Sorry, radar707, but you're not the final arbiter about what happens in your airspace.
If you issue an instruction that an aircraft cannot comply with or which the aircraft commander considers unsafe, you can order him until you're blue in the face and it won't make any difference.
You are also not in control if we suffer a comms failure or almost any emergency.
I know that it's not written in MATS, but a pilot's priorities are:-
- Aviate
- Navigate
- Communicate
so talking to you is rather low on the list of priorities. Furthermore, the manner in which we carry out a flight is
- Safely
- Legally
- Expeditiously
Perhaps it's time that your priorities and ours reflected the same requirements?
To put the point brutally, if I have a problem I'll be telling you what I want from you and what I intend to do. I will not be making a request. You don't get a choice.
Sorry - but that's how it is. You are there to provide us with a service. Aircraft can still (and frequently do) fly without the aid of controllers.
COntrollers would not have much to do without aircraft.
The rest of your points well made. Like you, I regret the current lack of ability to familiarise ourselves with operations on the other's side of the airwaves.