Hiya Folks
(I apologise for the long reply, please feel free to move on!)
Have read the thread with interest and as a TMA controller I have to agree that it is quite unbearably irritating when continually asked for direct routings. I take enormous pride in doing my best for every aircraft and most of my colleagues will do the same. (There are one or two exceptions but I'm not going to go there...). I did like the comment about the CRM though. The pilots have very limited Situational Awareness beyond a few miles and the RT. Of course if we could see more pilots in the Ops Rooms that would help.....
I would agree with many of the postings on here so far. If the RT is quiet then you can always ask, but please bear in mind that we are complex beasts and even if the RT is full of tumble-weed the controller may, in fact, be working bl##dy hard. So please don't take it personally if the reply is a 'negative'.
It is also true that on occasion a controller may forget about an aircraft. Usually this occurs when the a/c is free from conflicts and a complex situation is occupying their attention elsewhere in the sector. So again, please bear with us.
Before I finish though I'd like to give you the single most irrational and inconsiderate example I have personally experienced. It was 2am during a relatively busy night shift this Summer (although there are fewer movements we have far fewer controllers so the workload can be quite high.) I had been controlling for almost 4 hours and looking forward to a nap. Gatwick is still a busyish place at such times with a continual stream of inbounds. As most will appreciate there is very rarely any holding and high speed till 15DME is the norm. The final 2 a/c were heading for MID and would arrive at the same time. I'm sure neither was aware of the other as they were converging from a 35 degree angle at a range of 50 miles.
Based on their relative speeds (both medium jets) I decided who was going the be no.1 (the faster and the only one I was speaking to at the time) so gave him 300kts+. The second a/c arrived on my frequency and I applied a speed of 280kts or less.
"Why do we need to slow down?" was the response.
"Due traffic" I replied.
Given further descent they started to converge at MID and I further reduced the no. 2 a/c to 250kts.
"Are we no.2?" was the reply (No acknowledgement of the speed)
"Affirm, you are no.2 to the traffic in your 10 o clock, range 10 miles"
"We may as well reduce to 220 then"
Short silence... followed by.....
"Interesting way to control..." HOW DARE HE!!!!!
Now I'm sure that the pilot had been awake for a similarly long period and was yearning for his bed. But in that moment my blood simply boiled. I had to try extremely hard to control myself and was proud for resisting the temptation to lower myself to his level. I've no doubt my tone changed dramatically and my reply left the pilot in little doubt that it had upset me. I presume the other pilot in the cockpit was aware of the exchange as they took the RT from that point on.
Both a/c landed and I was soooo tempted to get the pilot to ring me when they got in but chose not to. My Supervisor had a chat with me as I was obviously fuming and they were only too well aware of the exchange.
Shortly afterwards I was laying down in my camp bed and spent the next 2 hours staring at the ceiling before struggling up for the 5 o clock rush. Ill-rested and irritated.
I'm known to be one of the most chilled out controllers that work in my area but that single unnecessary, unhelpful exchange, at a most ungodly hour, could have had much more serious implcations. We discussed filing on the pilot but eventually it was decided best to just move on...
Perhaps that was a mistake as I doubt the pilot ever realised how their words had affected me. And I think about it frequently. So PLEASE just think before you transmit. We are under pressure too, and we are supposed to be a team. Controllers and pilots have the same goal.
If you get the opportunity to visit us, please do.
If your company don't encourage or allow fam flights, then get onto them!
The more we can understand about eachother's situation the better for both worlds.
I thank you, counselling session finished!
PS. I still have the flight number in question, so if it was you....... why you little..!
