The first statement I doubt is accurate, the second statement I know is 100% inaccurate.
You really shouldn't make such confident assertions when they just demonstrate your complete ignorance of the facts. Makes one question the veracity of everything else you write.
Roffa
Well have it your own way if you like.
However my asserions are based on a good discussion we had on this topic on the darker side to which a number of ATCOs contributed - or at least they claimed they were ATCOs and agreed with the point I made. Of course the discussion could have been an invention of my imagination or those that claimed to be ATCOs could be an invention of their own imagination.
Anyway as to the point in hand - I can barely recall being refused a SVFR transit of Heathrow and I go that way often. I can barely recall being granted a transit of Stansted - I also go that way often. Perhaps I am dreaming the clearances and the refusals. Perhaps I am also dreaming the frequent comments made here and elsewhere about the lack of success pilots have with Stansted?
Now the claim is often made that of course Stansted is oh so very busy. Busier than Heathrow - I dont think so. The claim is also made the airspace is very complicated. More complicated that a Burnham transit directly underneath the inbound traffic while having to co-ordinate with Northolt departures and arrivals - I also dont think so.
The truth of the matter as we discussed elsewhere is Stansted is busier and its integration with Essex does make it a more complicated area to control. However unlike Heathrow there is no spare staffing capacity. There are no controllers tasked to deal with VFR transits and the controllers dealing with inbound CAT havent got the capacity to deal with GA. It is not their fault and I am not blaming them - so do carm down dear.
The reality is that NATS has an obligation to allow transits of Stansted and they are failing to meet their obligation because they have not tasked staff to deal with requests. Obviously they dont want to because it adds to their cost, but their are many things we dont want to do.
Do you have any idea how far busier areas of airspace in the States readily give transits to crossing traffic?
In short unless I have been completely mislead by the comments of other ATCOs and am suffering complete dillusion in which case please forgive me my original comments stand!!
In seriousness sarcasm aside I am very happy to be corrected if I have been mislead by others and if you consider that by allocating staff to handle VFR transits such transits would still prove impossible.