I had to fight the radio operator at North Weald last week when I informed him that I would be taking off on their downhill runway (02)in a Jet Provost with full fuel, an oat of 28C and no wind. He told me that the circuit was 20 (uphill with 50' trees just off the end) and that the airfield manager wouldn't allow "mixed circuits".
Having departed on my chosen runway, he then announced that he was changing the circuit to 02. Now I was to land on the downhill runway! Does this sound like a radio operator acting like ATC? The bottom line is that had I done as he suggested I would have crashed on take-off and almost certainly would have over-run on landing. Arse!
PS
upon landing I was presented with an official written complaint from said arse which had been forwarded to the airfield manager. Arse!