COTriple7

Had to laugh when I read the last part of your post. Still the same scenario at Vero Beach when I left there 8 months ago.

BomberGuy

Yep..... I remember THAT guy a few years ago. Couldn't even taxi right according to him.

I'll look for the hottie next time I'm out there, but I usually have to get a few sources to confirm the hottness of a tower chick, because EVERY one that has a sexy voice over the radio and conjures up visions of a playboy playmate ends up being 300+ lbs! The world can be so cruel....

Jetjock65

Yea Vero still is pretty messed up but alot better since they have alot less Arab contracts. Ft. Pierce (I was based there for 2yrs) was pretty bad as well when they had Pan Am (total nightmare), plus all the Vero guys coming down to shoot the ILS. Ft. Pierce used to have ground delays believe it or not because of so many IFR flight plans going no where. CRAZY area glad to be down in KPBI now where the students are pretty much kept out for the most part, or at least to a minimum during peak times.

TonyWilliams

I semi regularly fly into LGB, and never had even the tiniest issue.

I actually interviewed at LGB in the 1987-88 time frame. Only time I've actually been in that tower, but I do know several of the players there. Not sure who you guys think is a hottie, though.

Virtually all FAA ATC facilities are understaffed, some chronically. It's in the news almost daily. Out of a less then 14,000 total workforce, 1800 left last fiscal year. 200 of those just quit. 80 have already quit this fiscal year. In the Eastern Service Unit, of approximately 600 applicants offered jobs, about 400 turned it down. This year, 2000 are eligible to retire, and about 700 have already walked.

Working at an FAA facility is now much like working for Mesa Airlines. Many facilities have 10 hour work days, and 6 day work weeks. It will all get worse before it will get better.

pilot124

Amen brother.....Chicago is by far the best controllers in the industry, just don't **** them off. They will let you know over the radio you F'ed up and then have someone bust your kneecaps at the hotel.

3GreenKSNA

Flew in Last week IFR. Get handed off to twr by SOCAL, tune in and twr is in the middle of giving one of the TV helo's a long drawn out lecture on how he isn't exiting the delta correctly. Helo states he is doing exactly what he does every day as he was told. They go back and forth, TV guy just keeps saying he's just trying to help; meanwhile he is being given a new one by the controller. Finally TV helo asks for a phone number and states he will calling and turning in a formal complaint.

Inbound no problems. Outbound I get very vague taxi instructions, one of which would have led to a rwy incursion. Gnd stated to taxi onto the numbers of rwy 34R, which is now, displaced past 25L and 30 meaning I could cross 25L and 30. Not wanting to take any chances I was monitoring twr and thought that did not sound right being a whole slew of planes were in the pattern for 25L and I would cross right in front of them. I held short of 25L then queried ground getting chewed out for reading back a 2nd time the taxi instruction given to me. I was amazed by their mistake and then thrashing me like it was my fault.

Watch yourselves there, you lose your license, they score another sheet in the violations log.

Lalo37

I dont understand why people have a hard on for ORD controllers....
I was there for over a year and thought they were just as good/bad as any other controllers. There is nothing special about ORD. I will take SoCal controllers over ORD controllers anyday because they are just as busy, and way more relaxed.
Maybe it's the Southern California lifestyle