"Bob Gardner" wrote in message
...
I agree with everything except "ask why he asked why." Frequency time and
controller attention time is too valuable to be taken up with dialogue.

Bob Gardner

Well, depending on the situation. I fly around the West a lot, and sometimes
there are long enough gaps between calls that I can listen to a whole side
of Stevie Ray. And, at least where I fly, the controllers initiate a lot of
the dialogue, often pointing out interesting planes and places to me such as
in-flight refuelings or the Winslow crater. You can usually tell if a
controller is open to "off-topic" questions.

Michael