It is important that pilots understand the "service" which they are in receipt of. Hardly a week goes by without a visiting aircraft calling up and asking "Am I clear to join straight in, right base etc?" (sometimes these pilots are professionally qualified) when the aerodrome concerned only has A/G.
Fireflybob....
I couldn't agree more. Its the blurring and non adherence to the rules by all parties that makes it confusing for them.
For example, at the field I operate from, the FISO service is always very aimiable, but it could sound confusing when a FISO says such things as "report zzzz VRP" or "report final" Not clearances per se, but easily mis-construed as ATC instructions, when, infact the FISO has no jurisdiction on traffic in the air...
Perhaps a re-wording to "advise you report final" or "advise you report downwind" would be better? (After all, its a sad state of affairs that the FISO feels compelled to say this because lets face it, some people can't get their circuit calls right in the first place!)