The omission of a QNH or VFR term should not deserve a threatened refusal of a clearance.
A gentle reminder might be more appropriate.
I never said I threatened to refuse a clearance due to a pilot omitting the QNH or VFR term. I quoted those as common ommissions from a readback. If you re-read my post again I was referring to pilots becoming irritated because I insist on a full readback. If such a basic function of airmanship causes them irritation to the point where I am unable to obtain a correct readback they can contemplate things whilst they route around the zone. Of course they may have omitted the QNH or whatever in the readback in error and naturally I would prompt them for it (hey but thanks for the advice
).
I am not referring to Pilots with poor R/T who struggle to readback clearances (although they can be a pain in their own right.....but that's for another thread). I am referring to experienced and in some cases professional GA pilots who can't manage a correct readback on occassion and by their very tone of voice consider it extremely demeaning to be told by ATC to "readback the full clearance".
You can call me pedantic if you like but I have a licence to maintain so I go by the book and the book says this:
4.6 Acknowledgement of Messages Pilots are expected to acknowledge all messages. In some cases the sole use of the aircrafts callsign is sufficient. However, an acknowledgement only is not acceptable when a complete or abbreviated read back is required.
4.7 Pilot Read Back of RTF Messages 4.7.1 Pilots are required to read back in full messages containing any of the following items:
Taxi instructions
Level instructions
Heading instructions
Speed instructions
Airways or route clearances
Approach clearances
Runway-in-use
Clearance to enter, land on, take-off, backtrack, cross or hold short of any active runway
SSR operating instructions
Altimeter settings
VDF information
Frequency changes
Type of radar service
Transition levels
4.7.2 Controllers are to prompt a pilot if a read back is not immediately forthcoming.
4.7.3 Errors in a read back must be corrected by the controller until the pilot gives an accurate read back.
4.7.4 Items which do not appear in the list above may be acknowledged with an abbreviated read back..........
