L337
Understand that totally, unfortunately due to the interaction of SIDS, particularly in the LTMA, any turn off the SID without asking/warning the ATCO could be extremely dangerous... possibly worse than when at higher altitudes/levels! I do appreciate again what you say about not getting in on frequency... maybe a 7700 squawk would work?
Bookworm
* Weather is dynamic. 10 minutes is a long time in the life of a thunderstorm
Totally agree and that is one of the reasons why I personally think it is pointless for ATCOs having weather on their individual displays - it's nice for us (ATCOs) to know it is in the vicinity and how quickly/where it is moving, but other than that I'd rather have the pilots asking for (and me giving them) what they want. After all, avery ATCO who has encountered weather will have experience of two aircraft in trail, same company, same type having different atitudes to what their weather radar is showing... the first one might sak for a turn whilst the second sails through.
ATCOs should leave the piloting to the experts and not try to second guess them, much in the same way that Pilots should leave the controlling to the ATCOs (see Jerrichos post about a TCAS turn above
). By talking to each other one would hope that a safe all round operation was achieved, including the provision of avoiding weather.