John Clonts wrote:

I am interested in this. Are there any other aspects of this style that
you would care to share? Or is it just basically as said above, "don't
blindly accept what is given to you by ATC".

Hmm. I am *not* this CFII (or any CFI {8^), so I'm not sure I can give
"this style" adequate coverage. But from this one student's perspective...

It involves first a recognition that the people behind the ATC microphone
are just that: people. Once that's internalized, a lot of "mic fright"
goes away.

Listening in for a while also helps that. Even the heavy iron drivers make
mistakes too, as do controllers. And that relates to part of our job.
"Communication" and operating under ATC control (ie. IFR, in a class B,
etc.) doesn't mean giving up PIC status.

I just heard a story a couple of evenings ago about a pilot that had a
mishap on a T&G. He actually ran off the runway into the grass, dented the
plane on something (a taxi light?), and then returned to the air.

When he was asked his intentions by the tower, his response was one which
indicated complete abdication. Bad Move. ATC is not there to fly the
plane.

Another aspect is that ATC and pilot are working cooperatively towards a
goal, with that working sometimes overly well defined by the rules. A
contact approach is one example where the controller is precluded from
doing something that might otherwise be helpful (though I've heard funny
stories of 'hints' given {8^).

But within those limits, it's certainly a team approach. We're on the same
side. If you're unhappy with an instruction or a reply, and assuming
conditions permit, you can work together to find an alternative.

- Andrew