Dick,
I've done two tours of Willy as a controller, been rated in every control position there.
If, as you state, you were on Tower frequency, then procedures have not changed and Tower controls (that is Dick - owns - you can't control airspace you don't own) the lane. They may have held you on advice/direction of Approach, but Tower "Owns" the airspace.
What time of day did this happen? Are you sure the one controller was not providing several services? Just because you are on Approach frequency doesn't mean you are talking to a controller who is NOT in the Tower. The callsign means nothing - even when doing Approach from the Tower - to an aircraft on Approach frequency you can call yourself Approach rather than Tower (circumstance dependent - damn - controllers being flexible - who'd have thought?).
How would you in your aircraft know that is not the case. Even back in 1976 when I started there, we had the ability to transfer the Approach Frequencies to the Tower position. When SURAD was installed in 1977 or 78, we then gained a radar screen in the Tower, and suitably rated controllers sould provide a radar service on either/or and indeed BOTH Tower and Approach frequency at the same time.
Come on Dick........
Last edited by scran; 29th Jan 2011 at 06:25.