Narrative:

At albany airport, GA, cpr X received our IFR clearance to philadelphia, PA. At the end of the runway the tower informed us that we would have a several hour delay for departure but had no specific time for departure. The tower controller suggested that we refile to some place close to phl and see what the traffic situation was when we arrived in the area. With his assistance we refiled to 40N, coatesville, PA, our home base and received the IFR clearance and departed. Arriving in the philadelphia area we asked approach control if we could land at phl and we were told he would check on what our delay would be and handed us off to the next controller. The second controller told us they would take us to phl right now and gave us a heading and handed us off to the next controller. We were #5 for the airport at this time and we were told to call flow control supervisor at the washington, dc, flow control center. We called the flow control center on the aircraft phone and were chewed out for what he called circumventing the system. It appears to me as a result of this flight that the local controllers don't like flow control and are not working near capacity and that the flow control system is not updated on a regular basis as the day progresses. I say this because the phl controller did not seem busy. Controling traffic from washington, dc, is like running the vietnam war from washington, dc. To my knowledge nothing on flow control appears in the FARS. I have reviewed part 1 definitions and abbreviations, part 71 designation of federal airways, area low rtes, controled airspace, and reporting points, part 73 special use airspace, part 91 general operating and flight rules, or part 97. The only reference I have found to flow control is in the airman's information manual part 1 pilot/controller glossary. The aim refers to gate hold procedures in paragraph 4-65 but not flow control. Supplemental information from acn 236368: there are safety implications to this sort of thing. We were seriously distracted in a high traffic area at a critical time of flight. We elected to phone while still airborne in order to avoid being victimized by the FAA's enforcement mafia, but even without our phone call the threat implicit in the FAA's call was a needless distraction. If the FAA's flow control bureaucracy wants to establish a policy that local controllers cannot use their initiative to accommodate requests from inbound aircraft, fine -- establish the policy. But in the absence of such a policy, the desk jockeys in washington should mind their own business and stay out of the hair of controllers and pilots who are trying to get their jobs done. Had we been told by the phl controller that we could not land at phl because we didn't have a flow control slot, we would have said, 'thank you, we'll proceed to coatesville.' as it happened, the controller was able to accommodate us and did so. That's not 'circumventing the system.' it's making optimum use of the system, and that's what we all get paid for.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CPR X CIRCUMVENTED ATC FLOW CTL RESTRICTION TO PHL.

Narrative: AT ALBANY ARPT, GA, CPR X RECEIVED OUR IFR CLRNC TO PHILADELPHIA, PA. AT THE END OF THE RWY THE TWR INFORMED US THAT WE WOULD HAVE A SEVERAL HR DELAY FOR DEP BUT HAD NO SPECIFIC TIME FOR DEP. THE TWR CTLR SUGGESTED THAT WE REFILE TO SOME PLACE CLOSE TO PHL AND SEE WHAT THE TFC SIT WAS WHEN WE ARRIVED IN THE AREA. WITH HIS ASSISTANCE WE REFILED TO 40N, COATESVILLE, PA, OUR HOME BASE AND RECEIVED THE IFR CLRNC AND DEPARTED. ARRIVING IN THE PHILADELPHIA AREA WE ASKED APCH CTL IF WE COULD LAND AT PHL AND WE WERE TOLD HE WOULD CHK ON WHAT OUR DELAY WOULD BE AND HANDED US OFF TO THE NEXT CTLR. THE SECOND CTLR TOLD US THEY WOULD TAKE US TO PHL RIGHT NOW AND GAVE US A HDG AND HANDED US OFF TO THE NEXT CTLR. WE WERE #5 FOR THE ARPT AT THIS TIME AND WE WERE TOLD TO CALL FLOW CTL SUPVR AT THE WASHINGTON, DC, FLOW CTL CTR. WE CALLED THE FLOW CTL CTR ON THE ACFT PHONE AND WERE CHEWED OUT FOR WHAT HE CALLED CIRCUMVENTING THE SYS. IT APPEARS TO ME AS A RESULT OF THIS FLT THAT THE LCL CTLRS DON'T LIKE FLOW CTL AND ARE NOT WORKING NEAR CAPACITY AND THAT THE FLOW CTL SYS IS NOT UPDATED ON A REGULAR BASIS AS THE DAY PROGRESSES. I SAY THIS BECAUSE THE PHL CTLR DID NOT SEEM BUSY. CTLING TFC FROM WASHINGTON, DC, IS LIKE RUNNING THE VIETNAM WAR FROM WASHINGTON, DC. TO MY KNOWLEDGE NOTHING ON FLOW CTL APPEARS IN THE FARS. I HAVE REVIEWED PART 1 DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS, PART 71 DESIGNATION OF FEDERAL AIRWAYS, AREA LOW RTES, CTLED AIRSPACE, AND RPTING POINTS, PART 73 SPECIAL USE AIRSPACE, PART 91 GENERAL OPERATING AND FLT RULES, OR PART 97. THE ONLY REF I HAVE FOUND TO FLOW CTL IS IN THE AIRMAN'S INFO MANUAL PART 1 PLT/CTLR GLOSSARY. THE AIM REFERS TO GATE HOLD PROCS IN PARAGRAPH 4-65 BUT NOT FLOW CTL. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 236368: THERE ARE SAFETY IMPLICATIONS TO THIS SORT OF THING. WE WERE SERIOUSLY DISTRACTED IN A HIGH TFC AREA AT A CRITICAL TIME OF FLT. WE ELECTED TO PHONE WHILE STILL AIRBORNE IN ORDER TO AVOID BEING VICTIMIZED BY THE FAA'S ENFORCEMENT MAFIA, BUT EVEN WITHOUT OUR PHONE CALL THE THREAT IMPLICIT IN THE FAA'S CALL WAS A NEEDLESS DISTR. IF THE FAA'S FLOW CTL BUREAUCRACY WANTS TO ESTABLISH A POLICY THAT LCL CTLRS CANNOT USE THEIR INITIATIVE TO ACCOMMODATE REQUESTS FROM INBOUND ACFT, FINE -- ESTABLISH THE POLICY. BUT IN THE ABSENCE OF SUCH A POLICY, THE DESK JOCKEYS IN WASHINGTON SHOULD MIND THEIR OWN BUSINESS AND STAY OUT OF THE HAIR OF CTLRS AND PLTS WHO ARE TRYING TO GET THEIR JOBS DONE. HAD WE BEEN TOLD BY THE PHL CTLR THAT WE COULD NOT LAND AT PHL BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE A FLOW CTL SLOT, WE WOULD HAVE SAID, 'THANK YOU, WE'LL PROCEED TO COATESVILLE.' AS IT HAPPENED, THE CTLR WAS ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE US AND DID SO. THAT'S NOT 'CIRCUMVENTING THE SYS.' IT'S MAKING OPTIMUM USE OF THE SYS, AND THAT'S WHAT WE ALL GET PAID FOR.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.