Originally Posted by
Squawk7700
We don’t get the same level of service down south.
I was flying from Moorabbin to Benambra for Ben Buckleys funeral. Got near Warragul and called in to East Sale Military for a clearance. Got it fine, but the poor chap about 15 miles behind me tracking from Lilydale to Benambra called up and they would only give him a direct track to Benambra, over some of the worst tiger country in Australia. They said it was the only route available for clearance. Poor chap had no options and responded with, “Ok, we’ll I guess the Rotax 912 is a reliable engine” and continued on.
I couldn’t see how he could have done anything else to be safer, other than turn around.
I’ve been through the Sale airspace in VFR lighties multiple times as well, and they were nothing but helpful. If your mate couldn’t get the clearance he wanted, it was almost certainly because there was another aircraft in the way. Perhaps offering to change level or hold for a couple of minutes could have helped? Sorry, but I find it difficult to believe that he “had no options”. The guys in the tower usually do want to help, but it’s a two way street.