Hi All,
I was working yesterday, it was crap. Planes everywhere. Rest assured when it was getting difficult we did stop/restrict departures. We have been known before now to only allow aircraft to depart if they assure us they will follow the SID, otherwise it erodes separation everywhere. But we don't know, until a few have had to avoid weather, then we get some idea as to what is likely to happen.
A couple of points. I am a service provider, and I do my best at all times to provide a service to all the aircraft I work. If you ask for weather avoidance I will give it if I possibly can do, only refusing when it would be dangerous to do so (ie when there is another plane near you.) In this specific case (although I wasn't working that sector yesterday) on Dover departure off of Gatwick, you get airborne and above altitudes you conflict with the BIG and OCK holds for Heathrow, at altitudes you conflict with SIDs off Heathrow, and if you try to turn right you are heading straight over the final approach. Then be aware that all of that traffic may not be working the same controller.
A wizad sid, which would take you south of the airfield, is another option, and one which was suggested yesterday. Then the problem becomes the inbound holding traffic for Gatwick (and there was a lot of that yesterday too) and the workload of the Gatwick approach controllers, who were also dealing with weather problems. Several people have the right to refuse that option, and someone did yesterday, although I'm not sure who.
And you guys have pressure to get airborne on time and get your pax where you want to go! IF we say there is weather en route, how many of you would decide to give it a go anyway? Also bear in mind that weather avoidance is very dependent on pilot and airline, some will go around anything, some will fly straight through it....
We sorely need weather radar, then we could make some informed decisions. I believe we do the very best we can with what information we have.
Finally Diabolo, may I respectfully suggest that you let us do our job, of keeping you guys separated. I have been in a flight deck many times, not that I can't learn more, of course I can. How many times have you visited an area or approach unit? TCAS is not infallible, we have something that will tell us the full traffic picture in front of us, which I might suggest means we know more about your traffic than you do. To blatently disregard ATC instructions is downright dangerous. If you really really must turn and we have said no but you conceive there to be no other option, at least give us the courtesy of telling us so we can provide emergency separation from any other traffic, bearing in mind you are not the only plane in the sky! Arkady has a very valid point, everyone aims for the same bit of clear air. All we can do is try and make sure that that isn't at the same level as someone else.
I will go to work this afternoon, and again do my best to provide a safe, orderley and expeditious air traffic control service, as I do every time I work. I trust you pilots an awful lot, I believe you to be a very professional set of people who are doing your best in often difficult situations. You have to look after your plane: so do I, along with the 10- 20 others who may be near you at the same time!
Fly safe.
Cheers,
Northerner
"Keep smiling, it makes people wonder what you're up to..."