Friendly / non-ornery controllers

tawood

tawood

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Tim
Any of you have a sector, approach, or tower that has a particularly friendly controller that really makes you enjoy talking to them?

For me, it’s the tower at JXN. Super friendly guy on the weekends…so much so, that last time I was there (yesterday) my girlfriend @KayDeeW asked me, “Is there some kind of award we can put that guy in for?” He was telling us about his family (he has 9 kids! No wonder he’s so happy to be at work lol) and is always friendly and accommodating. Other controllers there are good too.
A close second in my area is MBS, although GRR and FNT are not bad either.
 
The guys and gal(s?) at the KSUS (Spirit of St Louis) tower are great!
 
KRBD tower is good, & all things considered, DFW and DAL are actually great.
 
I’ve always had great experiences with Florence approach and north Myrtle tower guys. Charlotte controllers are fantastic. The one dude in JQF tower is widely known and pretty funny.
 
I’m the HOA Board President at a Phoenix highrise (for now, anyway.). Aside from it meaning everyone hates me, at least everyone knows my name.

As a resident was moving out, I learned that he was a tower operator Goodyear. Now every time I fly, and he’s on duty, there’s a nice, “Hi, Rusty” along with my instructions.

fortunately, he doesn’t seem to hate me.
 
There's a guy at PIA that I always love to hear when he's on shift. He has lots of positivity in his voice.
 
Had a super friendly female Chicago Approach controller when I went into DPA IFR.

No, not her.
 
Years ago there was a controller at BTR that would give updated LSU scores over frequency.

"Cleared for the approach, LSU up 28 to 7". :D
 
There's a controller on 124.35 out here just east of MYF that's crazy friendly. Always a pleasure when she's working
 
Indy Center gets my vote for best ARTCC. Always courteous and professional.
 
Yea a Air Force controller who talked me down using a PAR after a low level invert at IMC in an AH-1 in Germany in the 80’s…She picked me up as soon as the transponder hit 7700…and gave me climb and vector instructions to keep me hitting any of the Taunas mountains…the voice of a goddess saying Army 69-007 turn left heading 180, climb and maintain 4000 on Guard…gave a Ramstein approach to switch to but maintain instructions on all three frequencies until establishing I was on frequency…the tale number 007 was known for the brash Cav pilots who flew it…twice shot down in SW Asia the Aircraft was referred to as Ball 7 and never anything else…
 
San Jose (KSJC) controllers are great folk. I will typically get a "Welcome back" or a "Have a great flight" from them. Palo Alto (KPAO) and Reid Hillview (KRHV) also have good people. And there's this one NorCal guy that is outstanding. Seems like he knows all of us regulars, and everyone seems to know his name as well. Great guy.


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As I said in the other thread...

I've had one controller that I talked to all the time and was always the nicest person in the world except for that one time she had a bad day.
 
There's a lady at Potomac approach who's always professional and cheerful and unrattled by anything. She's done a couple videos for AOPA and NATCA (https://asivideos.aopa.org/detail/videos/ask-atc/). Her name's Sarah Patten and she is a pilot

There's a guy with a young-sounding voice who is the same way.

Potomac in general is a good bunch, but it's particularly a delight to work with either of them.
 
Not sure if it's approach or center, but JAX has "Aloha guy". Don't know his name, but he always signs off with Aloha, vs Good Day. Never quite know if I should say Aloha back.
 
The vast majority of them. I think that's why the ornery ones stick out. And why people in "little" planes don't like dealing with Chicago.

Atlanta Center is great. If it's open over the top of Hartsfield (ATL) they will vector you north-south over the field. "Open" is a relative term. I've been there with a business jet overtaking me and another SR22 going in the opposite direction.

I fly IFR pretty much every flight and they all seem very helpful, from deviations for weather to providing vectors around the worst of the precipitation and the usual notifications of traffic.
 
I have nothing but nice things to say about Potomac. I have called QA once, and that was to thank them for great work. Some of the women controllers sound nice enough that I have been tempted to give them a number to call. I know, too controlling.... Seriously, very helpful and rarely cranky. I like to keep altitude going over densely populated areas, and that's where our Bravo is. Almost all of the time I get a clearance to stay high into the Bravo.
 
I’ve always had super nice controllers. One does automatically make my outstanding list by providing lil-ole-me a bravo clearance haha.

I think the one that surprised me the most about going out of their way to be helpful was Denver approach.
 
I forgot, when I flew out to tunica I was really impressed with memphis approach. real nice folks.
 
There's a dude who works the tower at Decatur (KDEC) who is awesome. You go over and do practice approaches and he thanks you for coming. He sounds like Bill Clinton. He's always there, too. I don't know if he's the only one there or what but I've never heard anyone else.

There's also a really friendly guy in Grissom approach (north of Indy) who cracks jokes on frequency and is fun to listen to/ interact with. Reminds me of Kennedy Steve... somebody who clearly enjoys the job.
 
Second for Denver approach. KAPA tower controllers are also fairly good considering how busy they always are. I had a tower controller at KMCI in Kansas City clear me to takeoff runway 19R and land runway 09 as soon as I rotated. That one felt like some video game stuff and it sounds like Bravo airports aren't as accommodating these days.
 
I've enjoyed one particular controller at KACY (Atlantic City, NJ) who is very nice on the radio. Also, several controllers at McGuire (WRI) Approach (NJ) are very nice as well. Also the team at Detroit (MI) Approach have been really great too.
 
Hang 4 said:
I know exactly who you mean in both cases..
Click to expand...
When I did my first set of solos around the pattern he was a calming voice, encouraging with a few words of “nicely done”, “easy isn’t it”. Things like that you remember.
 
PHX Approach has always been very accommodating, whether passing through the bravo transition or getting FF for a XC
 
I'm long ago retired, but used to have a ball giving GA types the red carpet treatment at ORD, especially if they came by during the midnight shift when I was bored anyway. I once had nine airplanes in the touch-and-go pattern for 22L at 3am!

Then, there was this fellow, who probably hasn't figured out what happened yet:

https://www.avweb.com/flight-safety/the-guys-back-in-columbus/
 
flibmeister said:
I'm long ago retired, but used to have a ball giving GA types the red carpet treatment at ORD, especially if they came by during the midnight shift when I was bored anyway. I once had nine airplanes in the touch-and-go pattern for 22L at 3am!

Then, there was this fellow, who probably hasn't figured out what happened yet:

https://www.avweb.com/flight-safety/the-guys-back-in-columbus/
Click to expand...
9 planes bouncing at 3AM? What’s the story behind that?
 
flibmeister said:
I'm long ago retired, but used to have a ball giving GA types the red carpet treatment at ORD, especially if they came by during the midnight shift when I was bored anyway. I once had nine airplanes in the touch-and-go pattern for 22L at 3am!

Then, there was this fellow, who probably hasn't figured out what happened yet:

https://www.avweb.com/flight-safety/the-guys-back-in-columbus/
Click to expand...
Cute story. By the way, was it you that I bought my GPSmap 296 from, years ago? I still use it occasionally.
 
luvflyin said:
9 planes bouncing at 3AM? What’s the story behind that?
Click to expand...
I commuted to work at ORD by flib for 18 years (most day and mid shifts, summer and winter, whenever weather permitted). The first ten years, I was based at Westosha Airport, a 2000 foot paved country airport up at the IL/WI border. Everybody that flew out of there knew me, and it wasn't unusual for folks to ask when my next midshift was, so they could fly in to ORD to log a touch-and-go. One day, it was two guys in two planes, and then word started getting around, and next thing I know, one night I have nine airplanes, from Cessna 150's to a Stinson to an Arrow, flying circuits on 22L. It was a lot of fun for all of us-- and no factor for other ORD traffic, since the flibs weren't anywhere near the noise abatement runway that jets were required to use between 10pm and 6am.
 
About 6 or 7 years ago, there was a lady at Addison in the DFW area that was unlike any you ever heard. She seemed to go out of her way to be happy, agreeable and bubbly.
 
WDD said:
KRYY (not the Mumbles guy, the other guy)
Click to expand...
Hahaha. I just flew down there a few weeks ago with the wife to have lunch. I believe I talked to both of these guys, and those are good descriptions.
 
There's a controller at SQL who's great! :) And another one who seems to hate his job. :(
 
GYR and CHD are excellent, always friendly and accommodating.
 
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