And Stansted controllers, like Cambridge, Gatwick, Luton, Oxford, Exeter, Bristol, Farnborough and anywhere else that handles volume IFR traffic really appreciate a call as early as possible to negotiate your crossing. You may be legally allowed to cross the Cambridge ATZ at 3500, VFR without chatting, but you would look a tad daft if you collected a Gulfstream, AirBus or Hercules through your windscreen, who was holding, also perfectly legally at 3500' IFR. Perhaps a very hard working controller used the wrong phraseology at a busy time, we all do it, it certainly isn't worth a lot of angst.
What worries me for my private flying is that late calls about overhead transits, no calls at all about transits, people switching off transponders and flying an ILS to 2 miles (outside the ATZ, so what the heck) and then turning away and switching them on again, people who fly through instrument approaches in Class G without talking (lets face it, its' class G so the big jet on a stable approach with a crew concentrating on the approach they are flying will have to give way to my PA28 because I'm on their right) are all arguments the airport operators use to get CAS, and they work, with CAA, councils, and residents associations (lets face it get the noise whiners on side and its' game, set and match to CAS). Just for info I have seen each one of the forgoing list in the last 12 months at my home base. (and the bright spark flying the ILS IMC without talking, with his transponder off really spilt the gin in the back, and the go-round back into the procedure cost 54 quid a minute)
As GA we bleat about CAS, but I wonder if we really help ourselves. I spent most of my day job in CAS and there is quite a lot around, I'd really rather do my fun flying in Class G while we have some left.
SND