On 2007-06-29 03:09:59 -0700, Cubdriver usenet AT danford DOT net said:

On Fri, 29 Jun 2007 01:44:22 GMT, Larry Dighera
wrote:

Granted the controller was speaking
normally as he would to someone who understood English.

I often have trouble understanding controllers. I often suspect that
they try to mumble, on the theory that if the pilot doesn't know
what's going on, then he's not much of a pilot.

"My speech is more abbreviated and monotonal than your speech, so
there!"

My most frequent requestt to ATC is "Say again" which is pretty
abbreviated and monotonal itself. So there!

Huh. My most frequent request to ATC is "Ready to depart." Never had a
problem understanding them.

The contract controller who worked the Tacoma Narrows tower *until
recently* was fired for departing the runway without a clearance. He
only flew 60 feet, though. In an automobile. Ended upside down at the
fence. Blood alcohol level was high. This was a guy who had already
been arrested twice for behavior resulting from drunkenness, such as
brawling at a bar. He was not driving the car in the recent incident.
He claims he was just sleeping there and somebody else suddenly jumped
into the car and started racing up and down the runway. Yeah, right. As
if he had never done it before. This time he got caught. Lucky he
wasn't killed. But I suppose he mumbled quite a bit giving this lame
explanation to the cops. :-)


--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor