which caught me out a tad. I immediately asked for confirmation of the RW and circuit direction and ATC confirmed I was in the right but asked why I'd questioned it. After I'd explained the reason there was a big sigh from ATC followed by "Absolutely nothing to do with me! Erm, you didn't happen to get his Reg as he flew past you?". It was an excellent de-brief point with my Student as to why you should always keep a good lookout - you just never know. And I never did find out if they tracked the interloper down who, it seems, was just en-route from somewhere to somewhere else!
