ATC question

A question for Stephen, Newps or other folks knowledgeable in the finer
points of ATC. A friend of mine flew into Reading, PA last week with
another pilot. Since Reading is a class D airport with no TRSA, but
with radar approach control, they elected to simply call tower directly
6 or so miles out. My friend said that the controller was quite nasty
and told them they had to contact approach first if they wanted to land.
By then they were even closer in, but they called approach who
"informed" them gruffly that they were now 4 miles from the airport and
needed to contact tower "immediately." They then called tower and landed.

My friend is a new private pilot (last December) and both he and the
person flying (a pretty experienced pilot, I believe) were rather taken
aback by this. What authority does a class D tower have to refuse entry
to an airplane that hasn't called approach control? Even a TRSA is
voluntary, so I can't imagine that a non-TRSA, non-class B, non-class C
airport can mandate use of approach control.

Is there some new regulation that I've missed?

Matt

"Matt Whiting" wrote in message
...

A question for Stephen, Newps or other folks knowledgeable in the finer
points of ATC. A friend of mine flew into Reading, PA last week with
another pilot. Since Reading is a class D airport with no TRSA, but with
radar approach control, they elected to simply call tower directly 6 or so
miles out. My friend said that the controller was quite nasty and told
them they had to contact approach first if they wanted to land. By then
they were even closer in, but they called approach who "informed" them
gruffly that they were now 4 miles from the airport and needed to contact
tower "immediately." They then called tower and landed.

My friend is a new private pilot (last December) and both he and the
person flying (a pretty experienced pilot, I believe) were rather taken
aback by this. What authority does a class D tower have to refuse entry
to an airplane that hasn't called approach control? Even a TRSA is
voluntary, so I can't imagine that a non-TRSA, non-class B, non-class C
airport can mandate use of approach control.

Is there some new regulation that I've missed?

Matt

Although I have never been to Reading, I have read enough posts in
newsgroups to realize that it is a special case...poor relations between
pilots and ATC. I would write up the experience on an ASRS report.

Bob Gardner

On Apr 16, 3:53 pm, "Bob Gardner" wrote:
"Matt Whiting" wrote in message

...





A question for Stephen, Newps or other folks knowledgeable in the finer
points of ATC. A friend of mine flew into Reading, PA last week with
another pilot. Since Reading is a class D airport with no TRSA, but with
radar approach control, they elected to simply call tower directly 6 or so
miles out. My friend said that the controller was quite nasty and told
them they had to contact approach first if they wanted to land. By then
they were even closer in, but they called approach who "informed" them
gruffly that they were now 4 miles from the airport and needed to contact
tower "immediately." They then called tower and landed.

My friend is a new private pilot (last December) and both he and the
person flying (a pretty experienced pilot, I believe) were rather taken
aback by this. What authority does a class D tower have to refuse entry
to an airplane that hasn't called approach control? Even a TRSA is
voluntary, so I can't imagine that a non-TRSA, non-class B, non-class C
airport can mandate use of approach control.

Is there some new regulation that I've missed?

Matt

Although I have never been to Reading, I have read enough posts in
newsgroups to realize that it is a special case...poor relations between
pilots and ATC. I would write up the experience on an ASRS report.

Bob Gardner

Do that, but it would be more effective to complain to ATC quality
control. The controllers at Reading are indeed nasty, and there's no
reason that the tower shouldn't have been able to handle you.

ZikZak wrote:



Do that, but it would be more effective to complain to ATC quality
control.



No such thing. You can call the tower directly and complain but doesn't
sound like it will get you anywhere.

Newps writes:

No such thing. You can call the tower directly and complain but doesn't
sound like it will get you anywhere.

Can a pilot record his conversations with ATC?

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

Mxsmanic wrote in
:

Newps writes:

No such thing. You can call the tower directly and complain but
doesn't sound like it will get you anywhere.

Can a pilot record his conversations with ATC?


You're an idiot.

bertie

"Mxsmanic" wrote in message
...
Newps writes:

No such thing. You can call the tower directly and complain but doesn't
sound like it will get you anywhere.

Can a pilot record his conversations with ATC?

--


Of coarse not, controller are angelic, you will just hear music on the tape.

In article ,
Newps wrote:

ZikZak wrote:



Do that, but it would be more effective to complain to ATC quality
control.



No such thing. You can call the tower directly and complain but doesn't
sound like it will get you anywhere.

Contact your local FSDO.
They can provide you with a telephone number, address to contact and
describe the situation. If Reading is a contract tower, the FAA has a
quality control program in operation for just these type of incidents.
If they receive complaints, and the complaints are not addressed by the
contractor, that contractor may lose the bid the next time around.

john smith wrote:

In article ,
Newps wrote:


ZikZak wrote:



Do that, but it would be more effective to complain to ATC quality
control.



No such thing. You can call the tower directly and complain but doesn't
sound like it will get you anywhere.


Contact your local FSDO.
They can provide you with a telephone number, address to contact and
describe the situation.

\And that number will be the tower. You haven't gotten anywhere as
other people have already said this has been a problem for years.


If Reading is a contract tower, the FAA has a
quality control program in operation for just these type of incidents.

They have no such thing.

On Apr 16, 7:14 pm, john smith wrote:

If Reading is a contract tower, the FAA has a
quality control program in operation for just these type of incidents.


RDG is an FAA facility, it has an approach control. To date, there
are no contract approach control facilities.