Originally Posted by
ryane946
Our ATC system is the envy of the world. I don't know if I want to give you an answer though before October 2007. If the FAA changes to a user-fee system, our national airspace system will go to h*ll just like every other country on the planet. Right now it is great!
Excuse me??!!??
Have you ever flown in another country? I have and I can guarantee you that the US system is not the best there is.
How many times do you call Center and get no answer, no acknowledgement? Nothing. So you call again. But because you waited, now there are two people talking over each other. This kind of thing happens all the time. A simple "Stand-By AWI 3890" would be great. I would wait and nobody else would try to butt in. This lack of radio discipline was not evident in Europe.
There is a total lack of discipline on the part of pilots and controllers. I once met a controller from Washington Center and asked him what is really going on when they come back and say, "Say Again. I was on the land line." Were they really on the land line? His answer? "No, they were probably screwing around with the guy next to them." He said that about 75% of those callouts about being on the landline are bogus.
The best controllers I have ever worked with are in Chicago, especially the Approach, Departure, Center, Ground and Tower. About covers it, doesn't it? London is a close second. Paris was also good. CDG is a busy airport and they know how to 'git 'er done'. But Chicago is in a league of its own. Excellent. Efficient. Disciplined. Flexible.
The worst, by far, were at Dulles.
The US system is not the envy of the world. Trust me.
What IS good about the US ATC system is that they tend to be flexible when you are polite and work with them. But from a staffing point of view and technology point of view, the US ATC system is behind the times. The European controllers are very good and from what I have seen, have superior technology.
Just telling it like it is.