"Cub Driver" wrote in message
...

It's merely that the pilot and not the controller makes the decisions.
I appreciate that the pilot is always the ultimate authority, but in
the U.S. he can't go against the wishes of the controller unless he
declares an emergency, right?


No, he can't deviate from any rule of Part 91 except in an in-flight
emergency requiring immediate action. He doesn't have to declare the
emergency, he just has to have it.