'Locked Door's' first posting is well worth reading a couple of times.
Whilst I totally agree that the majority of people we share the skies with are professional, the 'culture' with aviation safety in the USA is completely wrong.
Could you imagine asking a controller in the UK or France for the ball scores? Or 'hey, what's the ride like' when you're on a NAT track? Followed by, 'American 231 where you go'in to'?
Are these wastes of airtime necessary?
SRJ