Dear 120.4 and all.
"....a distraction to the main task"
"....small cheese"
I'm afraid this is the attitude we helicopter pilots have to put up with all the time. My experience is that controllers don't realize just how flexible we are in the air. We can do basically anything you like, stop, turn 180 on a sixpence and come in sideways! We don't need the runways.....USE IT!
I like controllers and get on with them perfectly 99% of the time, they do a damn good job under pretty stressfull conditions with great responsibility. It's a game of give and take, if a controller says to me " no can do" then thats exactly what he means and I accept that no questions BUT, being told to hover on the helipad and wait for a follow me when the bloody parking space is 20m in front of me and it's hot and I'm heavy is infuriating to say the least, especially when you have a top executive sitting in the back with enough money and clout to BUY the whole airport asking you what the hell you are doing!
I know we are small, I know we are slow, and I know we don't bring in the cash ( landing fee), but we are nippy, flexible and don't take up much space......have a heart.
The quip about a bollocking for landing to change a frequency warms my heart that I'm not the only one it's happend to. What about the follow me cars and marshallers that always insist that you park on the spot DOWNWIND! Who trains these chaps for gods sake.