Unhelpful controllers at Birmingham?
I was reading the June edition of Flyer and came across a shocking letter from a CPL student concerning an incident he had with Birmingham ATC during 170A test.
The student describes a planned route that would take him through Birmingham ATC. On contact with ATC he was told to remain clear of controlled airspace. Anticipating this the pilot carries out plan B, which would presumably take him around the CTZ. However, a few minutes later the pilot says that another controller from Birmingham contacted him and "gave him a dressing down". The controller went on to say such things as "to plan a route through our controlled airspace in this day and age is wholly inappropriate" and "never being able to get a clearance" and "shouldn't even be trying", in a tone that was described as aggressive.
Would ATCOs, particularly any from Birmingham, care to comment?