ACR MLG TRACK HDG DEV TO AVOID TSTM BUILDUP ON TRACK. CLAIMS THEY COULD NOT ADVISE ATC BECAUSE OF FREQ CONGESTION.

Narrative

I WAS CAPT OF FLT FROM NAS TO CLT. SHORTLY AFTER TKOF WE WERE CLRED 'ON COURSE' AND WE TURNED R AND INTERCEPTED BR65V. WHILE CLBING THE FO (WHO WAS FLYING) SAID HE'D LIKE TO DEV L OF COURSE FOR A CB CELL WE SAW MAYBE 10 MI AHEAD. CTLR WAS TALKING NONSTOP AND BEFORE I COULD REQUEST A L DEV; THE FO STARTED A L TURN; CTLR WAS STILL TALKING WHEN SUDDENLY SHE ASKS US IF WE ARE STILL ON COURSE. I SAID; NO; WE TURNED L FOR WX AND THAT WE TRIED TO GET A WORD IN EDGEWISE. SHE WAS UPSET; SAID ANOTHER ACFT WAS DSNDING AND WE WOULD BE CLBING THROUGH HIS ALT AND SHE ISSUED THESE CLRNCS BASED ON OUR BEING ON COURSE. SHE ALSO TOLD US TO LEVEL AT 7000 FT TO PREVENT A POSSIBLE PROBLEM (WE WERE GOING TO 12000 I BELIEVE) AND NOT TO DEV WITHOUT HER PERMISSION. I APOLOGIZED AND NOTHING FURTHER WAS SAID. WE ALL KNOW WE ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO DEV WITHOUT CTLR PERMISSION; BUT SHE TALKED FOR QUITE A LONG TIME (WITH A FEW REPLIES FROM ANOTHER ACFT) AND I DID NOT WANT TO FLY INTO THAT WX. I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE SQUAWKED 7700 BUT I KEPT EXPECTING TO BE ABLE TO ADVISE HER.