I just meant that it's my policy to call when asked, not that it's a frequent occurrence. At the moment I only recall a couple of occasions (over the past thirty years), but I'll be happy
1. One time I was on an IFR night flight to Camarillo, CA (CMA). I was coming in on V485, which due to terrain had me 5000 feet above the airport when I got it in sight. I was subsequently cleared for a visual approach. Since I couldn't see the surrounding terrain, I opted to spiral down overhead the airport and join the pattern for landing. This apparently took the approach controller by surprise, which resulted in a phone call, in which I explained my concern about the terrain, and that as a result, I felt that spiraling down was necessary for safety. I don't remember what he said next, but I think it was along the lines that he would have liked to be informed of what I was planning. (I wish it had occurred to me to ask him what flight path he was expecting to see!)
In thinking about it later, I realized that it would have been more efficient to file a route to an IAF, which would have provided me with guaranteed terrain clearance and probably wouldn't have taken any longer.
2. Another time I was flying to a CAF meeting at Oakland (OAK), and made a night VFR landing on RWY 28R with an inop landing light. The runway edge lights provided ample guidance for the landing. For taxiing without a light, I had been taught to rely on the taxiway lights. This time, that didn't work, because the exit taxiways were wide enough so that I confused the space between the taxiways with one of the taxiways, resulting in my getting stuck in the rough grass. An airport guy was summoned, who helped me push the plane back onto the runway. Since by that time, I knew where the actual exit was, I was able to taxi off without incident. In the process, I also noticed that it was possible to see the yellow lines leading to the taxiway, illuminated by my nav lights.
In the subsequent phone call, the tower guy urged me to wait for daylight to take off. I felt I could do it safely, being then aware of the problem and a workaround, and I pointed out that landing lights are not required in non-commercial operations. He pointed out that in light of what had happened, it would be better to wait. I said I would consider it, and the call ended. At some point during the evening, I came to the conclusion that I would rather not poke the bear, so I got a ride home from a fellow CAF member who is also based at Palo Alto. The next morning I used public transportation to get to OAK, which was actually kind of fun.
I think there was a third call, but I've forgotten what it was about.