When it's busy, as a controller I always want to know when I was blocked so I can immediately re-transmit instead of wasting time waiting for a readback that will never come. When it's busy we need the regular rhythm of instruction/readback/instruction/readback to keep things moving. When we give "instruction" and get a readback of "blocked" we go back to "instruction" and the flow keeps going. If we give "instruction" and hear silence, now the rhythm is messed up and we have to decide to go against the flow with another instruction (when we're expecting a readback), that is likely to get blocked again if the pilot was just delayed in their response.

I've never heard other controllers rant about "blocked" either, although I've only worked in Center where about 95% of the pilots we talk to are professionals who can tell when it's the controller being blocked and not two aircraft blocking each other (when "blocked" wouldn't be appropriate). Maybe it's different in the approach and tower environment though.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I figured you'd like to know when you were blocked, I can also understand that saying "blocked" ties up a busy frequency even more. I think the real frustration with the OP was, the obnoxious child stretching out the transmission...."blllooooooocccccckkkkkeeeddd". That would be annoying during a red eye. When a freq was saturated, it would be brutal.

 

Can't really blame the "Double Breasted Admirals", unless there is a satement regarding minimum time on the runway. At many airports overseas, preferred exits are stated on the 10-9 A charts such as Sydney, and Auckland, for example. LDRs are consulted in our QRHs, and ATC IS advised accordingly, i.e. the Director, Final controller, or Tower. Spacing for departures and arrivals are made accordingly. But that's overseas and not in the U.S.

 

When told by ATC to 'expedite across the 1s,' at an airport where anyone who's been there more than once can tell you that the customary procedure is to roll past the intersection before exiting the runway, I find it hard to believe that anyone would grind to a halt ON THE INTERSECTING RUNWAY. But the double-breasted admiral that night certainly did.

 

Yawn. Filler.

 

you seem upset over something extremely trivial.

 

If you aren't familiar and weren't told in advance to expect it, it's not instantly obviously where the 1's are...that intersection area is a mess. To expedite through you have to land and then roll without brakes or TR's, not something that's prudent if you don't know exactly what you're doing. I have trouble getting new FO's to do it even with a briefing, everybody wants get their stop on early.

Always better to stop too soon than too late...

 

Maybe it was his first time and they were unfamiliar. Plus it was at night, so...

 

Old story: Long ago, Frankfurt Tower snapped at a PanAm double-breasted admiral "Vat iss ze matter...you haf never been here before?"
He drawled "Oh yeah, back in '44. Didn't land though...".

 

That is an oldie but a goodie. The airline changes with every telling but it's still funny 😂