London Fis - How Do You Manage?

[LEGAL TENDER]

I don't know how you guys at ATC remain so patient!

It's our job to check cleared levels etc.. if we are not satisfied with the initial call. Nothing outrageous there at all. We forget stuff sometimes, pilots forget stuff sometimes. That's what we are paid for.
And the London Control boys and girls are paid significantly better than other ATCOs around the country, they can manage to check cleared levels and SIDs every now and again

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

<<"Airline XXX London what level are you climbing to"

"Seven Thousand">>

Or a much better one when a foreign airliner bust it's SID climbing out of Heathrow:

London Control: "xxx to what level are you climbing?"
XXX: "Er, nothing special"

[FragRad]

London Info

When I first started in ATC at West Drayton (1973!) there were 3 controllers working 'the FIR', East, West & North, one for each frequency - now just 1 FISO working all 3 frequencies together. I think you guys & gals do an excellent job - some of the standards of pilot r/t are indeed appalling these days!

[fireflybob]

It's our job to check cleared levels etc.. if we are not satisfied with the initial call. Nothing outrageous there at all. We forget stuff sometimes, pilots forget stuff sometimes. That's what we are paid for.

Legal Tender, I agree and that's a very professional attitude to take. Yes we can all suffer from the occasional omission etc but as professional pilots (with an R/T licence!) it's our job to consistently demonstrate and practise correct R/T Procedure. Some seem better than others at doing this.

[SwanFIS]

Maybe I have just got used to GA r/t over the years but I reckon there has been a marked improvement in the content and delivery this year. Still a number of time wasters but on the whole it is improving and I have thanked pilots on many occasion this year for good r/t We always remember the bad incidents allowing the good, proficient ones to melt into history.

FragRad is correct in what he says but I would add that we regularly split the freqs when it starts to get busy and this year have often utilised a third person overseeing the other two and handling phone calls.

All ATSOCA units are liable to get overloaded at times, we cannot put on restrictions as the airways sectors do if demand seems to high. Not a bad idea though slots out of Popham to do a thirty minute local. You pilots wouldn't mind, would you?