This is all very interesting and I'll make one or two observations - maybe not directly related to the original post but the subject matter has cropped up in the thread.
* I don't think the separation standards applied by ATC are in the ANO.
* Send Clowns says
In class D separation is only provided by ATC between IFR and IFR. IFR traffic may not be sufficiently aware of the conflict to give way as the pilot has no requirement to look out of the window and may not have the time to do so, and I always was under the impression that I had to arrange separation from all IFR traffic when I was in class D.
IFR pilots have no requirement to look out ou the window?? Sorry but Rule 17 of the Rules of the Air makes the commander responsible for avoiding aerial collisions - full stop. No mention of separation, no mention of flight rules. As a pilot you have no obligation to arrange separation from other aircraft (and in practice have no way of doing so), you simply have to avoid a collision.
* So, from the paragraph above, don't get confused between collision avoidance and separation.
* Air traffic controllers have a responsibility to
all aircraft under their control to manage a safe, orderly and expeditious flow of traffic. Occasionally one aircraft will get asked to do something that is for the overall good. If you think you're the only one that ever gets inconvenienced, go back and think about it again. You're wrong.
*If you want sensible answers from people with ATC knowledge on this forum, give the the whole story. If some of the scenario was at night, then there's a good reason for the controller's response (not necessarily his attitude, but certainly his response). If you think you're VFR at night, go back to your books and look again. Then look again at what ATC have to do.
* If you think you've been done wrong, do the paperwork. But do it tactfully. Recognise that somone with greater expertise in a subject may know something you can learn from. Write to the ATC unit Manager, ask for an explanation. If you really have been done wrong, they'll tell you. If you haven't, maybe you'll start to understand why controllers get paid a professional salary.
* And if you want to be a professional in aviation, don't be a d1ckhead. It's dangerous.