eastern wiseguy
Pity you take that view, that wasn't what I meant at all. I have some good friends who are ATCOs and I appreciate the job they do (and a difficult one it is).
However... I frequently see the same lack of communication from the ATC side. I have lost count of the number of times I have been given a radar vector and told to report it to the next sector, only to be immediately cleared to an eight mile centre fix, or sent off on a completely different heading. Or told by one sector to slow down, and told by the next "no speed". Or told to expedite a climb or descent, but never told when there is no further need for it... etc etc.
I realise there are operational considerations and can guess at what they might be, but all the same, a word of explanation would help us to appreciate the bigger picture- and, to be fair, some ATCOs are fabulously good at doing this.
Another small annoyance you might want to think about, is the way some ATCOs get so very impatient if I don't answer their call the very next second. Believe it or not, we can get busy and if I don't respond immediately, it is probably because something more pressing is occupying my attention- so don't get snotty with me!
And finally... the "final arbiter in all this" is NOT you. the final responsibility for the safety of the flight rests with the aircraft commander, and I will (and have) refuse a clearance if it appears to me to be unsound. You may think pilots patronising, but never forget that we place our lives, and those of our passengers, in you hands... if you screw up, we die, but you get to go home and see it on the news. I expect a little licence to question your methodology for that.
Can we all be friends now?