"Refusing to Handle You"

"Jose" wrote in message
...

Because ATC is supposed to be helpful, and this is not.


Why isn't it helpful for ATC to ask the pilot's intentions? Do you think
it'd be better if ATC decided on a remedial course of action without input
from the pilot?



The pilot has no
idea what "Potomac" is (from a routing standpoint)


The controller does. Ask him.



or for how long they
will be refusing to honor the clearance the pilot =already= has.


Until about 2 AM.



Therefore
the pilot has no basis from which to plan a new routing, or to consider
the altenratives.


He knows he can't go through Potomac approach and he doesn't want to go
through the weather, he needs to select an alternative to those. That
shouldn't be too hard for any experienced pilot.



ATC however does know the pilot's destination and equipment, and probably
has a pretty good idea of what the weather and traffic ahead is.
Therefore ATC is in a good position to offer helpful alternatives. They
are refusing to do so.


No they're not.



Empirically, it's an odd thing to say because it is rarely said. That by
itself makes it odd.


That you haven't experienced it doesn't make it rare, it just means you're
inexperienced. Many high density TRACONs simply do not work thruflights.



The pilot certainly can fly that route. ATC doesn't want him to.
Specifically Potomac doesn't want him to.


The pilot can't fly that route because Potomac approach says he can't.



Meaningful input requires information that ATC has, that the pilot
doesn't, and that ATC is pointedly not giving the pilot.


The pilot can ask, ATC can't read minds.



Perhaps we have different definitions of "accomodating".


Perhaps. I use Webster's. What do you use?



Let's see if I can learn something, and turn this around.


Oooh, something new!



It's =you=
flying up the coast, say to Teterboro. You're directly on the other side
of Potomac Approach's airspace (whatever shape it happens to be at that
time). For argument's sake, you're at 5000 feet in a rental 172RG with a
moving map GPS, no radar, no spherics, and no weather imagery available to
you (except via descriptions on the radio). You have three and a half
hours of gas, and have a clearance through to your destination, which
takes you in between building TCU. There are cells to your west and
northwest somewhere, maybe forty miles off your route. You're IMC.

"N423YL, Potomac is refusing to handle you. What are your intentions?"

How do you respond?


I respond with, "Never mind that center, my route takes me in between
building TCU. N423YL requests clearance to Richmond via direct."