Have you been to an airport where the people in the tower are consitently rude?

Just curious... As I frequently fly up to the Santa Monica airport
from San Diego for dinner (it is a nice, scenic flight for people) I
have found that there is one guy who works the tower there that is
consitently rude.

SMO has some unique procedures that stress noise abatement, and I am
very familiar with them. I usually get an IFR clearance out of there
just to keep it simple. I am frustrated to say that the tower guy has
consistently been rude almost every time I have been there, not just
to me, but fairly consistently to all of the smaller GA aircraft.
Typically, if he is in a bad mood, you can expect a substantial delay
in getting cleared to take off, either VFR or IFR, which really adds
up for GA pilots who rent. I understand that radio communications (or
lack thereof) are not the best barometer of workload, but I usually go
up there on weekday evenings, when traffic is light.

I am just curious if anyone else has had a similar experience there,
or if I am being hypersensitive. I don't really want to call the FSDO
if I am out of line, but it happens often enough to me and other
people who fly out of my FBO that it is getting old.

Don't call the FSDO...they have nothing to do with it. Call the tower and
ask to talk to a quality assurance person. They will pull the relevant
tapes, review them, and have a "tape talk" with the controller if it is
warranted.

Bob Gardner

"LowApproach_SoCal" wrote in message
om...
Just curious... As I frequently fly up to the Santa Monica airport
from San Diego for dinner (it is a nice, scenic flight for people) I
have found that there is one guy who works the tower there that is
consitently rude.

SMO has some unique procedures that stress noise abatement, and I am
very familiar with them. I usually get an IFR clearance out of there
just to keep it simple. I am frustrated to say that the tower guy has
consistently been rude almost every time I have been there, not just
to me, but fairly consistently to all of the smaller GA aircraft.
Typically, if he is in a bad mood, you can expect a substantial delay
in getting cleared to take off, either VFR or IFR, which really adds
up for GA pilots who rent. I understand that radio communications (or
lack thereof) are not the best barometer of workload, but I usually go
up there on weekday evenings, when traffic is light.

I am just curious if anyone else has had a similar experience there,
or if I am being hypersensitive. I don't really want to call the FSDO
if I am out of line, but it happens often enough to me and other
people who fly out of my FBO that it is getting old.

In article ,
(LowApproach_SoCal) wrote:

Just curious...

Nope.

--
Bob Noel
Seen on Kerry's campaign airplane: "the real deal"
oh yeah baby.

(LowApproach_SoCal) writes:

I am just curious if anyone else has had a similar experience there,
or if I am being hypersensitive. I don't really want to call the FSDO
if I am out of line, but it happens often enough to me and other
people who fly out of my FBO that it is getting old.

You might try an informal chat with the tower chief first; dragging
the FSDO into it seems a bit harsh to start out. Encourage other
folks with the same experience to call as well. It *is* a service
business after all; heck, even the FAA claims to believe that now.

We had one bad apple at KSAF for awhile a few years back; he got
annoyed with me one day because I was shooting landings (I guess; I
was the only plane in the pattern and there were perhaps two other ops
in the 45 minutes I was up.) He ignored repeated requests for the
option; I knew enough not to touch wheels to pavement and went around
and asked for a radio check. His response was "if you want my help,
you have to ask sooner." He was trying to get me to bust myself by
landing without a clearance. Happily, he only lasted a few months,
with multiple complaints from various folks to the tower chief.

LowApproach_SoCal wrote:
Just curious... As I frequently fly up to the Santa Monica airport
from San Diego for dinner (it is a nice, scenic flight for people) I
have found that there is one guy who works the tower there that is
consitently rude.
SMO has some unique procedures that stress noise abatement, and I am
very familiar with them. I usually get an IFR clearance out of there
just to keep it simple. I am frustrated to say that the tower guy has
consistently been rude almost every time I have been there, not just
to me, but fairly consistently to all of the smaller GA aircraft.
Typically, if he is in a bad mood, you can expect a substantial delay
in getting cleared to take off, either VFR or IFR, which really adds
up for GA pilots who rent. I understand that radio communications (or
lack thereof) are not the best barometer of workload, but I usually go
up there on weekday evenings, when traffic is light.
I am just curious if anyone else has had a similar experience there,
or if I am being hypersensitive. I don't really want to call the FSDO
if I am out of line, but it happens often enough to me and other
people who fly out of my FBO that it is getting old.

Yep, got one right now at KOSU.
The "individual" berates you on frequency if you request a clarification
of an instruction.

I've had this same experience with a controller at KOWD. Spoke
with the tower supervisor after repeated abuse from the controller.
He was not just rude, but incompetent. He had his own version
of the FAR's. I also found out later that a bunch of instructors got
together and paid a visit to the tower supervisor. This is also a
contract tower, not a fed tower. Not sure if this plays a part, but.....


"LowApproach_SoCal" wrote in message
om...
Just curious... As I frequently fly up to the Santa Monica airport
from San Diego for dinner (it is a nice, scenic flight for people) I
have found that there is one guy who works the tower there that is
consitently rude.

SMO has some unique procedures that stress noise abatement, and I am
very familiar with them. I usually get an IFR clearance out of there
just to keep it simple. I am frustrated to say that the tower guy has
consistently been rude almost every time I have been there, not just
to me, but fairly consistently to all of the smaller GA aircraft.
Typically, if he is in a bad mood, you can expect a substantial delay
in getting cleared to take off, either VFR or IFR, which really adds
up for GA pilots who rent. I understand that radio communications (or
lack thereof) are not the best barometer of workload, but I usually go
up there on weekday evenings, when traffic is light.

I am just curious if anyone else has had a similar experience there,
or if I am being hypersensitive. I don't really want to call the FSDO
if I am out of line, but it happens often enough to me and other
people who fly out of my FBO that it is getting old.

I'vd been flying GA since 1975, and before that in the mlitary.

I cannot recall ever being treated discourteously by anyone at a
tower, approach control, or center.

However, I've often wondered if one of the posters on these aviation
bulletin boards, whose name I'm sure I don't have to mention, is as
snippy on the job as he is here.

vince norris

I cannot recall ever being treated discourteously by anyone at a
tower, approach control, or center.




Likewise. I have no complaints.

www.Rosspilot.com

LowApproach_SoCal wrote:

I am just curious if anyone else has had a similar experience there,
or if I am being hypersensitive.

Well, I haven't been there, but the closest thing I've seen to that on the East coast
if the Norfolk controller who gets snippy if someone reports being northeast of the
airport when they are actually north-northeast. Even he is polite as punch except for
that. In fact, given my lack of practice at controlled fields, I'm sometimes amazed
at the tolerance most controllers display when I enter their domain.

George Patterson
If you want to know God's opinion of money, just look at the people
he gives it to.

I cannot recall ever being treated discourteously by anyone at a
tower, approach control, or center.

Same here. I've seen some fleeting moments of brain-lock on the part of
controllers (who are, after all, no different than you or me), and the big
centers (Chicago, Kansas City, Minneapolis) around here can be very curt and
abrupt -- but never anyone rude.

In fact, I can name several controllers who are absolutely, positively, way
over the top *nice* -- pretty much all the time.

However, I've often wondered if one of the posters on these aviation
bulletin boards, whose name I'm sure I don't have to mention, is as
snippy on the job as he is here.

Hee hee! Ahem. Who ever could you mean?

;-)

I'll bet you a dollar that he's just taking out his day-to-day frustrations
here on us, and that he is just as nice as pie on the radio.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"