Narrative:

On a flight departing clt to mob we had some reported level 1 thunderstorms to the west of the airport. West departures had just been opened up again. We took off on runway 18R and assigned a 190 degree heading and to contact departure. When we flipped over to departure; I immediately recognized this controller's voice. This controller will not accept any readback of an instruction without the pilot including his full call sign; eg; company abc; which would be correct. However; some pilots omit the company part reading back only the instruction plus abc. This controller will then say that's for company abc. Most of the time when I hear this controller correcting pilots; the pilot is confused and thinks he was blocked or stepped on; which the pilot will then read back the full instruction but still omit the full call sign -- not realizing that the controller is trying to make a point. This is what happened to my captain on this flight. My captain read back the instruction 3 times; each time the controller would say that's for company such and such. Finally my captain who was totally confused said 'you try it.' I read back the instruction plus the full call sign and added for the third time. The problem today was we were trying to navigation through thunderstorms with the radar. Our vector that departure had given us looked to be a bad one. I'm hand flying and wanting to discuss with my captain the best way to navigation and this controller's busy trying to teach my captain a lesson on radio usage; as well as 2 other air carrier flts at the same time period. He then hands us over to atlanta. Atlanta tells us we need to go back to clt who wants to tell us something. The clt controller then informs us that our radio is weak; but he really is just continuing his scolding of my captain's 'admittedly lazy radio technique.' all the while we're going through turbulence which our operations specialists want us to hand fly and I'm doing so. We then enter a small pocket of severe turbulence. All the while my captain was being totally consumed with the controller's undue corrections which led to us not being able to request a better course. This I believe to have been the result of the controller not making it known that he would not accept a partial call sign readback. This incident happened in maybe the span of 1 min. The radar did not look like it would have been severe as it was a very thin line. I have flown through similar looking echoes in the past; but go around when at all able. This requires a captain's consent to make course changes. The course I would have chosen was almost 90 degrees to the left for maybe 15 mi. I was not able to discuss this in that critical period of time due to the controller. I put equal blame on my captain and the departure controller. My captain who regularly omits his full call sign and talks very fast and quietly. And a controller who has a real hang-up with call signs and has decided he will correct the world. It is days like this day that being a first officer is quite frustrating. In hindsight; I could have first requested to get a vector from atl. Again I'm not the captain. I have never had a controller request another controller to send us back. Thank goodness no one was injured and the flight continued as normal.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: E145 FLT CREW ARE REPEATEDLY CHALLENGED BY CLT CTLR WITH REGARD TO INCORRECT PHRASEOLOGY RESPONSES; RESULTING IN SOME WX ENCOUNTERS.

Narrative: ON A FLT DEPARTING CLT TO MOB WE HAD SOME RPTED LEVEL 1 TSTMS TO THE W OF THE ARPT. W DEPS HAD JUST BEEN OPENED UP AGAIN. WE TOOK OFF ON RWY 18R AND ASSIGNED A 190 DEG HDG AND TO CONTACT DEP. WHEN WE FLIPPED OVER TO DEP; I IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZED THIS CTLR'S VOICE. THIS CTLR WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY READBACK OF AN INSTRUCTION WITHOUT THE PLT INCLUDING HIS FULL CALL SIGN; EG; COMPANY ABC; WHICH WOULD BE CORRECT. HOWEVER; SOME PLTS OMIT THE COMPANY PART READING BACK ONLY THE INSTRUCTION PLUS ABC. THIS CTLR WILL THEN SAY THAT'S FOR COMPANY ABC. MOST OF THE TIME WHEN I HEAR THIS CTLR CORRECTING PLTS; THE PLT IS CONFUSED AND THINKS HE WAS BLOCKED OR STEPPED ON; WHICH THE PLT WILL THEN READ BACK THE FULL INSTRUCTION BUT STILL OMIT THE FULL CALL SIGN -- NOT REALIZING THAT THE CTLR IS TRYING TO MAKE A POINT. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED TO MY CAPT ON THIS FLT. MY CAPT READ BACK THE INSTRUCTION 3 TIMES; EACH TIME THE CTLR WOULD SAY THAT'S FOR COMPANY SUCH AND SUCH. FINALLY MY CAPT WHO WAS TOTALLY CONFUSED SAID 'YOU TRY IT.' I READ BACK THE INSTRUCTION PLUS THE FULL CALL SIGN AND ADDED FOR THE THIRD TIME. THE PROB TODAY WAS WE WERE TRYING TO NAV THROUGH TSTMS WITH THE RADAR. OUR VECTOR THAT DEP HAD GIVEN US LOOKED TO BE A BAD ONE. I'M HAND FLYING AND WANTING TO DISCUSS WITH MY CAPT THE BEST WAY TO NAV AND THIS CTLR'S BUSY TRYING TO TEACH MY CAPT A LESSON ON RADIO USAGE; AS WELL AS 2 OTHER ACR FLTS AT THE SAME TIME PERIOD. HE THEN HANDS US OVER TO ATLANTA. ATLANTA TELLS US WE NEED TO GO BACK TO CLT WHO WANTS TO TELL US SOMETHING. THE CLT CTLR THEN INFORMS US THAT OUR RADIO IS WEAK; BUT HE REALLY IS JUST CONTINUING HIS SCOLDING OF MY CAPT'S 'ADMITTEDLY LAZY RADIO TECHNIQUE.' ALL THE WHILE WE'RE GOING THROUGH TURB WHICH OUR OPS SPECIALISTS WANT US TO HAND FLY AND I'M DOING SO. WE THEN ENTER A SMALL POCKET OF SEVERE TURB. ALL THE WHILE MY CAPT WAS BEING TOTALLY CONSUMED WITH THE CTLR'S UNDUE CORRECTIONS WHICH LED TO US NOT BEING ABLE TO REQUEST A BETTER COURSE. THIS I BELIEVE TO HAVE BEEN THE RESULT OF THE CTLR NOT MAKING IT KNOWN THAT HE WOULD NOT ACCEPT A PARTIAL CALL SIGN READBACK. THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED IN MAYBE THE SPAN OF 1 MIN. THE RADAR DID NOT LOOK LIKE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SEVERE AS IT WAS A VERY THIN LINE. I HAVE FLOWN THROUGH SIMILAR LOOKING ECHOES IN THE PAST; BUT GO AROUND WHEN AT ALL ABLE. THIS REQUIRES A CAPT'S CONSENT TO MAKE COURSE CHANGES. THE COURSE I WOULD HAVE CHOSEN WAS ALMOST 90 DEGS TO THE L FOR MAYBE 15 MI. I WAS NOT ABLE TO DISCUSS THIS IN THAT CRITICAL PERIOD OF TIME DUE TO THE CTLR. I PUT EQUAL BLAME ON MY CAPT AND THE DEP CTLR. MY CAPT WHO REGULARLY OMITS HIS FULL CALL SIGN AND TALKS VERY FAST AND QUIETLY. AND A CTLR WHO HAS A REAL HANG-UP WITH CALL SIGNS AND HAS DECIDED HE WILL CORRECT THE WORLD. IT IS DAYS LIKE THIS DAY THAT BEING A FO IS QUITE FRUSTRATING. IN HINDSIGHT; I COULD HAVE FIRST REQUESTED TO GET A VECTOR FROM ATL. AGAIN I'M NOT THE CAPT. I HAVE NEVER HAD A CTLR REQUEST ANOTHER CTLR TO SEND US BACK. THANK GOODNESS NO ONE WAS INJURED AND THE FLT CONTINUED AS NORMAL.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.