knobby,
I wouldn't have thought flying a helicopter made any difference. We can't really hover safely at height (too much risk of vortex ring, and takes lots of power) so we tend to orbit like everyone else if asked to hold. OTOH, all the heli pilots I know reckon getting clearance through Birmingham's zone is easy, and flower , who should know, said it isn't. But I haven't tried recently, so if they're getting busier maybe that's what's made the difference.