... here's a reply I drafted earlier, but decided not to send ...
[rant]
It sounds as if a certain "senior military ATCO" may have some hidden agenda to "bring GA into line". As I recall, the ATSOCAS provisions and LARS originated as a quid pro quo for the introduction of MATZs, which are obligatory for military pilots but entirely voluntary for civil pilots. If military controllers seek to encourage participation from GA pilots in and around their MATZs, then they should portray a significantly more friendly and helpful approach than you seem to have received at this seminar.
It was probably just as well I was not at that seminar. I might have been tempted to tell him to get down off his superior military high horse and stop spouting such self-important misleading and intimidating rubbish and start concentrating on correctly explaining - and delivering - the ATSOCAS which will actually be provided by his unit for the benefit of GA in Class G airspace.
What a plonker! After what I have heard, I certainly wouldn't bother calling his MATZ for a Service under ATSOCAS ...
[/rant]
... but, as I said, I decided not to post it after all ...
JD
