"Cleared Straight-In Runway X; Report Y Miles Final"

Due to some AOL-thing, I'm sure, I can't see Jim's full reply to my post, I can
only see the part quoted in Steven's reponse to Jim's response (that makes
sense, doesn't it??!!!).

"Jim Cummiskey" said:
Actually, ATC Doug has a theory WHY she felt it was
important for her to call it to my attention.

So you're arguing on "theory" now?

According to Doug, KPRC is a training facility, and they
have a lot of inexperienced controllers there undergoing
training.

Do you know for certain, or does Doug, that this IS one of those inexperienced
controllers? And not that they're all perfect, but does being relatively new or
inexperienced mean that THEY are "wrong" to mention something to a pilot that
they see might be a potential safety issue?

Doug thinks the controller was "pulling my chain"--

It's easy to make a judgment like that when you weren't there to see or hear it
all firsthand. It would be interesting to hear from the controller in question
rather than the Monday-morning quarterbackers. Has anyone asked THE CONTROLLER
why she was concerned enough to question your technique for flying a
straight-in approach?

"Steven P. McNicoll" said:
Some people just do not handle authority well, that may
be the case with this controller.

Yes, and it seems to also be the case with Jim!!!

Have you ever seen any documentation, either written or on instructional
videotapes, for private pilot students that describes making final approach ANY
OTHER WAY than by lining up the airplane with the extended runway centerline?
Does anyone teach students to fly two different pattern techniques, one when
there is someone else in the pattern and one when it is assumed that you are
alone?

Jim:
So, yes Maria. I am very concerned about "not being wrong"
when I fly. The consequences are too high.

They absolutely ARE, no argument there. But the bigger point is not whether it
is "wrong" to fly an angled approach or whether the controller was "wrong" to
call you on it - the point is that flying an angled final that you described is
obviously not what is commonly interpreted as "straight-in" final, it is not
the way flying final approach is taught, and it is not where other pilots would
expect another pilot who was instructed to make "straight-in" approach to be.
So unless there were some unique reason for doing so, whether it is "legal" or
not, why do it? I believe you said you initially called when you were 20 miles
out. God knows that's enough time to have lined yourself up with the centerline
if there wasn't some valid reason not to other than to save one or two minutes
of time.

The point is: if it IS perfectly proper procedure to fly "angled
finals" and report them as "finals," then shouldn't we pilots
began to do a little better job of scanning the entire final
quadrant vice only checking only the extended centerline?

NO ONE said or implied that ONLY the extended centerline should be checked vs.
the entire final quadrant. But as said in my previous post, when or if a pilot
in the pattern hears that there is traffic making extended "straight-in final",
the FIRST LOGICAL PLACE most will look IS down the extended runway centerline
for that traffic. I don't know about you, but unless there is some REALLY good
reason not to be, I prefer to be in the place where my or the ATC announcement
of my position says I am. For example, a pilot making left downwind almost
abeam the numbers who hears that there is an airplane on extended straight-in
final isn't going to FIRST look to their right to see if you're coming in at an
angle, they're going to FIRST look down the extended runway centerline to see
if they can spot you there. It isn't a matter of right or wrong, it's just
common sense and common logic since that's the way it is TAUGHT and that's the
way 90-something% (I'm sure) of pilots fly it under normal circumstances.

Steven:
But it's not proper procedure to fly "angled finals" and report
them as "finals". "Final" has a specific meaning and is defined
in the Pilot/Controller Glossary to ensure pilots are on the same
page when they use the term "final".

EXACTLY!!!

Jim:
So, it has nothing to do with the "semantics of the arguments."

Right, it has nothing to do with "semantics of the arguments" just as it has
nothing to do with being "right" or "wrong" - that's the whole point!

It has to do with coming up with jority of us DO understand that when the
controller says "straight-in final", they're talking about being lined up with
the extended runway centerline. I don't know where you commonly fly, but I've
never known ANYONE to mistake that language or instruction to mean approaching
30 degrees to either side of the runway centerline! I shudder to think what
chaos there would be, especially at airports where there is more than one
runway in use at the same time, if everyone thought it was "proper procedure"
to fly 30 degrees to either side of the extended runway centerline when
instructed to make straight-in final!