Commendation to ATC

FPK1

FPK1

Line Up and Wait
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FPK1
I find the Pilots of America forum to be pretty active with the exception of this ATC section. I think that speaks volumes to how professional and well trained all the Controllers are across the nation.

My home airport KFUL, Fullerton, California, is below the Los Angeles Bravo airspace so my flights start and end there. There's a very busy class Delta and three very busy class Charlie's in this same area. My experience with controllers is nothing short of great.

So I guess I'm really just creating this thread to remind us not to take controllers for granted, because generally speaking, as evidenced by the lack of activity in this section, they appear to be doing a wonderful job!

Scott
N144SE
 
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Ha! My brother hated C-130s as well. All their stupid tac arrivals and circling approaches.

31 years is some accomplishment. Not sure how you remained sane…especially being at a training facility. ;)
 
Velocity173 said:
Ha! My brother hated C-130s as well. All their stupid tac arrivals and circling approaches.

31 years is some accomplishment. Not sure how you remained sane…especially being at a training facility. ;)
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Who said he's sane. I think he yells at C130's that aren't there.:rofl::goofy:
 
I generally prefer controlled airports over uncontrolled ones simply because I rely on controllers to tell me who I am following and provide adequate separation.
 
who's taking them for granted? I don't see how activity in this thread has anything whatsoever to do with our level of respect for ATC. actually maybe it does.......if they sucked you'd be seeing a whole lot more threads.
 
Flew my light sport plane west coast to east and back two years ago. Flew thru a number of Bravo's and really appreciated how they handled me. Phoenix, in particular, where i got caught in some truly terrifying turbulence coming down the valley from Sedona. It was so bad, and the guy was so helpful when I really needed. Even gave me a block altitude clearance thru the B airspace. In 30 years of flying I have never been so scared. The controller could tell I was having a rough time and went out of his way to help me, even though he was busy with a lot of commercial traffic.
 
I’ve been a big fan of the controllers I’ve dealt with, and that has held true now for the 21 years I’ve been flying, and before.

Noted the reference to KFUL - I’d listen to Fullerton Tower (119.1, it was) while working in the yard - planes lined-up for 24 flew right over me. Then, at the office, I was about 2 miles final for the 19s (now 20s) at KSNA. When my wife bought me that Sony Air 8 from Sporty’s, she lit a fire.
 
I've been lucky enough so far, a few years into my flying life, that I haven't really had any negative interactions with ATC. Even the times I've pulled some new-pilot dumbassery, the worst I've gotten is a stern repeat of instructions. Even in NY airspace, inside the bravo, they were accommodating and professional. PWM and BGR near me are always super friendly and cooperative regardless of workload.

Always perplexes me hearing some of the controllers on LiveATC who desperately need an attitude check. I know that really couldn't be further from the norm.
 
intercept_flight said:
I generally prefer controlled airports over uncontrolled ones simply because I rely on controllers to tell me who I am following and provide adequate separation.
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I'm not sure if this is serious or facetious, but ATC is not responsible for VFR airborne separation at most towered fields.
 
Lindberg said:
I'm not sure if this is serious or facetious, but ATC is not responsible for VFR airborne separation at most towered fields.
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It happens pretty consistently when the pattern is busy at my home field, and I always appreciate it. And on busy days, it seems to be a necessary part of ensuring appropriate separation on the runway.
 
In the commendation category, I'm pretty sure that ATC has saved my life at least once.
 
Lindberg said:
I'm not sure if this is serious or facetious, but ATC is not responsible for VFR airborne separation at most towered fields.
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ATC may not technically be required for "separation" at these fields but they certainly are instrumental in making sure separation happens, especially at fields with lots of student pilots.
I'm pretty sure if we didn't have ATC coordinating people at my busy class D when the flight schools are in the pattern -- we'd have an "Aviation Mishaps" board that is substantially larger.
 
Palmpilot said:
It happens pretty consistently when the pattern is busy at my home field, and I always appreciate it. And on busy days, it seems to be a necessary part of ensuring appropriate separation on the runway.
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What happens?
The poster I responded to said, "I rely on controllers to tell me who I am following and provide adequate separation." I agree that some pilots rely on controllers to provide adequate separation. But they shouldn't because that's not the controllers' job (in the air).
 
Lindberg said:
What happens?
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What happens is that the pilots at busy towered fields are aided in preventing collisions in a very challenging situation.

The poster I responded to said, "I rely on controllers to tell me who I am following and provide adequate separation." I agree that some pilots rely on controller's to provide adequate separation. But they shouldn't because that's not the controllers' job (in the air).
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I'm talking about practical necessities, not whether controllers are exactly following every detail of the controller's manual. I'm not a controller, but I have a lot of experience with flying in very busy patterns at towered fields, and above a certain level of traffic, I don't see how it would be possible for a controller to do an effective job of managing traffic on the runway without giving instructions to aircraft in the air.

I do agree with you to this extent: As a pilot, I have a responsibility to judge my spacing from other traffic, and if I screw that up, it will be necessary for me to go around or take other evasive action whether a controller tells me to or not.
 
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Palmpilot said:
What happens is that the pilots at busy towered fields are aided in preventing collisions in a very challenging situation.


I'm talking about practical necessities, not whether controllers are exactly following every detail of the controller's manual. I'm not a controller, but I have a lot of experience with flying in very busy patterns at towered fields, and above a certain level of traffic, I don't see how it would be possible for a controller to do an effective job of managing traffic on the runway without giving instructions to aircraft in the air.

I do agree with you to this extent: As a pilot, I have a responsibility to judge my spacing from other traffic, and if I screw that up, it will be necessary for me to go around or take other evasive action whether a controller tells me to or not.
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I'm not a controller either, but giving instructions is vastly different from providing separation.
 
Hi.
FPK1 said:
...they appear to be doing a wonderful job!
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I concur with that statement.

intercept_flight said:
..I rely on controllers to tell me who I am following and provide adequate separation.
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I would be extremely cautious about that in particular around LAX, FUL, SNA...
The Pilot is ultimately, and solely, responsible for the VFR navigation.
Pay special attention to the Clearance. I've seen many pilots that got violated because they did not know how to handle transitions for class B, C, D....
Make sure you Clarify everything before you get close / into those areas.
Many times controllers get real busy, especially so more recently, and will outright refuse Flight following, clearance in B, departure clearances from FUL to NW / CMA, S to CRQ through KSNA, Disneyland TFR, KAVX.... Going E is typically not an issue.
Be ready to navigate without their help.
 
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