"Refusing to Handle You"

"Richard Kaplan" wrote in message
news:1121655367.94780c5d45d39e3a9574ee99bb5f5c1b@t eranews...

I suppose anything is possible but that is highly unlikely. In any event,
the proper response is to state "Unable" and then wait to see what the
controller says. Most likely the controller will then offer to work with
you with a hold and/or vectors around traffic that will more or less be
equivalent to the route you need.


One property of the route needed in this case is that it not go through
Potomac approach. The controller demonstrated he was willing to work with
the pilot when he informed him of that requirement and asked him his
intentions. Your suggested response of "unable" isn't helpful at all and
suggests an unwillingness to work with ATC.



Now I agree the controller might
instead come back not with a terse "Potomac will not accept you" but
rather "There has been a major incident and BWI is closed" or something
catastrophic like that, in which case yes, landing might be your only
option.


It doesn't have to be anything catastrophic, it could just be normal
traffic. As I said in an earlier message, there are TRACONs that simply do
not allow thruflights. It's not because they're too good to work
thruflights, it's because they're up to their armpits with arrival and
departure traffic.



I am not at all proposing to declare an emergency. I am proposing the
pilot fly his clearance and not accept any alternate clearance which he
feels is unsafe. There is nothing of an emergency nature here.


The pilot wasn't asked to fly a clearance he felt was unsafe. He was aware
of an area of weather that he wouldn't fly through and he was informed that
he couldn't fly through Potomac approach. He needs an alternative that
avoids both of those, that's why the controller asked him his intentions.



ATC would have to give me a good reason for me to do that -- the reason
would have to be more than "Potomac is not accepting traffic."


Why isn't that good enough? Once the center controller is informed that
Potomac approach won't accept you he has to revise your clearance in some
manner so that you do not enter Potomac approach.



Then ATC would have to contact the relevant military aircraft and make the
airspace cold if weather requires their airspace to be used for traffic
already on an IFR clearance.


No, ATC would have to amend your clearance to avoid SUA.



If you tell the controller you are "Unable" to accept an alternate route,
he may well be able to negotiate for more airspace to become available.


But probably not.



Bottom line: A clearance is a clearance. You must accept an assigned
revised clearance if it is within your capability, but if you judge the
revised clearance to be unsafe there is no reason why you need to accept
it and instead ATC will work with you to find a solution.


Now you're whistling a different tune.