Narrative:

I was on the pensacola aviation ramp preparing to departure pns. I looked for the departure control frequency on a chart for pns I was using for a taxi diagram. It was not listed. I had been monitoring ground ctrl since start up after getting ATIS. I thought perhaps pns no longer had a clearance delivery frequency. I had a current airport/facilities directory in the back seat, but rather than make a long stretch to reach it, I thought I would call ground. What I got was a shouting obnoxious controller exploding with 'why don't you call clearance delivery!'. More than likely his manual tells him to respond in a more professional manner. Well I thanked him and got the squawk code and departure frequency and began taxing out. I was late for an appointment, so when I got onto the taxiway, I began taxing at what I considered to be the maximum safe speed. A 90 degree left turn to enter the taxiway was fast coming up and I had begun to slow down to make this turn when this irate ground controller shouts at me again. He demanded that I expedite my taxing. I was puzzled and wondered if maybe there was a hazard here that I didn't see. The controller should have given me a reason with his demand. I would have run off the taxiway during the turn coming up. This controller did not request, but demanded that I perform and unsafe act. I asked him why he wanted me to speed up. His shouted response was that he was holding a jet till I cleared the area. So that's it. He is demanding that I scurry out of the way of his jet. If I had followed his orders, there would surley have been an accident, mine. At this point, I told him that I was known as number 1 and the other aircraft was now number 2. That put him into another level of rage. He shouted in a belligerent tone 'hold it right there!'. I immediately stopped. He proceeds to punish me by instructing the other aircraft to come down and taxi across in front of me. He was now resorting to punishing a pilot and aircraft owner. He does his fellow controllers, aviation in general, and pensacola a disservice. It is true that jets burn more fuel than light aircraft, but we all choose to pay operating cost of the aircraft we choose to fly when we buy them. If a controller is going to give aircraft priority by fuel burn, then should also give priority to twin engine aircraft, turbo propeller aircraft and have the conventional single engine aircraft scurry out of the way of everyone. When I was in the number 1 position for takeoff, the controller gives me a phone number to call on arrival at my destination. The tower clears me into position. Then the tower operator is suddenly changed. He is pleasant and professional. Just before the changing of tower operators, a lear jet called ready to go. The replacing tower operator gave me an altitude restriction and heading to fly. As I was about to lift off, he requested a turn out as soon as possible, all in a courteous and professional manner. Needles to say I made the turn as soon as possible, about 200 ft AGL, to accommodate mr. Lear. The tower thanked me for the early turn out. Bottom line. This was one of the worst performances I have ever witnessed from a controller. Operators should not shout, be abusive, or punitive. Not only does this upset pilots, it also upsets passenger. Distraction is not conductive to safety of flight. We all know there are times we need to expedite, but no one should be asked to become a peon and scurry out of the way of anyone.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GND CTLR AT PNS BECOMES IRATE AND SHOUTS AT AN SMA FOR CALLING CLRNC DELIVERY ON THE WRONG FREQ AND AGAIN LATER FOR TAXIING TOO SLOW.

Narrative: I WAS ON THE PENSACOLA AVIATION RAMP PREPARING TO DEP PNS. I LOOKED FOR THE DEP CTL FREQ ON A CHART FOR PNS I WAS USING FOR A TAXI DIAGRAM. IT WAS NOT LISTED. I HAD BEEN MONITORING GND CTRL SINCE START UP AFTER GETTING ATIS. I THOUGHT PERHAPS PNS NO LONGER HAD A CLRNC DELIVERY FREQ. I HAD A CURRENT ARPT/FACILITIES DIRECTORY IN THE BACK SEAT, BUT RATHER THAN MAKE A LONG STRETCH TO REACH IT, I THOUGHT I WOULD CALL GND. WHAT I GOT WAS A SHOUTING OBNOXIOUS CTLR EXPLODING WITH 'WHY DON'T YOU CALL CLRNC DELIVERY!'. MORE THAN LIKELY HIS MANUAL TELLS HIM TO RESPOND IN A MORE PROFESSIONAL MANNER. WELL I THANKED HIM AND GOT THE SQUAWK CODE AND DEP FREQ AND BEGAN TAXING OUT. I WAS LATE FOR AN APPOINTMENT, SO WHEN I GOT ONTO THE TXWY, I BEGAN TAXING AT WHAT I CONSIDERED TO BE THE MAXIMUM SAFE SPEED. A 90 DEG L TURN TO ENTER THE TXWY WAS FAST COMING UP AND I HAD BEGUN TO SLOW DOWN TO MAKE THIS TURN WHEN THIS IRATE GND CTLR SHOUTS AT ME AGAIN. HE DEMANDED THAT I EXPEDITE MY TAXING. I WAS PUZZLED AND WONDERED IF MAYBE THERE WAS A HAZARD HERE THAT I DIDN'T SEE. THE CTLR SHOULD HAVE GIVEN ME A REASON WITH HIS DEMAND. I WOULD HAVE RUN OFF THE TXWY DURING THE TURN COMING UP. THIS CTLR DID NOT REQUEST, BUT DEMANDED THAT I PERFORM AND UNSAFE ACT. I ASKED HIM WHY HE WANTED ME TO SPEED UP. HIS SHOUTED RESPONSE WAS THAT HE WAS HOLDING A JET TILL I CLEARED THE AREA. SO THAT'S IT. HE IS DEMANDING THAT I SCURRY OUT OF THE WAY OF HIS JET. IF I HAD FOLLOWED HIS ORDERS, THERE WOULD SURLEY HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT, MINE. AT THIS POINT, I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS KNOWN AS NUMBER 1 AND THE OTHER ACFT WAS NOW NUMBER 2. THAT PUT HIM INTO ANOTHER LEVEL OF RAGE. HE SHOUTED IN A BELLIGERENT TONE 'HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!'. I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED. HE PROCEEDS TO PUNISH ME BY INSTRUCTING THE OTHER ACFT TO COME DOWN AND TAXI ACROSS IN FRONT OF ME. HE WAS NOW RESORTING TO PUNISHING A PLT AND ACFT OWNER. HE DOES HIS FELLOW CTLRS, AVIATION IN GENERAL, AND PENSACOLA A DISSERVICE. IT IS TRUE THAT JETS BURN MORE FUEL THAN LIGHT ACFT, BUT WE ALL CHOOSE TO PAY OPERATING COST OF THE ACFT WE CHOOSE TO FLY WHEN WE BUY THEM. IF A CTLR IS GOING TO GIVE ACFT PRIORITY BY FUEL BURN, THEN SHOULD ALSO GIVE PRIORITY TO TWIN ENGINE ACFT, TURBO PROP ACFT AND HAVE THE CONVENTIONAL SINGLE ENGINE ACFT SCURRY OUT OF THE WAY OF EVERYONE. WHEN I WAS IN THE NUMBER 1 POSITION FOR TKOF, THE CTLR GIVES ME A PHONE NUMBER TO CALL ON ARRIVAL AT MY DESTINATION. THE TWR CLEARS ME INTO POSITION. THEN THE TWR OPERATOR IS SUDDENLY CHANGED. HE IS PLEASANT AND PROFESSIONAL. JUST BEFORE THE CHANGING OF TWR OPERATORS, A LEAR JET CALLED READY TO GO. THE REPLACING TWR OPERATOR GAVE ME AN ALT RESTRICTION AND HDG TO FLY. AS I WAS ABOUT TO LIFT OFF, HE REQUESTED A TURN OUT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, ALL IN A COURTEOUS AND PROFESSIONAL MANNER. NEEDLES TO SAY I MADE THE TURN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, ABOUT 200 FT AGL, TO ACCOMMODATE MR. LEAR. THE TWR THANKED ME FOR THE EARLY TURN OUT. BOTTOM LINE. THIS WAS ONE OF THE WORST PERFORMANCES I HAVE EVER WITNESSED FROM A CTLR. OPERATORS SHOULD NOT SHOUT, BE ABUSIVE, OR PUNITIVE. NOT ONLY DOES THIS UPSET PLTS, IT ALSO UPSETS PAX. DISTRACTION IS NOT CONDUCTIVE TO SAFETY OF FLIGHT. WE ALL KNOW THERE ARE TIMES WE NEED TO EXPEDITE, BUT NO ONE SHOULD BE ASKED TO BECOME A PEON AND SCURRY OUT OF THE WAY OF ANYONE.

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.