Cheerful Radar
 

A friend mentioned to me recently that a particular colleague of mine always seemed very chirpy on the R/T - so we thought we'd ask all you Ppruners if there were any ATC units/agencies that always seem to be cheerful when you call? Who (if anyone) do you really enjoy talking to?

(And I don't mean who gives you the best/worst service - just who sounds happiest!!)

The bird with the husky voice at LTN makes my day every time !! :D :D

Farnborough LARS - very cheerful (and helpful) chappies!

.....oh, and the least cheerful, some right misery at Elstree! (not radar, I know, but very miserable!)

There is an (older?) chap on London freq who is about the second/third person I talk to heading out of Stansted who is amazingly chirpy. It is always a pleasure to talk to him. There is also a chap on the ground freq at EGSS who is scarily chirpy.

Makes the day happier - thanks guys and gals.

(And to the very very few ATC given to sarcarsm - it doesn't benefit anyone thanks.)

[ 17 October 2001: Message edited by: Oleo ]

Theres two at EDI ATC, both english, the one with the far south accent is lovely she makes my day!!!! ;) ;) ;)

Is the miserable easten european sounding man still at Liverpool, he must rate as a contender for the Victor Meldrew award :p
On the other hand Manchester radar are always helpfull no matter how busy they are, unless you want a radar info service :D

There's a guy on 135.05 always sounds really happy.
Essex Radar/ Director, them two, well do they ever have time off? Its always the same chaps! You always come to expect them, and feel you know them because its always the same cheery sing-song tone of voice on 120.62.
Course, they usually tell us to do the opposite of what we want to do, we are just waiting for the immediate "number 1, speed 180" but its kind of nice and reassuring to come home to.

Both Farnborough Radar and Brize Radar get my vote for being both cheerful and helpful.

My last flight through Brize zone went along the lines of :
Me : "... request transit through your zone ..."
Brize : "... can you accept a climb to 3000 feet?"
Me : "... negative ..."
Brize : "... can you accept vectors? "
Me : "... affirm ..."
Brize then diverted me about 5 miles off my planned track, then put me back on it after the conflicting traffic (BAe Hawks) had left and then finished with a "no further traffic in my zone, maintain 2000', resume own navigation"
It kept the nav. workload of this student pilot nice and low (thanks...!)

---Mik

High up the list must be the Antipodean Maastricht controller who offered us a set of Encyclopaedia Britannica (check spelling!) one night, as he had just got married........and his wife seemed to know everything. And, of course, anyone who still 'chugalugs'.

G'day mate, if you're listening.

Hey,if a man speaks in a forest and his wife is not there to hear him....

... is he still wrong?

Oleo
By definition.
Sam

I know this thread was supossed to be about cheery ATC units, but it works the other way too.
There is a klm pilot that flys into my unit who is always polite and happy. No matter how busy and stressful a day it has been, he always brings a smile not only to my face but also to any other "girlie" that happens to hear him!!!
A big thanks to him, whoever he is!!
;)

Ahh.. the heady days when Captain French used to fly BEA 1-11s into Heathrow. Nobody is/ was/ ever will be as cheerful as he. Just love to meet him.

We get used to pilots voices on the R/T and there are some I've spoken to for many years who still cheers me when they call. Mildly humourous exchanges also relieve the boredom, even "head north, speed south" in response to "turn right heading 360, speed 180" really helps brighten the day.

How about the 'Pub Singer' on the Heathrow ATIS?

Most helpful in my experience is Solent Radar, they routinely go out of their way to offer clearances or information that might be helpful, even if you never asked for it. Several times I've declared routes around their zone to be offered radar control through it, saving me a fair bit of time.

For the light aircraft pilots amongst us, the chappie in the tower at Sandown IOW is ceaslessly cheerful - even when I rang on a mobile from a field next to the M3 to cancel my PPR!

G

Whipping Boy... reminds me of the Christmas cracker riddles on the ATIS. Oh what fun!!

Cheerfull... hmmm Hamburg Approach !

There's this nice girl on there who i've met in person ... hearing her makes my day... but might be diffferent for thos who don't have the ... errr insight :)

Heathrow director,

Do you remember the Air France light twin that used to fly in a couple of years ago ?

Now she had a voice. Speakers used to go on all around the room. :D

An Amsterdam - Schiphol arrivals ATCer to be more exact who said goodbye to every pilot in his own language. I wondered what the Brits would get and it turned out to be a cheery "toodle oo Flyer xyz". Made us both laugh up front.
And how about the very polite LATCC- Thankyou sir, good day sir, ten degrees left and report the heading please sir.... What a nice chap. :) :) :)