2nd para quite agree, I was too hung up on RCS and now realise that I didn't really know what it meant. In fact I still don't know what it means and no-one so far has been able to point me to a written description so perhaps that is not too surprising. Certainly the name to me implies more rigid control and this was compounded by fixed altitude. The tone of the controller when I asked for altitude change was a littile along the lines of "you just do as you are told and everything will be fine".
I agree that the term is not widely publicised and it's not surprising it means many different things to many people. Perhaps the CAA should consider publishing details about the services inside Controlled Service through the Airspace & Safety Initiative, similar to those they brought out for
ATSOCAS ? That would clarify it for everyone.
In the same way that a pilot tells a controller he is unable to comply with an instruction, I think controllers should also tell pilots why they are unable to approve any request. Controllers have the big picture and so it might not always be apparent to the pilot what the problem is. Unfortunately, like all walks of life, there are some controllers who have attitude problems and forget the 'S' in 'ATS' stands for Air Traffic SERVICE.
As far as the track went, it wasn't "direct to the threshold" but when things got sticky I was nearly over the threshold so a deviation at that point would have meant I didn't comply with the clearance.
Remember that you can deviate from a clearance if the safety of your aircraft will be compromised. Ideally, tell the controller you are doing it first, but if it is urgent, make the manouevre and call as soon as you can thereafter. You have the ultimate responsibility for avoiding collisions, so ensure that becomes your priority.
At my home airfield in Class D when we fly VFR it is just that. Only when IFR do we hear "Radar Control Service" . At the airfield I was transiting they clearly have a different policy in that all VFR traffic is told "RCS". I think that is the root of my being misled and just goes to show what lack of standardisation does. Perhaps there are 2 groups of pilots, one who routinely hear "RCS" and to them it just means "fly VFR", another who don't. For the latter I think there is a danger of not understanding what is meant, and that is due to the choice of its name and seeming lack of any information being promulgated about it.
I think it needs split down even further. There will be 2 different methods depending on whether your flight originates and remains inside Controlled Airspace, or whether you are joining or transiting from outside Controlled Airspace (regardless of the airspace at your departure airfield).
If you start off in Class D, ATC will give you an appropriate clearance, but will not generally give you the service being provided. You will be expected to know that it is a Control Service, and although strictly speaking it could be either Radar or procedural, it doesn't make a lot of difference since the 'contract' you have with ATC (for Control Service) is already a given.
If you are joining or transiting, then you have been subject to a different set of services (or indeed no service at all) prior to entering Controlled Airspace. ATC
must advise you of any change in service and you cannot receive the ATSOCAS services within Controlled Airspace. ATC therefore have no choice but to tell you what your new service is. That will be either Procedural Control service (no surveillance available) or Radar Control service.
If you leave Controlled Airspace, then once again ATC have to advise you of the change in service. This could be by asking you what service you require from them, by transfer to another unit, or by terminating their service and clearing you to contact whoever you wish.
From your lack of comment I presume you think the controller showed good practice when he cleared 2 aircraft to the same place to arrive at the same time, same altitude?
Yes. You are both VFR. You are both responsible for your own separation and none is provided by ATC. The only requirement is to provide salient traffic information to the pilots to assist them in separating themeselves. If you want something more, then IFR or SVFR should be the flight rules you fly under
