Upset ATC?

[ThunderBritches]

How often have you heard an upset controller? My office is right by the San Antonio Airport and I have a scanner on the tower freq all the time. Serveral times recently I have heard them get real short with pilots. There are a lot of trainee pilots flying into the airport in Cessnas and they usually end up on the other end of a comment like "why haven't you turned base yet?!?!?". Yesterday a Mexicana 737 apparently had a long slow rollout after landing and the tower keyed up and outright yelled " Mexico get off the runway!!!". It kind of makes things interesting.

 

[kingpin]

I've head pilots get in a "my plane is bigger than yours" match on unicoms before when landing at an airport with no control tower. Fighting over who's going to land first. Children!!

 

[MacombMonitor]

I've head pilots get in a "my plane is bigger than yours" match on unicoms before when landing at an airport with no control tower. Fighting over who's going to land first. Children!!

No different than RR's Tavern...people, are people. :wink:

 

[BigJimbo]

Upset ATC

I've heard Indy Center Contollers light up a few pilots in the past, when they have to give out instructions over the radio 3 or 4 times when they are busy......Things like, "Everybody needs to listen up, I'm getting tired of saying this 3 times!" also heard, "Flight xxx, this is the fourth time I've told you to turn, start paying attention!!"

Usually a mike click with no voice, then a...... "Um, sorry."

In the 20 years that I have listened to ATC, I can only remember a handful of times though. Controllers are extraordinary people and it is rare to hear them get upset. If you ever have an opportunity to go visit a Tracon or En Route Center, jump all over it. You will be so amazed at how they can talk be talking to a pilot on the radio, another controller on the intercom, or standing next to them, talking to you while youre watching them, AND be 5 minutes ahead of what is happening on the scope in front of them. It's incredible. And that's a typical day at the office.

It does make for fun listening!

 

[Finto]

Atlanta area controllers can get gruff sometimes seeing as Hartsfield is very very busy. Pilots sometimes miss radio calls and when it happens too often ATC will definitely let us know.

 

[Declared_Hostile]

I've heard ATC tangle with pilots both civilian and military on occasion. It isn't something that happens regularly but it does happen sometimes. A couple were pretty humorous especially the chatter between the pilots afterwards.

As stressful as the ATC biz is said to be I'm surprised it doesn't happen more than it does.

 

[DaveNF2G]

They're probably irritable this week because the FAA imposed a contract on them, and the courts upheld it.

 

[Colin9690]

I actually got to take a tour of the Columbus Approuch radar room, and I was watching a controller try to set up aircraft for the ILS approuch. He was trying to get the pilot of a Mooney to turn to a certain heading, and the pilot turned to the wrong heading, and this controller literally went insane. He pounded his fist on the desk, and yelled into the mic.

Also, the small general aviation airport I fly out of (Ohio State University), has some very grumpy controllers.

 

[TeRayCodA]

ATC - "United XXX,say altitude."
United Pilot - "Altitude"

 

[DCHarris]

Oops, I missed it again

Several years back I used to fly as a flight paramedic with Life-Reach out of Columbia, SC. I was amazed at the number of commercial flights which missed the approach and had to circle around. Once I heard one pilot say (and saw the event), "Oops, I missed it; I'll have to go around again". Another time, at night, the pilot missed and when he circled he caught us in his landing lights; I was about to start yelling at our pilot to; "DIVE! DIVE!" before I realized the commercial plane was several miles away and descending. Columbia is/was a fairly quiet airport and I never heard the controllers get upset. Instead it was more like, "Um, OK".

 

[ThunderBritches]

Don't get me wrong about our controllers here, I know they have a heck of a job and are very professional. Those that are being flamed on the radio brought it on themselves I am sure.

 

[kb2vxa]

The key word here is "Mexico" so the frustration is understandable. (;->) I have heard some pretty sarcastic remarks from the ATCs, pilots and all both civilian and military, I'm surprised they don't cuss each other out sometimes. Maybe someday the phrase "going postal" will be ressurected as "going aero". (;->)

BTW, the funniest part of it is often it sounds like one of those famous Spock vs. McCoy exchanges as they TRY to be professional about it.

 

[ThunderBritches]

"BTW, the funniest part of it is often it sounds like one of those famous Spock vs. McCoy exchanges as they TRY to be professional about it."

Now that is putting it in perspective!

 

[blantonl]

ThunderBritches, keep an eye on 123.025 - the local helo pilots in satx love to chat about this one female controller that gets really overwhelmed and flustered when local traffic around the airport gets heavy.

Also, if you are right next to the airport, keep an eye out for Omaha 04X and 14J, both ICE/US Custom interceptors (Learjets). They are based right out of SAT and often launch in the morning on patrols. They use 136.475 as Victor base, and sound like a bunch of high-schoolers...

 

[ThunderBritches]

Hey thanks for the info! I do know the female controller they are mentioning. I hear her regularly. She doesn't talk as fast as the other controllers and it gets her a bit behind sometimes. We have one guy here that probably moonlights as an auctioneer!

 

[gcgrotz]

Listen to Atlanta Center ( Used to be MACEY2 but they split it) approach via www.atcmonitor.com

It is especially fun on summer afternoons when the storms start poppin. Downright addictive!

There is a guy on there that is as cool as anybody I've ever heard, southern accent and all. I have a brief MP3 of him.

 

[DPD1]

I'm surprised they're as calm as they are most of the time... I'm not sure what the deal is, but seems like in the last 5 years or so, a large percentage of the Pilots coming in and out of municipal airports, are completely clueless... and many of them can barely speak English. Some sound like they would have a hard time getting a drivers license, let alone a Pilot's license. Imagine having people's lives in your hands, and half the things you tell people to do, they either screw up or ignore.

Dave
http://www.dpdproductions.com
- Custom Scanner, MURS, GMRS, & Ham Antennas -

 

[K0ATC]

Well im glad no one trash talked ATC too bad. I've been a controller for 7 years, soon to be picking up a new job at Boston ARTCC, "I hope!" Like a lot of people already said, you usually get *****ed out when you've been told more then once to do something and still havent done it, or you repeatedly make the same mistakes. ATC personel are in training as well, and make their own mistakes, but its a bit more easy to hide Usually the funny things you hear are for our own amusement, but sometimes we just get fed up with stuff.

Anyways if anyone has any ATC related questions just ask, and no im not going to fish out frequencies LOL anyone can look those up!

 

[n6766j]

I live next door to Gillespie Field in El Cajon, Ca. There is one controller there who doesn't take enough valium before coming to work. The other day he told a student pilot, "Learn how to use your radio or you will NEVER fly at this airport again." Only days later he told another pilot, "Sir, I would never fly outbound on a localizer or ILS. It's dangerous and you'll get yourself killed".

I used to be an air traffic controller and NEVER had the occasion to berate and humiliate pilots on the radio. That's simply unprofessional.

 

[JoeyC]

Theres nothing more frustrating than trying to maintain order in your airspace and have one goon who can't operate basic equipment screw up the approaches for numerous other aircraft, putting everyones life in jeopardy. No doubt with that controller at KSEE probably has been putting up with that students lack of attention to matters on more than one occasion.