Narrative:

The tower controller at iah gave us a takeoff clearance that was unsafe then proceeded to act very unprofessionally toward us when I refused the clearance. He cleared us for takeoff before the wake turbulence from the proceeding aircraft had safely diminished. The aircraft before us was a B757 and the winds were calm. 1 min after the B757 started rolling we were cleared to take off. I told the tower controller I wanted the 2 min separation. He started to yell at me and told me he was using 4 mi radar separation (an incorrect distance behind a B757, 5 mi is correct). Choosing 2 min time interval separation rather than distance is the PIC's option and it cannot be overridden by the tower controller. There was no landing traffic on our runway, so no arrs were impacted by our sitting on the runway. The worst part of the incident came when the controller decided to 'stick it to us' one more time and told us to call the control tower when we landed. Unfortunately he did this while we were at 80 KTS rolling down the runway during our takeoff roll. This endangered our takeoff by distracting us during a critical phase of flight. For the tower controller to do this was totally unacceptable and dangerous. I don't care what capacity concerns the tower has, endangering people and aircraft by disregarding wake turbulence separation and acting unprofessionally can never be tolerated.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WAKE TURB SEPARATION DISAGREEMENT AT HOUSTON, TX.

Narrative: THE TWR CTLR AT IAH GAVE US A TKOF CLRNC THAT WAS UNSAFE THEN PROCEEDED TO ACT VERY UNPROFESSIONALLY TOWARD US WHEN I REFUSED THE CLRNC. HE CLRED US FOR TKOF BEFORE THE WAKE TURB FROM THE PROCEEDING ACFT HAD SAFELY DIMINISHED. THE ACFT BEFORE US WAS A B757 AND THE WINDS WERE CALM. 1 MIN AFTER THE B757 STARTED ROLLING WE WERE CLRED TO TAKE OFF. I TOLD THE TWR CTLR I WANTED THE 2 MIN SEPARATION. HE STARTED TO YELL AT ME AND TOLD ME HE WAS USING 4 MI RADAR SEPARATION (AN INCORRECT DISTANCE BEHIND A B757, 5 MI IS CORRECT). CHOOSING 2 MIN TIME INTERVAL SEPARATION RATHER THAN DISTANCE IS THE PIC'S OPTION AND IT CANNOT BE OVERRIDDEN BY THE TWR CTLR. THERE WAS NO LNDG TFC ON OUR RWY, SO NO ARRS WERE IMPACTED BY OUR SITTING ON THE RWY. THE WORST PART OF THE INCIDENT CAME WHEN THE CTLR DECIDED TO 'STICK IT TO US' ONE MORE TIME AND TOLD US TO CALL THE CTL TWR WHEN WE LANDED. UNFORTUNATELY HE DID THIS WHILE WE WERE AT 80 KTS ROLLING DOWN THE RWY DURING OUR TKOF ROLL. THIS ENDANGERED OUR TKOF BY DISTRACTING US DURING A CRITICAL PHASE OF FLT. FOR THE TWR CTLR TO DO THIS WAS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE AND DANGEROUS. I DON'T CARE WHAT CAPACITY CONCERNS THE TWR HAS, ENDANGERING PEOPLE AND ACFT BY DISREGARDING WAKE TURB SEPARATION AND ACTING UNPROFESSIONALLY CAN NEVER BE TOLERATED.

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.