(I posted this in the Regional forum as well)

Wow, between this thread and the "crazy ATC instructions" thread, it's pretty east to tell how disconnected we are from each other, for a group of folks that work together every day.

I have read both threads with great interest. I am a pilot and a center controller.

A couple of things from my perspective (fwiw);

1) The controller work force is going through a changing of the guard so to speak. All the controllers that were hired after the strike in '81 are now eligible to retire. The FAA did a terrible job hiring to replace them in time. In a center you can expect anywhere from 3-5 years to get through the training pipeline. This is some of the reason you guys have been hearing one set of instructions, followed by another set of different instructions issued by a different voice. Not to be a pessimist but, you can expect this to continue for the next several years...it's gonna get worse before it gets better. Tony Williams mentioned it in the other thread, lots of new guys and lots of labor relations issues.

2) After 9/11 the FAA thought it would be a good idea to kill the fam program (where controllers used to be able to jump seat). Now, it's been gone for so long that newer controllers and pilots, in some cases, have never had any face to face interaction. How can you provide a service to people when, in some cases, have never set foot in the environment that they operate in. Was the fam system abused? maybe in some cases. Did it need to be overhauled? Probably. Was it a terrible idea to take it away completely? Absolutely.

3) As far as the "crazy instructions" are concerned; FAA order 7110.65 is pretty explicit as to what we can say/do and what we can't. With that being said, the order has a lot of things in it that I would never use, for a variety of reasons, with the number one reason being that some of the authorized instructions are just plain confusing to pilots, I know because I fly too. Their are really several types of controllers (just my opinion here); ones that will protect themselves at all costs, ones that try really hard to provide a service to you guys (w/ safety taking top priority), and ones that try hard to find that middle ground and do both. Just like flying an airplane, there are rules and procedures that are hard and fast, black and white, but, you bring your own style of flying to it as well. In much the same way, controllers follow the black and white, hard and fast rules from the 7110.65 but, they all manage their airspace, traffic conflictions, departures, and arrivals in a little different manner. Example, if two airplanes are converging at FL350 and the controller is not busy he/she may say "SKW92A your converging w/ another aircraft, I can climb or descend you or turn you 20 left, which would you prefer"? If he's really busy, and FL330 is clean, you'll probably here "SKW92A, for traffic descend and maintain FL330". It all depends on the controller and what is going on. Sometimes the controller will be working multiple frequencies and while it may not seem busy to you, the controller might be jumping through a ton of hoops.

Bottom line, its' your AND OUR responsibility to get passengers home safely. Like any working relationship, all kinds of factors (attitude, experience level, ego, etc.) make it tough at times. We need to keep in mind that we are all on the same team here.

Lastly, there is a post here on Communicating For Safety in Chicago. This is a symposium pot on by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. It starts on Monday, so if you're not already going, you probably missed it this year but, I think it would be great to get as many pilots/controllers together as possible, especially since we lost the fam program. Here's the link http://cfs.natca.net/