Narrative:

I have been working as a pilot, flying a traffic reporter over the roads of louisville, ky, monday through friday for the past 7 months. The aircraft owner has an LOA with ATC allowing us to use an assigned squawk code and call sign. I have had an excellent working relationship with the controllers in the louisville tower, except for one who seems to be very difficult to work with. On oct/tue/04 this controller was working, and I recognized him by his usual denials to my requests, even though the traffic situation did not seem to warrant his denials. This controller has a tendency to always state 'remain 1 mi east' or '1 mi west of the departure and arrival corridors.' on oct/tue/04, I asked him to clarify if he meant 1 mi from the centerline or the corridor, and he said 'centerline.' to ensure that I follow his instructions, I will on occasion ask him to verify that I am far enough east or west for his taste as I parallel the runways. At one point, I was flying north 1 mi west of the runway 35L departure course. I requested to cross over the departure corridor to the east to cover a traffic issue. There appeared to be no departing traffic at the time, but he still very abruptly denied my request. I always respect a controller's instructions, so I, therefore, continued northbound until I was below the shelf of class C airspace. I then informed the controller that I was turning east to transition north of the river. He stated 'approved' (something I actually did not need approval for). When reaching 1 mi east of the departure corridor for runway 35R, I transmitted that I was turning south and would stay east. I received no acknowledgement to my transmission, but the controller was talking to other traffic at that time. As I proceeded sbound, the controller then very abruptly asked me to state my direction of flight. I replied that I had just transmitted that I was turning sbound but would stay east of the departure course. He told me to turn to heading 090 degrees and immediately exit class C airspace, which I promptly did. I requested a frequency change, communicated with bowman (lou) tower and flew along hwys east of the class C airspace, but remained under the class C shelf. I then turned back west along highway 71 and lou tower told me to contact sdf tower. The same controller then told me to remain outside class C airspace, which I did. I asked if there was a problem, and all he did was repeat this demand. I complied with his instructions, but this now prevented me from doing my job. This specific controller has in the past had a habit of denying me crossing requests, except for allowing me to cross directly over the numbers even though the traffic load was no higher than at other occasions with other controllers. Other controllers would easily accommodate me, but maybe sometimes after a slight delay if the traffic situation warranted it. I fully respect any controller's right and authority/authorized to coordination my movements with other traffic, but the controller in question habitually denies my requests for no reason apparent to me. After I landed, I called the sdf tower and asked them to pull the tape, explained to them that I was just trying to do my job, and that I can't do my job if I am to remain clear of class C airspace. Apparently when I stated that I was turning south and would stay east, my transmission was not on the tape according to the supervisor. The supervisor informed me that he would not violate me and I'm still trying to figure out if he actually could, since I had had a valid transponder code and had been maintaining 2-WAY communication with sdf for the time/event in question. Even though the controller did not reply to my transmission, I did not repeat it, since the controller had me on radar and I was already taking precautions to stay out of everyone's way. If the controller had let me cross when I had requested to cross east, I would not have had to parallel the highway again to try to get a look at the highway from the east side. Since the controller did not allow me to cross, I needed to go south and look at the traffic from the east. I make a habit of transmitting my intentions comprehensively, courteously and briefly, and I asked the supervisor if any of the controllers had complained about me since they all probably are used to my xmissions. He said that he had no complaints about me and that he was not aware of any prior problem. I told the supervisor that if there was anything I should do differently, to please let me know, and maybe he could try to figure out why there is inconsistency in how I am treated by this one specific controller compared to all the others. Furthermore, in the future, I will ensure that every single transmission I make to a controller is replied to, regardless of which airspace I am maneuvering in.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C172 TFC WATCH PLT EXPRESSED FRUSTRATION WITH SDF ATC HANDLING DURING AIRSPACE TRANSITION OPS.

Narrative: I HAVE BEEN WORKING AS A PLT, FLYING A TFC RPTR OVER THE ROADS OF LOUISVILLE, KY, MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY FOR THE PAST 7 MONTHS. THE ACFT OWNER HAS AN LOA WITH ATC ALLOWING US TO USE AN ASSIGNED SQUAWK CODE AND CALL SIGN. I HAVE HAD AN EXCELLENT WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CTLRS IN THE LOUISVILLE TWR, EXCEPT FOR ONE WHO SEEMS TO BE VERY DIFFICULT TO WORK WITH. ON OCT/TUE/04 THIS CTLR WAS WORKING, AND I RECOGNIZED HIM BY HIS USUAL DENIALS TO MY REQUESTS, EVEN THOUGH THE TFC SIT DID NOT SEEM TO WARRANT HIS DENIALS. THIS CTLR HAS A TENDENCY TO ALWAYS STATE 'REMAIN 1 MI E' OR '1 MI W OF THE DEP AND ARR CORRIDORS.' ON OCT/TUE/04, I ASKED HIM TO CLARIFY IF HE MEANT 1 MI FROM THE CTRLINE OR THE CORRIDOR, AND HE SAID 'CTRLINE.' TO ENSURE THAT I FOLLOW HIS INSTRUCTIONS, I WILL ON OCCASION ASK HIM TO VERIFY THAT I AM FAR ENOUGH E OR W FOR HIS TASTE AS I PARALLEL THE RWYS. AT ONE POINT, I WAS FLYING N 1 MI W OF THE RWY 35L DEP COURSE. I REQUESTED TO CROSS OVER THE DEP CORRIDOR TO THE E TO COVER A TFC ISSUE. THERE APPEARED TO BE NO DEPARTING TFC AT THE TIME, BUT HE STILL VERY ABRUPTLY DENIED MY REQUEST. I ALWAYS RESPECT A CTLR'S INSTRUCTIONS, SO I, THEREFORE, CONTINUED NBOUND UNTIL I WAS BELOW THE SHELF OF CLASS C AIRSPACE. I THEN INFORMED THE CTLR THAT I WAS TURNING E TO TRANSITION N OF THE RIVER. HE STATED 'APPROVED' (SOMETHING I ACTUALLY DID NOT NEED APPROVAL FOR). WHEN REACHING 1 MI E OF THE DEP CORRIDOR FOR RWY 35R, I XMITTED THAT I WAS TURNING S AND WOULD STAY E. I RECEIVED NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO MY XMISSION, BUT THE CTLR WAS TALKING TO OTHER TFC AT THAT TIME. AS I PROCEEDED SBOUND, THE CTLR THEN VERY ABRUPTLY ASKED ME TO STATE MY DIRECTION OF FLT. I REPLIED THAT I HAD JUST XMITTED THAT I WAS TURNING SBOUND BUT WOULD STAY E OF THE DEP COURSE. HE TOLD ME TO TURN TO HDG 090 DEGS AND IMMEDIATELY EXIT CLASS C AIRSPACE, WHICH I PROMPTLY DID. I REQUESTED A FREQ CHANGE, COMMUNICATED WITH BOWMAN (LOU) TWR AND FLEW ALONG HWYS E OF THE CLASS C AIRSPACE, BUT REMAINED UNDER THE CLASS C SHELF. I THEN TURNED BACK W ALONG HWY 71 AND LOU TWR TOLD ME TO CONTACT SDF TWR. THE SAME CTLR THEN TOLD ME TO REMAIN OUTSIDE CLASS C AIRSPACE, WHICH I DID. I ASKED IF THERE WAS A PROB, AND ALL HE DID WAS REPEAT THIS DEMAND. I COMPLIED WITH HIS INSTRUCTIONS, BUT THIS NOW PREVENTED ME FROM DOING MY JOB. THIS SPECIFIC CTLR HAS IN THE PAST HAD A HABIT OF DENYING ME XING REQUESTS, EXCEPT FOR ALLOWING ME TO CROSS DIRECTLY OVER THE NUMBERS EVEN THOUGH THE TFC LOAD WAS NO HIGHER THAN AT OTHER OCCASIONS WITH OTHER CTLRS. OTHER CTLRS WOULD EASILY ACCOMMODATE ME, BUT MAYBE SOMETIMES AFTER A SLIGHT DELAY IF THE TFC SIT WARRANTED IT. I FULLY RESPECT ANY CTLR'S RIGHT AND AUTH TO COORD MY MOVEMENTS WITH OTHER TFC, BUT THE CTLR IN QUESTION HABITUALLY DENIES MY REQUESTS FOR NO REASON APPARENT TO ME. AFTER I LANDED, I CALLED THE SDF TWR AND ASKED THEM TO PULL THE TAPE, EXPLAINED TO THEM THAT I WAS JUST TRYING TO DO MY JOB, AND THAT I CAN'T DO MY JOB IF I AM TO REMAIN CLR OF CLASS C AIRSPACE. APPARENTLY WHEN I STATED THAT I WAS TURNING S AND WOULD STAY E, MY XMISSION WAS NOT ON THE TAPE ACCORDING TO THE SUPVR. THE SUPVR INFORMED ME THAT HE WOULD NOT VIOLATE ME AND I'M STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF HE ACTUALLY COULD, SINCE I HAD HAD A VALID XPONDER CODE AND HAD BEEN MAINTAINING 2-WAY COM WITH SDF FOR THE TIME/EVENT IN QUESTION. EVEN THOUGH THE CTLR DID NOT REPLY TO MY XMISSION, I DID NOT REPEAT IT, SINCE THE CTLR HAD ME ON RADAR AND I WAS ALREADY TAKING PRECAUTIONS TO STAY OUT OF EVERYONE'S WAY. IF THE CTLR HAD LET ME CROSS WHEN I HAD REQUESTED TO CROSS E, I WOULD NOT HAVE HAD TO PARALLEL THE HWY AGAIN TO TRY TO GET A LOOK AT THE HWY FROM THE E SIDE. SINCE THE CTLR DID NOT ALLOW ME TO CROSS, I NEEDED TO GO S AND LOOK AT THE TFC FROM THE E. I MAKE A HABIT OF XMITTING MY INTENTIONS COMPREHENSIVELY, COURTEOUSLY AND BRIEFLY, AND I ASKED THE SUPVR IF ANY OF THE CTLRS HAD COMPLAINED ABOUT ME SINCE THEY ALL PROBABLY ARE USED TO MY XMISSIONS. HE SAID THAT HE HAD NO COMPLAINTS ABOUT ME AND THAT HE WAS NOT AWARE OF ANY PRIOR PROB. I TOLD THE SUPVR THAT IF THERE WAS ANYTHING I SHOULD DO DIFFERENTLY, TO PLEASE LET ME KNOW, AND MAYBE HE COULD TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHY THERE IS INCONSISTENCY IN HOW I AM TREATED BY THIS ONE SPECIFIC CTLR COMPARED TO ALL THE OTHERS. FURTHERMORE, IN THE FUTURE, I WILL ENSURE THAT EVERY SINGLE XMISSION I MAKE TO A CTLR IS REPLIED TO, REGARDLESS OF WHICH AIRSPACE I AM MANEUVERING IN.

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.