This is so true. At a busy Class D around here, they must have been
training a new controller as I didn't recognize the voice. Traffic was a
disaster, extending down winds for miles and miles, holding, nobody getting
off of the ground and the run-up area stacked. Then ah, that beautiful
friendly voice. Planes started getting in and out with incredible ease and
things were clearing up very quickly. I so badly wanted to say, "Student
Controller, eh?" but figured we hate hearing that pointed our way.


Even w/o the stupidity of wasting airtime, controller skill makes a major
difference (and is probably the paramount variable by far). I was in the
pattern with about six or eight other planes one day, with others coming
in
and leaving. A normal weekend day at CDW. It became a mess, as the
controller lost track of who was where.

A new controller took over, and in minutes the same planes were in a well
oiled dance (to mix metaphors {8^). That's with the same crappy RADAR and
the same mix of traffic.