What I don't understand, is why don't people just ask for a clarification
when one is needed? It just doesn't seem like the airspace would be very
safe if everyone ran around doing what they THOUGHT someone instructed
them
to do.

Precisely.

And what makes Class D so dangerous is that

a) Everyone THINKS they know what they're doing, when, in fact, many are
interpreting things differently
b) The controller THINKS he knows where everyone is.
c) The controller is often so busy that asking for clarification is
extremely difficult

The day I wrote about, getting a word in edgewise would have been
darned-near impossible for Mary...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"