We are talking here of PPL SEP's flying VFR with knackard vacum pumps, popped doors, giro's upside down. Not airliners with 100's of bods on board.
The whole point is that you are given the service without requesting it and without telling you what to expect and not allowing the PIC to say its not required. Surely its not unfair to be asked?
From the debate here if you don't want a full reponce your best to not tell ATC. Then we come back to the whole moan that pilots don't tell ATC when they have a problem. I can now see why my CPL examiner told me not to bother telling ATC when we had a none critical problem. I concidered it a sufficent problem to tell them he vito it and said a flapless landing wasn't abnormal.
Would you guys pull a full emergency for jammed flaps on a light twin if you knew about it unrequested?
These sort of things are happening all the time. Do you want to know about them or not?
Whats the solution?
Upgrade as ATC wish, pilots don't tell you about developing problems so when they do call its always a full emergency.
Or ask the pilots what they want and tell them what you are doing and what to expect and give them the option. And the pilots tell you as soon as there is an issue.
MJ
Sorry again someone posted while i was writing
I never see it as annoy. Its working together to get a job done with the least work done by both parties.
And it does seem that the pilot training syllabus is different to to the ATC training. Because that is not what we are taught even at commercial level.
Personally, if you tell me your vacuum pump has failed or whatever, and you don't want to declare an emergency but want to return to the airfield as a precaution, I'll call a Local Standby. The fire crews will get in their vehicles, but no blue lights, and no ambulances
Perfect.