VERY HEATED exchange | Controller and FAA Examiner at San Carlos!
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- Опубліковано 11 вер 2023
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I'm 42 years old and used to act like this controller. I stopped about 40 years ago, but I'm still ashamed of it.
LOL.. That was epic!!
OK, _that_ was a good one LMAO.
Finally, stopped laughing after reading Christopher's comment. Also I'm stealing that one. 👍👍👍😁😁
I just busted out laughing! And you hit the nail squarely on the head!
Don't worry, in another 40 years you'll be doing it again :P
I own San Carlos Flight Center (Bay Flight callsign). This controller is the Air Traffic Manager at SQL. This incident happened over a month ago, and nothing has changed. Senior Management in the FAA's Air Traffic Organization is aware of the issues and has directly acknowledged this incident. Following the incident, I called the tower to express my concerns and the controller responded by telling me that I'm a "princess" for caring about this, was told that it's "bullshit" that I report safety incidents, and was told that if he was fired his bosses would be "doing him a fucking favor". The same FAA management acknowledged the phone call and are fully aware that this controller is the manager at San Carlos. They still haven't taken any action.
Well, that's moderately terrifying
My condolences.
That is very concerning. He, obviously, needs to be gone. I wish you much success in dealing with this. Good luck. You shouldn't need luck, but it appears that the good ole boy network is strong there.
Thanks for the insightful comments from the original post. Question: Isn't there another escalation avenue that pilots can take?
It is a shame that he hates his job so much when many others would gladly step in for him.
The aggressive behavior is what leads to pilots trying to “figure it out” whether than asking for clarification.
Great point! I'd be tempted myself to figure it out, myself, instead of speaking another word to this dick.
Unbelievably unprofessional. Some government workers always seem to think they can act like children throwing a tantrum and get away with it because they're harder to fire. Usually it's braindead post office workers, not fucking air traffic controllers in charge of lives. Get this ass hat out of the tower YESTERDAY.
^ this. If the student did ask for clarification on Kaiser Hospital, I am certain the response would be "Figure it out. I'm not your instructor."
💯
Exactly!
"you were partly blocked" guy having the time of his life listening in
You just know he was balancing a bucket of popcorn on his lap...
Jax center has a cheerful guy who says “aloha, welcome to the group” when you check in. Makes everyone less stressed.
Hahaha yes, yes he was.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard or seen an examiner stand up for an applicant like that. Good on him.
Didn't stand up for the applicant. He attempted to squelch the out of control and UNSAFE ATC personnel.
Exactly, it was much more 'okay, I've heard about enough of this crap'.
@@clarkgriswold-zr5sb i could tell from the DPE voice that he was on the pilot's side . the student (who is now a PPL im sure) read back was "extend downwind", i.e. he never acknowledged the hospital as a visual landmark. If kaiser was so critical for the situation it was ATC's job to confirm or issue a different instruction to the pilot instead of making assumptions or giving a lecture
Not true. It is the pilots responsibility to advise the controller anytime a clearance is not completely understood. "Call my base, I am unfamiliar". Period.
@@asho1735 Not true. It is the pilots responsibility to advise the controller anytime a clearance is not completely understood. "Call my base, I am unfamiliar". Period.
I would pay to see the tower fly
Rumor has it that he's flying right out that tower looking for a new job.
You just need to push the red button , you'll have find it first :)
@@AshKast No, there was a comment by the person who owns the company that owns all the Bay Flight aircraft in the video. He said the problem controller (the tower's manager) is still there and nothing changed.
Look for @alessandrofrancoscfc
It's pretty genious. You click the plane you want to follow on the radar display, the tower locks onto it, takes off, reaches it and follows it. So you can exactly see what the vectored plane is doing, even in fog or low visibility situations.
Rumor has it that there are more airplanes in the ground than towers in the air... or something like that 😂
“Everyone knows who flies out of here” is the kind of attitude that will get someone killed, particularly if they’re flying in from somewhere else. That statement shows a lack of willingness to help someone unfamiliar with the area.
Yeah, I liked how the pilot is flying there and says they're unfamiliar and the controller's answer is "everyone flying here is familiar with it"...
But does HE fly?
@@matthewmiller6068 You missed the part where the pilot ignored instructions and refused to ask for a clarification. This is what set off the chain of events.
Had the same attitude a few months ago because there was someone unfamiliar with a local, non-published departure procedure that was only available buried somewhere on the airport website. ua-cam.com/video/HPaMjSUSn1Y/v-deo.html
He told someone who does not know that everyone knows. Well clearly not then... Dangerous stuff.
Among the worst attitude I've ever seen in 23 years as ATC and private pilot. Ridiculous, inflammatory, and ultimately a threat to safety. It's quite bizarre he is still on the job, and warrants a hard look at how discipline is handled at contract towers. I worked with about 7 contract towers throughout my career, and found that they were generally MUCH nicer, and usually helpful in making sure us center pukes did the right thing. Let's make this Karen famous.
unfortunately sounds like a private tower so it sounds like its "not a big deal" to them
You should have tried flying out of Goose Bay, there was a female controller there years back who was a real case!
Yes, this is a contract tower, not an FAA tower.
Unfortunately I think the only thing that will scare the FAA to do something about such unprofessionalism from tower staff is when a pilot trainee or actual pilot finally snaps and does a 9/11 on that tower.
Whee, let’s cancel a stranger! What a loser
DPE- "Sir when you land the tower I have a phone number for you to copy"
Comment of the day
Best comment 🔥
Pin this comment! :D
“I’ll fly the tower”
That’s when you know the controller has lost it.
@@Charon58 or maybe they are high in the sky on something?
I’m a pilot that have been flying out of SQL for the past 7 years and I can tell you their tower controllers have always been rude and unhelpful.
10 miles to the south at PAO the tower has MUCH different attitude and are very pleasant (not to mention safe) to interact with.
I trained at KDAB TRACON for about 4 months as an air traffic controller... The problem there was management was terrible and it trickled down into the controllers and thus the trainees. it's sickening how a few people can ruin an entire operation. This was a long time ago though... hopefully it's better with the old boomer controllers retiring.
I avoid San Carlos like the plague for that exact reason. There's another seasoned controller that is always having a bad day.
Most definitely a management problem.
@@TheFlyingZulu They have 59-60 year old's as ATC's???
Or is it more likely like so many, you don't know what a "boomer" (Baby Boomer BTW) is.
Experienced the same thing just passing through the airspace the other day. Not uncommon apparently.
The DPE is correct. While it is the pilots job to ask for clarification, the moment he did, he got combative. That is a big no,no.
"When you get on parked, ask anyone where Kaiser Hospital is.". "Why? You're gonna need it more than me, buddy." (It would have taken all my will power not to have given that reply, even it it meant my check ride just crashed and burned...
I'm not a pilot, but if the examiner had advised the student that he should ask for clarification, wouldn't that have been interfering with the examination?
he accepted a command without understanding it, knew he did not understand it, and so proceeded to do what he wanted rather than follow the tower's instructions. it boggles my mind that anyone can't understand this
@@brenthendricks8182that reply wouldnt even make sense
In other words, "You are about to end up in the hospital", or "I'm to put you there.."@@hoolihanohoolihan1011
Controller here, at much busier airspace than SQL. It’s mortifying to here a controller talk to a pilot like this regardless of the circumstances. Some people, like this guy, are just not meant for this kind of job. McDonald’s would be a better fit.
I get better treatment at McDonald's.
McDonald’s would not tolerate rude behavior
I was ignored at McD today, so comparable behaviour!
As a controller what is the best way to report this guy and get him off the air?
Or Walmart.
Anyone who follows this channel has observed a handful of cases where controller temperament has possibly saved lives. If that can be true, so can the opposite. A temperament like this, given enough time, could kill somebody.
Naa temperament is unprofessional, lack of training and perhaps the controller was at his limit.
@@soeren72 def. temperament 1. a person's or animal's nature, especially as it permanently affects their behavior: Someone can have a calm temperament or an aggressive one etc. @nickbondar12 was speaking about those with calm temperament have been known to save lives, while ones with this controller's temperament could cause serious issues.
@@soeren72 erm, temperament is a word describing a RANGE of behavior types... as Nick and Brandon called out... "good temprament" IS a type of "temprament", as is that displayed by the jerk in ATC in this video.
Don't comment at all if you don't even understand the words people are using... really.
Agree, a few years back there was a guy in the tower at KSUA that was simply an ass. Seemingly his favorite game was to use a tone of voice to unnerve pilots in training and issue rapid commands then berate the pilot unmercifully- it want only unprofessional but down right dangerous. I think he’s no longer there and the atmosphere at kSUA is now 180 deg better.
Puts students in such position that they are scared of questioning or asking for repeated instructions. Totally unsafe
Aviate, navigate, argue
Haha thanks for the laugh!
Have to remember that
It's actually: Aviate, Agitate, Argue...
love that 😁
Shouldn’t that be “arguate”😂
Flew in there 2 weeks ago, extremely short and unprofessional tower with unnecessary comments. Thought it was just my 1 flight but glad to know it wasn’t just us.
I do like how the examiner had the calmest most to-the-point delivery there
Showing his professionalism to everyone, including the tower.
This is the second time this year KSQL controller's unprofessionalism and lack of training have been showcased on VAS Aviation. The FSDO needs to take this seriously and sanction these controllers.
Knowing local nomenclature is 100% not a requirement to fly into any airport and controllers that think you need to know their special handshake do nothing but cause safety issues.
KSNA handles it amazingly well. Asks if you are familiar with said waypoint, if so, they have you use it. Otherwise, they give you a distance.
@@sakumisanHad a similar situation, they told me to turn at the TV tower. I searched the sectional and then told the controller it wasn't on the sectional and I was unfamiliar with the area. Wasn't an issue, but either way, controller should not be crazy like that. Bro was probably nervous enough on his checkride.
FSDO has literally nothing to do with controllers.
I fly out of San Carlos somewhat regularly and it’s always a bad experience with them. The ATIS is read off like it’s an auction, they slur their words on frequency and get mad when you ask for clarification, expect people to know these landmarks that they made up on the spot and get pissed if you don’t know where they are. I’ve never heard of Kaiser hospital and have never been assigned that landmark, doesn’t show up on the chart anywhere.
@mppatterson7 The FSDO will investigate and can refer the controllers for displaplinary action if they find the controller willfully violated the FARs. If a pilot did something like this, I doubt it would end with a compliance action.
He did not just do that to an FAA examiner hahaha omg
Was most likely just a DPE, not an FAA examiner or employee.
@@mppatterson7 True, however, the DPE acts under the guise of the FAA. So, while not the 'title', they have the power of the FAA (with reason).
@@erauprcwa I don't believe that is true at all. They cannot do anything the FAA can do, except grant a license. What else can they do? Have anything to show what you mean?
Another person commented that they called and complained to the tower, the guy said he hates his job and if his boss fires him he's doing him a favor. So perhaps upon hearing it's a DPE he thought "Maybe this guy can finally get me canned!"
These controllers are not FAA controllers. They are “contract” controllers.
When one of them causes a crash, then the FAA will investigate. 😳😳😳
"Everyone knows that who flies out of here". This controller is a menace: it's not his job to reprimand someone for not knowing which building the ground is which..
Reminds me of the story of the airline pilot in the 70s who was berated by a controller in Hamburg about some triviality and who then ended his rant with "Have you never flown to Hamburg before?". The pilot replied "Well, yeah, I've flown here before but it's been about 30 years and I wasn't landing..."
Oh man, that's a doozy! 🤣
I fly in Seattle area, it’s a busy airspace but most of the controllers here are great. They usually ask “are you familiar with the XX arrival” or “are you familiar with the VA hospital?” etc.. this controller at SQL is an absolute d***head. A large percentage of the people out flying are students learning. Mistakes will happen but nobody on either side needs to get berated. Even today, a controller mixed my tail number up with someone else’s and started vectoring us for the wrong airport. We went a few miles out of the way, we corrected him, he apologized, and we all went on with our day just fine.
These controllers are not FAA controllers. They are “contract” controllers.
When one of them causes a crash, then the FAA will investigate. 😳😳😳
Wrong. The Kaiser visual waypoint is required knowledge for any pilot flying in and out of SQL. It is clearly noted in the FAA Chart Supplement. It is not some "random building."
@@garywelch5174 suggest you reread what I wrote. Once again, it's not the controller's job to waste time reprimanding the pilot for not knowing.
I bet that controller is a real treat to share the freeway with on his commute, too.
I pulled up Kaiser Permanente Redwood City Medical Center on Google Earth. it's a collection of low-rise white office buildings in a sea of buildings that look almost exactly the same. Even if I lived there and flew out of San Carlos every day, it'd be a crappy landmark.
It was probably the first building to be built in that area or something.
But is it listed with it's appropriate official name on the TAC or sectional? That's the real question for someone who wants to look it up.
Nearby we have designated reporting point South Cement Plant clearly marked on the charts and you're expected to be familiar with the charts.
@@FloridaMan02 Even if the hospital was on the chart -- and it's not on the sectional shown in the video -- the whole situation was handled poorly by the controller. Sure, the student should have clarified he was not familiar with the hospital as a landmark. The controller could have provided a little bit of patience or even given him a phone number to call after he landed if he felt he needed to admonish the student to speak up if he didn't understand what ATC was asking of him. This controller clearly hates his job, or at least hates some aspect of it, and he needs to move on. If he's waiting for his boss to "do him a fucking favor" by firing him, he should be sending out his fucking resume to other employers in the area, even if he has to work at a fucking Starbucks, so he can give his boss the finger and walk out the door already.
ATC: Have a good day.
Pilot: I have a number for you to call, advise when ready to copy.
ATC: I don't want to copy.
Pilot: No problem, I'll call for you.
That’s a good one! Possible controller deviation.
San Carlos has a reputation with Bay Area pilots for being ill tempered and often unhelpful. As I understand it they are a privately contracted tower, rather than FAA employees.
Not the first time SQL has shown up on this channel.
One of the towers in my area is also privately contracted and has the same reputation
So it's a place where bad controllers can go?! Kinda like when bad cops bounce around until they can find 'someplace'...
It is private contractor run but the sheer volume of traffic from local flight schools definitely a contributing factor too.
You haven't flown into Brown Field lol
Seems like some controller candidates that wash out of training at FAA facilities can fall back into the role at contract towers. Then they get attitudes like this guy and can carry out their vendetta against the system with impunity. Professionalism seems to be non existent at this facility.
Retired ATC after 26 years.
He's burned out as a controller, time for a career change...
Thanks for posting Victor!!
Hey Juan, I totally understand burnout, but this guy was just plain mean and rude. I've lost my temper and snapped at people at times, but this seemed so unwarranted and malicious since the pilot was quite polite and certainly trying to comply. I feel like the tower controller sensed the timidness in the pilot's voice and just jumped all over him as a schoolyard bully might do. (PS: I love your channel.)
He's overworked and underpaid. The pay gap between FAA and contract controllers is near criminal. Still no excuse for his behavior but it's well past time for the FAA to address the critical staffing shortages, not just at the facilities they run, but also the facilities they fund through contracting.
I have to disagree, this is a contract tower and has had multiple issues like this. Its just poor management. This controller likely never had the ability to be a decent controller.
They replaced him; SQL now opened after re-pavement with 5 ppl in the tower as it should have been. On his defense there were days where he was handling T + G 9 to 5. Still his shortness (which I have experienced first hand once) was inexcusable.
Used to fly out of San Carlos all the time, and never knew where the stupid hospital was. Just flew over downtown San Carlos and it seemed to satisfy the controllers there.
the hospital is in redwood city, not even in san carlos!
"I'm not taking anything off the air!". It's always funny when the last comment in an argument is a claim that you'll keep talking.
He may have thought he could end it there, but that's out of his hands. LOL!
Yeah I love how he immediately follows that up with "have a good day", so you are taking it off the air then?
@@Entroper No. He was "done" at that point anyway, but expressed if given reason to not be "done", he would continue saying whatever he wants. No real contradiction there.
I mean yeah, the pilot should ask for clarification BUT that is not the way a Controller should talk to a pilot. Also, I assume the student pilot was already stressed enough having a DPE for the controller to address him like that just for missing a base turn, not like he was putting other planes in explicit danger. Kudos to the DPE for standing up and defending the student!
Yeah, that controller was a total jerk.
It's so weird that in the US the controllers actually call you out for messing up during the flight. Most other countries have decided that it is better to either file it or send a supervisor over to discuss it with local users. Upsetting pilots during critical phases of flight seems like a really bad idea.
@@THRILLHOUSEV I'm not a pilot (except on VATSIM, that is), but I'm not sure whether I'd rather have a controller call me out on-air or try to fly while wondering whether the nice, polite controller behind the mic is about to report me to the authorities.
@@philipmcniel4908 I would rather focus on what needs to be done rather than argue with a controller over the radio while I'm trying to make sure my aircraft is set up correctly to land. Debriefing can happen once you are safely on the ground.
@@THRILLHOUSEVThis isn’t normal, this airport is well known for having dipshit controllers.
According to the FAA site, this is a Serco contracted tower. I would encourage fellow airmen and women to report their concerns to Serco so that we can have safer skies. This kind of aggression needs to be kept off the air as it jeopardizes safety. This controller might do better working as a call center employee.
Ah Serco, one of Britain's worst ever exports
I worked call centre jobs when I was younger - this sort of attitude to customers would certainly have got me fired from any of them.
And a pilot that has no idea where he is going doesn't?
Or as a megaphone tester
I run a call centre. I don’t want him! If your spirit is not to help people, I have no spot for you
Controller has an attitude that could be fatal. Feel sorry for his dog, cat, wife or any other potential companion or colleague.
Indeed.
These controllers are not FAA controllers. They are “contract” controllers.
When one of them causes a crash, then the FAA will investigate. 😳😳😳
Usually controllers are pretty good. This guy made several mistakes on frequency (Flight 30 instead of 22) BECAUSE he let himself get upset at Flight 14. That's the kind of thing you can't train out of someone. It doesn't matter how well that controller learns the procedures--he will always be a problem if he lets his emotions drive.
That is a huge problem today with the entire population, 100% driven by their emotions with no reasoning or logic governing them, and it's only getting worse.
@@logicplagueits really apparent on the highway, all of this massive rushing around for what works out to be a minute or two difference in travel time. 5% less time on a 20 minute drive is a single minute. Speeding is more 'effective' at low speeds where it is significantly more dangerous to everyone not in a car.
@@j_taylor I meant in general(~99%), and I never said it wasn't a real problem, it most certainly is.
These controllers are not FAA controllers. They are “contract” controllers.
When one of them causes a crash, then the FAA will investigate. 😳😳😳
The scary thing is that he is in a leadership position at the facility.
Props to the examiner. Totally unnecessary behavior by the tower.
I see what you did there,
Not really, he never even used proper procedure.
"Then why didn't you say something?"
Well, he tried to, but you said he'd already been cleared to land in an annoyed tone, so he decided not to bother you any further.
That tower controller must be a joy to work with.
Imagine his exhusbands! 🤦🏼♂️💀
Forget working with him, I pity his neighbourhood/ community
Should the student have asked for clarification if they were unsure of the instruction? Of course. But the way the controller went about it after was wildly unprofessional and glad someone was there to finally run it up the FSDO
All he needed to do was tell them that. He let his ego get in the way of his thinking and professional demeanor.
Even if it WERE true, this is what giving a number is for. Taking it off air is not at all the same as saying that there’s nothing to discuss.
And how much do you want to bet that had the student asked for clarification the controller would have snapped at him then? "Everybody who flies out of here knows the hospital!" Dude needs a different job.
The pilot did not read back Kaiser Hospital so he probably missed that and just extended downwind. Then he realized he was not getting a turn to final, so asked for sequencing. When ATC repeated Kaiser Hospital, the pilot replied with unfamiliar. Sounds like the only error the pilot made was to not hear Kaiser Hospital the first time.
@@dx1450 definitely. There's no room in aviation for attitudes.
No, the controller is required to listen to a correct read-back... in which the pilot never read-back the "hospital BASE". That's when tower helps out the pilot.
It's common enough to abbreviate read backs. It's probably not a good idea, especially if you didn't understand the bit you left out, but if the controller had insisted on a full read back people would probably be complaining he was being too pedantic.
@@thomasdalton1508 Complacency Kills
Air traffic controller here: He did say "extending the downwind", since "everyone" is usually familiar with this hospital, I would have taken this readback as valid enough. Having said that, I have to admit, the response of the ATC to the situation was very unprofessional. Well done by the instructor to step up and professionally responded.
@@apa182 Wouldn't it have made sense for the controller to simply say 'Turn base at the Kaiser hospital, rwy 30, cleared to land', as opposed to 'extend downwind to the hospital?'. Both statements communicate the same thing, but one is WAY more obvious than the other.
@@robv.1503 wherever you end downwind is where u start base. They are the same thing.
When did they lower the minimum age for ATCs to seven?
My sister lived in San Carlos for a short period. There’s something about that town that spews anger the rest of the Bay Area doesn’t share.
Talk about the ''City of Good Living''(according to Google), right?
They are downwind of San Francisco. I'd be angry about that too. (Just a joke and no excuse for that controller's attitude)
The world needs plenty of bartenders!
Well, the world needs ditch diggers too. - Judge Smails
As long as they don't become congressmen...
I doubt anyone would want to order drinks from this guy either. He needs a job that doesn't involve interacting with people.
If a bartender treated me like that, it would be the last time I went into that bar.
This guy would be fired as a bartender for treating customers like that.
Bro. Was the coffee machine at the tower broken that day? Whats wrong with that controller.
Or maybe turn down the octane. I'm from NY, and thought the guy was talking fast. He wasn't landing flights at JFK afterall.
Someone urinated in his corn flakes that morning...
The pilot read back "extend downwind" and left out the hospital part, so the controller is at fault here for not catching the readback (0:15).
Not how that works
If the pilot didn't hear the hospital part he couldn't read it back. Not saying he didn't, but it is certainly possible.
@@davidmiller716 there's no requirement to read it back anyway
@@winitforal Yes it is. You're thinking of the AIM which is non-regulatory (and says only read back numbers). But we ATC use the 7110.65 which is regulatory and requires us to ensure all instructions are read back (emphasis on ALL). See section 2-4-3.
@@kewkabe wrong. That section says to ensure pilots acknowledge ALL ATC clearances. They can acknowledge with "Wilco" for several things. That section specifies things in the clearance you need read back(hold short instructions and the usage of call signs).
That hospital is not a VFR reporting point, so pilot doesn't have to know it. Granted he should have asked ("not familiar, pls call by base")
I work as a radar ATC in Russia. The most flights we have are training. Sometimes a student and an instructor who is a recent graduate don't understand an instruction, but readback it correctly. I see that they don't comply with my instruction, I'm getting nervous of that, especially when I have to sequence traffic for some passengers' flight. But I try not to argue on the frequency, because it's really unsafe to make a pilot concerning about something
The ATC didn’t give that “number to call” this time for a reason 😂
Excellent work! Hats off to the examiner on BF14. It is NOT a controller's job to tie up the radio with inflammatory chatter. Direct the planes, THE END. Nothing else falls under your scope.
ATC was using non-standard verbiage which caused the confusion, then doubled down when he said everyone who flies out of KSQL knows where the Kaiser hospital is. Well, it’s not on the air charts, SID or STAR.
These controllers are not FAA controllers. They are “contract” controllers.
When one of them causes a crash, then the FAA will investigate. 😳😳😳
Woah! 😮 Let’s hope the ATC’s ignorance doesn’t put the student pilot off his desire to fly.
I’ve never heard such rudeness from a Tower before, especially when communicating with a student.
The fact that he maintained his tone towards the instructor, shows his need for power/control is off the charts.
I hope they drop-kick him outta the tower before his behaviour causes serious consequences.
I’ve seen aggressive controllers but this guy is a special kind…
It's not even the aggressiveness, but the need to tell everybody in long words how bad of a pilot Bay 14 supposedly was. That's just ignoring basic safety principles for nothing but their own ego.
The controller was not wrong in that if he didn't know, he should have asked. But when the pilot asked a followup for sequencing and the controller said "clear to land" with no sequence number. I assume he turned base at that point. Saying everyone that flies out of there knows where the hospital is is definitely not an appropriate answer. Mistakes were made on both sides. The controller made it much worse with his attitude.
How much do you want to bet that had the pilot asked for clarification as to where the hospital is, the controller would have given him attitude then?
@@dx1450 he did more than once. I KNOW 😅
Imagine being on middle of your checkride with all the pressure and nerveous and this happens to you, i feel for the applicant...
I have been training out of San Carlos since 2014. A few years ago, the FAA stopped controlling SQL because of lack of traffic. A private company took over, and since then, i have never encountered a group of controllers more condescending, and just outright awful.. More recently, it has gotten much worse due to critical staffing issues. For over a year, there were only two active controllers. The airport had to reduce its hours from 9am to 4pm for a long time due to this. As a result, the quality of controlling has gone down. pilots have been asking, BEGGING the FAA to take back control of the tower for years, to no avail. Now, I just fly out of San Carlos and fly to Palo Alto, where there is a great group of nice, capable controllers. I really hope the FAA takes back control of the tower. These controllers are absolute jerks. The one in this recording, in particular, has an extremely short fuse.
Keep voting Democrat. Things are bound to get better!
Our controllers at KSQL are underpaid and severely understaffed in comparison to all of the other controlled towers in the Bay Area, as KSQL is the only contract tower in the Bay operated by Serco. This however does not excuse our few controller's behavior on frequency, this being a prime example. As stated above this particular controller in the almost year he has been the tower manager has a knack for picking fights on frequency to pilots who are unfamiliar with the objectively non standard VFR/IFR departures and arrivals. On multiple occasions he has berated pilots for several seconds at a time whilst managing multiple light aircraft in our Class D airspace, effectively negating his focus from his job as a controller and turning it into an opportunity to shame a pilot publicly on frequency (not a smart idea seeing that at least 60% of our based flights are students that are trying to build more confidence in the airplane). It's gotten to a point where I've heard some people jokingly suggest we're better off without a Class D and instead go to Class G despite San Francisco's Class B surface area being less than 5 miles off RWY 30's departure heading. This dude scares away pilots, and in turn scares away business from our already struggling airport, and to top it off destroys both student or in some cases already rated pilot's confidence while operating over a densely populated area in the immediate vicinity of a Class B surface area. Serco needs to step in or Congress needs to force them out.
Better tell them to chill because if I ever fly in there with that bs attitude I’m gonna crash the gate at the tower come beat his ass. I feel like that’s this guys problem. Hasn’t had a proper ass beating after running off at the mouth and gonna hide behind a headset, gate, and console at the atc tower.
Agreed. I trained 20 hours of KSQL and then got my cert elsewhere a few years ago. I fly out of another bay area airport and absolutely avoid San Carlos now even though I know the area reasonably well.
I feel like this also needs the added pressure of the flight schools on management (Both Sergo and SQL themselves.) If a controller is ultimately costing the airport revenue then someone will take note and do something.
Oh they are all well aware from the flight schools to the airport management. Some more than others have taken as much action as possible (one of the flight school owners made a great post in this comment section). If you read his post which is currently the most liked comment we are literally between a rock and a hard place. The FAA has acknowledged but is either unable or at worst unwilling to act, Serco has yet to take administrative action on this controller, and if they fail to ever do so the only way they would get the boot is if Congress voted to replace them with an FAA staffed tower. Ask any pilot that has flown in the Bay Area, every other tower which is FAA staffed (with the exception of SFO Tower Karen) is 100x more respectful / professional but above all safer than our guys. In their defense it's literally just two of them full time with a new guy rotating in and out every few months or so. Regardless, it's unsustainable and a disaster waiting to happen. @@mwiz100
Every busy tower is understaffed in the us right now.
I gave up learning to fly because of personalities like this. Hopefully, I will start again when things improve
KSQL is insanely hard to fly in and out of if you aren’t familiar with the unpublished departure procedures. Controllers expect everyone to know all the landmarks and it’s incredibly weird what passes for ATC out there.
Witness the fact that this controller is in a management position.
With all of the air traffic control issues we have seen lately, this one really stands out!
Very unprofessional at best, dangerous at worst. An attitude like that creates an oppressive culture in which a hesitant/new pilot will be reluctant to ask the very question that could keep him out of harm's way. Wow, that guy had a lot of unnecessary chirping.
Thank you for sharing this. Really hope this addressed with results not jus threats of losing their job.
Flown out of KSQL for 22 years. Where many non-KSQL flyers are aghast at this controller’s behavior, for us locals, it’s just another “Tuesday”. 😂
ring the ol' normalization of deviance bell!
Aircraft and pilots come and go at airports all over the world and I assume pass through here without knowing the area. The reason there are agreed upon phrasings and even language is so everyone is able to understand. If someone asked me for driving directions in my hometown I wouldn't base it upon local landmarks.
I’m sorry, but controllers need to be professional with every aircraft regardless of how familiar those pilots are with the local area and especially at an airport with several student pilots! I’m honestly glad that SQL is shut down for a few weeks while this situation gets worked out
@@Dashi18nOh I wholeheartedly agree. 👍👍 But when you deal with getting lambasted for the twentieth time because .”you’re NOT at Spot Juliet Five, it’s the NORTH TOWER PARKING” you just get a bit “whatever” 😂
I see what you did there 🦬
People are going nuts.
If controllers are going to start directing people to landmarks, they should put them on the FAA charts like the "Cement Plant" already is, or use an already charted waypoint nearby like "AT&T tower" which is just 1 NM downwind from the non-standard kaiser hospital waypoint they decided to use instead. It's apparently not enough that they have about a dozen VFR waypoints already charted specifically for San Carlos (like SLAC, Stanford Stadium, Cement Plant, Interchange Crystal Springs Causeway, Mid-span San Mateo Bridge, Dumbarton Bridge, etc) that they have to invent new ones to confuse pilots??
I thought EXACTLY the same thing about KSQL as i reviewed the chart in Foreflight. Well stated.
Flew as a CFI for Bel Air at SQL in 2007/2008. Our instructors and students were always welcome to visit the tower and learn valuable stuff from the nice tower guys and gals. I guess a lot has changed since then🤦🏼♂️.
In training, one of my first solo cross-countries while building hours was into Harrisburg, PA. The controller gave me a clearance that referenced "TMI" - fortunately I had the presence of mind to ask what his acronym was. Turns out it was Three Mile Island. I've had more than one controller automatically assume that GA traffic knows their local verbal shortcuts. The controller here wasn't wrong in asserting that the PIC should have spoken up if they were unfamiliar with the local visual landmarks; but boy was he snarky.
First of all, if I were ever to become a pilot, I would constantly have to ask towers to "please repeat that more slowly." Secondly, the pilot should be commended for attempting to de-escalate by asking what the tower wanted him to do instead of arguing with the tower. And the tower took that olive branch and crushed it by snarking to fly the airplane. The controller is going to have a tough time finding a job at McDonalds after this.
There's nothing wrong with asking that! Most pilots get used to listening to the radios after a short while. It's a matter of practice, just as anything else.
Aviators also know more or less what they're expecting to hear and what it should sound like, which helps understand the rapid-fire talk on the radios.
I get that ground points are a good way to understand a pattern, but wouldn’t it just be better for the controller to give the pilot a distance or to just call their turn? Not everyone is familiar with different points on the ground. It certainly wouldn’t have hurt the controller to call the turn anyway and leave it without the attitude.
There's a lost art of going and knocking on someone's door, to speak with them face to face. Because of that, we have people acting like this controller. We need to go back to the days of, "Meet me in the parking lot when I land."
The examiner has a calm, yet authoritive voice. The ATC could take some notes!
Based on this video and the comment section, need to pump in KSQL's Live ATC to UA-cam...
No doubt that if the pilot had asked for clarification in the air the the outcome would have been the same with act berating the pilot for not knowing where kieser hospital was.
Someone once told me that if theres a discrepancy w a controller, ask them to "mark tape now" Get parked, then call for a supv and reference the recording for later use to resolve any potential issue.
I learned to fly when I was 14 at this airport. Cool to see they still you the cement plant call out
Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed that morning…
This is serious. Those controllers are likely going to get promoted to JFK for this.
San Carlos is about 40 minutes north of where I live. I'm in the flight line of Reid Hillview departures and San Jose Mineta departures. 10 minutes north and I get to see SFO arrivals, Palo Alto traffic and the occasional Moffett Field traffic. I'm in a honey hole of air traffic, unfortunately there's a lot of ground traffic too.
The pilot assumed the landmark would be self-evident and the controller assumed the pilot had landed there before.
Have transitioned via KSQL many times and I remember controllers there being extremely rude and unprofessional in multiple occasions, ATC should be there to help not make pilot’s life more difficult.
This breaks my heart. I was a controller at Squirrel from '98 through 2001. Back then the airport was a close-knit community, including the controllers. There was almost a sense of family about the place. We were a humping facility back then as it was the Silicon Valley boom days with 800-900 ops per day seen more than a few times (generally about 500-600 per day). I don't know the controller in this video but I do know others like them. Generally they'll shrink like a violet if confronted face to face. Yesterday I tried uploading a story about the airport but apparently it was too long for UA-cam comments so today I'm going to try and upload the story in three parts in the replies to this. I'll number them as I don't know if they go last to first or first to last as I upload. Bottom line, Squirrel (SQL) needs to be fixed! I'd go back in a heartbeat but I lost my Class II years ago.
Part 1..
The Best Lil' Airport in the West - 3730.42N/12214.58W
By Stacy L. Clark, 2000
"Click" went the lighter as the controller lit his cigarette, subconsciously putting the pack and lighter back into his left shirt pocket. He leaned on the catwalk railing in a familiar cross-armed pose. Taking in the peaceful stillness with every draw on his cigarette he pondered the day to come; it would be so different in only a few hours. The airport he loved so much was slowly dying and there was nothing he could do about it. It had been eaten into on three sides by ever more mundane and utilitarian office buildings. Its only reprieve was the protected wetland slough that lay north and east of the field. But he held out no hope. The small band of vocal neighbors that lived nearby would see to that. They were to be the final nails in the coffin. They had no understanding of what this little strip of asphalt meant to those that flew and worked here. No, "the neighbors" were too self-absorbed with their own lives to care. They uniformly pleaded ignorance when asked if they knew there was an airport nearby before they moved in. "We just didn't realize," they'd sing in unison…yet inaudibly within the privacy of their top-of-the-line BMW's and customized low-profile tired SUV's they were angry with themselves for buying into their grossly overpriced homes. They felt duped by their own personal greed. No, the battle lines had certainly been drawn, and the airport was to be the sacrificial lamb. History would surely once again repeat itself to its own eventual demise, just another thread of the American Quilt lost.
He decided not to think about it. Instead, he gazed out toward the slough and the foothills beyond. The sun was just beginning to peer over the top of the highest peak, its rays playing off the scattered clouds in an almost spiritual way, punctuating the sky with intense hues of pink, orange, and blues. He watched the geese next to the taxiway as they taught their young to waddle in straight lines to and fro, the mothers always on the lookout for the larger ‘metal birds’ that crossed their path. He spied the rabbits that ran swiftly from one hiding place to another. He noted the hawks above intently eyeing their prey below, the seagulls circling haphazardly overhead, the finches and sparrows gorging themselves in the new-mown infield grass. This was a shared space, a place where man and nature converged and they had peacefully coexisted side by side for decades. He reflected for a moment on how a few others on the airport saw these same things, but that was neither here nor there now. He took one last drag on his well-smoked cigarette, paused, and then flicked it into the Folgers can that served as his personal ashtray. He turned to walk back inside.
With a quick practiced stab of his right hand's index and middle fingers he activated the local and ground control frequencies on the console. He grabbed the handheld mike with his left. He watched as the red digital clock ticked away in Zulu-time (Greenwich meantime) "14:59:57…58…59… 15:00:00" straight up. He keyed the mike with his thumb…
"Attention all aircraft, Small Town Tower is open for air traffic services. Runway one-two in use, wind calm, altimeter three-zero-zero-four, information x-ray current." (cont. to Part 2)
Part 2...
The little airport that he felt so much a part of was now officially awake from its slumber. Within the hour the first sounds of cold and damp engines sputtering to life on the ramps would be heard…whirr-whirr, putt-putt, putt-putt, rattle-rattle…Grrrrrrr. The statico drone of the run-ups…GRRRRRRRR-Rumph…GRRRRRRRR-Rumph…squeak, squeak…purrr. He loved those sounds. He kept the back door of the tower open so he could hear them. It made him feel more in tune with it all. He contemplated as he made a pot of coffee how to the uninitiated eye the airport was certainly nothing special. As a matter of fact, compared to its famous "big brother" nine miles to the northwest, it may well have looked like a dump. The oldest hanger roofs were a dark red-orange from years of exposure to the salt-laden air and sun. The bottoms of their galvanized doors were a bright carroty color from decades of rain splattering against them. Other hangers were shades of mustard, off-whites, and faded pea greens. Nothing on the airport matched. It was built up as necessity dictated. This was especially easy to see from the air, the various tones of asphalt and concrete delineating the airport’s growth. The main terminal building, having recently received a new coat of paint, could not hide its no-frills design. It was a standard governmental "L" shaped building so prevalent at small airports across the country. Its only distinct feature was a retracted Dutch roof that hid the various air conditioning and heating units above. Inside the base of the "L" was the terminal waiting area, the airport operations office, a pilot's shop, public restrooms, and the Sky Chef Café. The remainder of the building housed two of the airport's three flight schools, West Bay and Emerald Aviation as well as an aircraft sales office. On the opposite side of the airport amongst other non-descript hangers and buildings stood the tower. It was diminutive in stature, barely two and one-half-stories high at the top of its cab. Yet the base was wide enough to support a tower three times its height. The red-brown pentagonal cab looked like the prow of a ship at certain angles, lunging forward toward the runway as if somehow that enhanced its effectiveness. In front of the tower was a doublewide mobile home that served no purpose other than to take up space. Beyond that was the airport's one unique feature…"the bandstand". It was a sturdy covered wooden structure wired for sound, designed so instructors could watch and listen to their student's solos. Yet it was used much more often simply as a place to relax, whittle away a couple of hours, fill out pilot logbooks, study aviation rules and regulations, and even hold secret lunchtime rendezvous. No, to the uninitiated, the airport was certainly nothing to write home about. Yet to those who knew it, there wasn't a better place on earth. It was a very special small town within a larger uncaring and unfeeling municipality.
The heart of this exceptional small town was undoubtedly the Sky Chef Café. Inside its wood paneled walls and model airplane dotted ceiling, one felt the pulse of the airport. Every morning at sunrise you could find the regulars bumping up to the counters for the daily special, which always seemed to be "Huevos Rancheros $5.75". Soon after breakfast started the ‘war stories’ would begin; they'd continue all day long. The loudest tales came from the raised square counter in the middle of the dining area. It was an unwritten rule that this spot was reserved for the most honored of the regulars. It was their base of operations, their central command post as it were. From its humble countertop lay the fate of the free world, or at least one would think so to hear the conversations. There was Van, the rough and rugged individualist, a retired pipe fitter by trade. He could land his red Cessna Skywagon with a freshly killed elk onboard in the length of a full size car (provided there was enough headwind). Karen, a genuinely nice yet savvy businesswoman who started Emerald Aviation simply because she wanted to learn how to fly; it soon became the top flight school on the airport. She even held a sort of aviation summer camp called Camp Katana for kids every year. There was Jim, whose greatest joy in life seemed to be giving free rides to scores of kids in his Cardinal every third Saturday of the month. Mick, whose gentleness was in stark contrast to his life as a Marine in the jungles of World War II, "Windy", Mick's best friend who sparred verbally with him at the slightest provocation yet loved him like a brother. Will, the well-to-do former car dealer and real estate tycoon that now lived for the simple joy of flight in his pristine Fairchild PT-19. There was Tina, the 5' 2" outdoorsy and soft-spoken airport operations specialist who could hold her own with any man and was truly loved. There was Bernie, the quiet man with a heart of gold who often stood-in at the pilot shop register; Cliff, the no-nonsense type who could fly his Edge aerobatic plane to the sky's limits and beyond. Cathy, who was virtually considered a daughter by every male on the airport over fifty. As a pilot, she was a "hell of a stick," they would say. There was Penny, an instructor at Emerald. Though young, she was a natural pilot and instructor. She had already saved the life of one of her solo students whose engine unexpectedly went out one day…simply through her teaching. Yes, there were many personalities in this rag-tag bunch, many others had since left to pursue their futures, many had passed on, but they were all remembered…and they all had a place at that table. If it were not for this tiny airport, their paths would have never crossed. Their lives and lifestyles were truly so different from one another's. Yet fortunately they had, and they were like a family. (cont. to Part 3)
Part 3..
This particular morning, a Saturday, was Young Eagle's Day; Jim's favorite day of the month. It was also the controller's favorite. "FREE AIRPLANE RIDE FOR KIDS TODAY…11:00 TO 1:00PM…" the scrolling sign on the air museum advertised. As the families started to trickle in, one could feel their silent apprehension. Parents wondering through telltale glances, "should we be doing this? Is it safe? What if…?" The kids, especially the boys, demonstrating bravado but inside fearing the unknown, "Mommy I'm scared" would seem to emanate from their eyes as their names were eventually called and they began their cautious walk toward the planes…letting go of their parents’ hands. "Hi, I'm Jim, I'm going to be your pilot today…"
"…Number nine, cleared to land," echoed through the museum's loudspeakers in an even, yet singsong tone. At the same time, inside the tower, the man the voice emanated from sat somewhat hunched forward in the tower chair, his right elbow resting on the green traffic management board that angled toward him. The board was the controller's physical memory. As he spoke, he moved the four-inch Plexiglas chips with the aircraft callsigns written on them in white grease pencil effortlessly around the board. The only telltale sign he was busy at all was his leg, which shook subconsciously to a tense rhythm.
Mixed in with the Young Eagle flights landing and taking off that day were other small general aviation aircraft with call-signs prefaced with names like Cherokee, Cessna, Bonanza, and Mooney; the majority of those belonging to the airport's three flight schools. Occasionally, within the controller's diatribe one would hear radio calls beginning with Kingair, Pilatus, Citation, Marchetti Jet, Delphin, and Yak. Those were the larger, faster, and higher performance aircraft that frequented the airport or transitioned briefly through its airspace. The Kingairs, Pilatus, and Citations brought those fortunate enough to charter their own transportation to this center of ‘new world’ commerce, wealthy out-of-towners, former sports heroes, business executives, and so on. Sometimes they brought people in need of life-saving medical attention. The Marchettis, Delphins, and Yaks were mainly the play-toys of the area's nouveau-riche. However, many ‘real pilots’ owned those as well, especially the Delphins and Yaks. One often wondered how many of the aircraft that used this diminutive 2600' piece of asphalt could takeoff and land at all. Surely, it was not originally intended for them. But they used it nonetheless, and they used it well.
"Bonanza seven-zulu-sierra, runway three-zero, position and hold; traffic Cardinal three-quarter-mile final…Power-up be ready when I call. Cardinal niner-six-xray, make S-turns, traffic in position a Bonanza, cleared to land."
As Jim's Cardinal 96X landed and exited the runway the glow on the kid's faces was unmistakable…as were the relieved gasps from their parents. To bring the love of aviation into the lives of another batch of kids is great gift for those who give it…on both sides of the mike. To see that child bright-eyed and in awe is something that one can never let go of. To be a part of that cannot be described in words. It is rather a warm and heart-felt feeling that one can only live through direct experience. It is the handing-off of the baton, the passing of the flame, the spark that can change a lifetime. And perhaps, just perhaps, one day one of those kids will be sitting at that very same raised center table living, and reliving, the tales of a lifetime. And that is what it is all about.
The controller in this story no longer works at this "fictitious," yet very real airport. He has moved on, but still considers this airport an integral part of who he is, or was. The people in the story are real and although their names have been changed they will recognize themselves immediately. Those who fly there will surely know it as well. If you are part of an airport, no matter your city, state, profession, or title, it may very well remind you of your own home field. And that is the intent of this little narrative. Do not allow the winds of change to take it away from you. Do not allow it to be taken away from that silent kid who leans on the airport fence...always looking up.
Remember: "Every flight has a purpose, every takeoff a destination…."
As a former Boston Center controller I want to apologize to any pilots who have had to deal with such a rude and unprofessional controller such as this one. No matter how frustrated I got I would never disrespect a pilot like that, that controller needs to be fired.
I have stopped flying in/out of KSQL when I commute to the bay area. I've repeatedly heard the tower controller be unprofessional, unclear, unhelpful, and berate pilots for things that are NOT FAA standard operating procedure. I've also more than once been post-facto billed for tiedowns there that I'd previously paid for, at a great enough duration that it was cheaper to just double-pay than to pay my credit union the $20 fee to pull the archives and show that I'd previously paid the $15.
It makes me sad to specifically avoid a general aviation airport in an area I frequent over quibbles like these, but there it is.
SQL Tower said "gotta listen" where those question marks are at 0:41
Wow. Somebody needs to have a more substantial breakfast.
Haha - maybe he picked the wrong day to stop sniffing glue!
or a snickers bar!
I was a General Aviation pilot for over 25 years and 1000 hours. Life got in the way and I left it around 2000. I learned to fly out of what was one of the 10 busiest GA airports in the US at the time and operated regularly VFR and IFR out of a number of other busy GA and commercial fields. I never heard anything like this from any controller on any frequency I was ever on. Not once. What on earth has happened to Aviation???
These controllers are not FAA controllers. They are “contract” controllers.
When one of them causes a crash, then the FAA will investigate. 😳😳😳
Just sad.
A pilot for over 40 years, and a regular at SQL, just last year I had my closest midair due to an innatentive controller here. Reported it to norcal, but went nowhere.
I think San Carlos needs new tower goons very very very quickly
I know nothing about being a pilot or air traffic controlling, but I know how to talk to another human being. That’s not the way. Probably a very small man in that tower that feels big on the radio
props to the checkride applicant for honest and clear radio calls amidst checkride stress on top of this negative interaction.
Thank you DPE for your actions and words. Didn't know psychology of ATC's is part of ACS. Maybe it's not.
That controller had a correction in like 1/3 of his transmissions and another 1/3 were just him being an ass lol.
Good on the examiner for standing up for the pilot. I've never heard of a controller be so provocative, especially with airspace that clear. The controller was having a bad day and dumped all his garbage on one guy.
Controller was on an ego trip. I flew for 53 years, never had as rude a controller as this, ever. Should be fired.
Amazing to see so many knowledgeable people speak out about the dangerous unprofessional behavior of this contractor. Don't want to make this political, but you can find this in heavily republican jurisdictions, contracts go to the most unqualified people. As a contractor for 12 years with a republican county government, I left after the take it or leave it 4th contract was proposed. The unionized County employees were paid two to three times what they were offering us for the same work. I doubled my income by leaving.
This is the type of guy that, once fired, comes back to the jobsite one day with a gym bag and a semi-automatic.
Well what a surprise it would be if Mr hothead was met by similarly armed victims? Bet he'd not do that shit again
@@user-lp3cf5yn5bnot in Commiefornia
I thought this was the whole point of, I have a number for you to call - so this kind of discourse isn't consuming valuable comms. What if during all that nonsense someone had had a single moment to announce an emergency? This stuff has to stop. People who aren't prepared to fly should get out of the cockpit, and controllers who are overstressed need to get union representation that is meaningful! Good luck to EVERYONE in the skies today.
“I’m unfamiliar with Kaiser Hospital” needs to printed onto a T-shirt. Additionally, that statement needs to be put on a thousand postcards and mass-mailed to the SQL tower
Everyone should file a freedom of information act to the regional headquarters asking for the Controllers name and training records. How many incidents he has been involved in. How much remedial training they have had and past performance evaluations. Also ask for the results of all Tape talks they have had and any remedial trailing that resulted from those tape talks. Also ask for copies of all complaints filed in the last 3 years against the Controllers at San Carlos and Serco the company with the Airtraffic Contract. SQL is a Contract tower so this controller probably has a bad attitude because he couldn't be a real controller. If you google San Carlos you find all kinds of incidents. Email Serco with your complaints and CC the FAA.
Pilots and atc are supposed to have a harmonious relationship fostering teamwork and great communication. The pilot read back he was extending downwind as instructed but omitted the command extending to kaiser hospital. This could be multitude of factors which in this case was the controller being stepped on by other radio callers so the pilot missed that call. Its the controllers job at this point for the incomplete read back and to clarify this to the pilot.
It exists. Literally ANY airfield in that area has a better pilot/controller dynamic. Even SFO will keep it cool, even if a student pilot messes up their stride during the moon rush. This guy is pretty unique.
prity unique and not int the good wayy
@@alexisesguerra2544
It's one thing to piss someone off enough that they tell you they're going to call the FAA. It's an entirely different matter to piss off someone who works for the FAA. Never piss off the people who know your boss's, boss's boss.
A Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) is not an FAA employee. They are Flight Instructors who are authorized by the FAA to give pilot examinations and issue temporary airman certificates.
I'm a retired 25 year ATC from ORD. Ths is just another weak, untalented, entitled, rude controller. He needs to be disciplined or removed.
As a tower controller at a southern california airport, this is embarrassing. Im sorry anyone has to deal with this kind of unprofessionalism. These guys need to get their act together and work safely and professionally. I feel bad that anyone gets this impression of controllers.
Guy "flying the tower" has an attitude where he shouldn't be allowed to "fly a tricycle"
You know he's a road rager when he drives.
at least he's very adept at flying into rage 🤪
I'll bet $1,000 he drives a Volkswagen or a Jeep. You can take the field.
Even before I read any comments...I said to myself that the tower controller's temper was too hot. The aviation community is usually polite, often humorous unless someone creates danger. None was really caused here. Chill out..tower...
The aviation industry has got to put a stop to ATCs going into "SCOLD MODE". This is distracting, it wastes time and is dangerous. Moralizing and "getting your DIVA on" while people's lives are in danger is, yes, grounds for employment review. But this is not about individuals. It is about ATCs somehow having the wrong concept of why they are there and who is in charge. Pilots, their passengers and people on the ground are in danger. The ATC is not. Very wrong attitude on the part of the ATC! There should be NO attitude at all--ever! Sterile cockpit, STERILE TOWER. Get people to safety, discuss LATER! No exceptions!
California general aviation is a whole different beast! I've never heard of a flight school having it's own callsign.