TFC WATCH C172 HAS PROB WITH ATC PHRASEOLOGY.

Narrative

OUR FBO HAS A CONTRACT TO FLY 2 LCL RADIO PERSONALITIES ON A TFC WATCH PATROL OVER DOWNTOWN DAYTON; OH. THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE PATROL AREA LIES BELOW THE LATERAL BOUNDARIES OF DAY CLASS C AIRSPACE; AND THE INTXN OF INTERSTATES 70/75 IS WITHIN THE DAY CLASS C INNER CIRCLE. A PORTION OF THE PATROL AREA TO THE NE IS BELOW/WITHIN THE LATERAL BOUNDARIES OF FFO CLASS D AIRSPACE WHICH WAS RECENTLY DESIGNATED AS A TEMPORARY FLT RESTR AREA WITHIN 5 MI OF THE FFO VORTAC FROM THE SURFACE TO 10000 FT MSL. THE TFC WATCH PATROL FUNCTIONS UNDER THE UNSPOKEN; UNWRITTEN AGREEMENT WITH DAY APCH THAT EVEN THOUGH WE ARE MAINTAINING RADIO CONTACT AND SQUAWKING A DISCRETE CODE; OUR ACFT REMAIN CLR OF THE CLASS C UNLESS ATC IS NOTIFIED OF OUR NEED TO ENTER AND APPROVES THE REQUEST. THIS OFTEN OCCURS WHEN WE FLY AROUND THE I70/I75 INTXN. ON THIS MORNING; I REQUESTED TO COME N TO I70/I75 WHILE APPROX 7 MI S OF THE DAY NBOUND AT 2200 FT MSL. THE CTLR'S RESPONSE WAS 'ROGER.' NOW; 'ROGER' ONLY MEANS 'I HAVE RECEIVED YOUR LAST XMISSION.' IT IS NOT INTENDED AS AN ANSWER TO A YES/NO QUESTION. SO; I KEYED THE RADIO AND SAID; 'UNDERSTAND XYZ IS CLRED TO THE I70/I75 INTXN.' I PROCEEDED AND NOTHING MORE WAS SAID. SHORTLY THEREAFTER; WE TOLD DAY APCH THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO PROCEED EBOUND INTO FFO CLASS D. THE HDOF WAS MADE TO FFO TWR; AND MY INITIAL CALL-UP WAS APPROX 2 MI W OF THE FFO CLASS D BOUNDARY AT 2200 FT MSL EBOUND. OUR TFC WATCH ACFT HAS BEEN GRANTED PERMISSION INTO THE TEMPORARY FLT RESTR AREA ALONG A SPECIFIED; PRE-APPROVED RTE. WHEN FFO TWR RESPONDED; ALL I HEARD WAS '(GARBLED) TFR.' AS I HURRIEDLY ADJUSTED THE SQUELCH AND VOLUME; I SAID 'SAY AGAIN FOR XYZ.' AGAIN THERE WAS MUCH DISTORTION AND SOME TALK OF A 'TFR.' SUDDENLY IT DAWNED ON ME THAT A 'TFR' MUST BE CTLR'S SLANG FOR TEMPORARY FLT RESTR. BY THIS TIME; BEING ON THE VERY DOORSTEP OF FFO CLASS D; I SIMPLY ASKED; 'IS TRANSITION FOR XYZ APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED?' THE CTLR RESPONDED 'APPROVED.' FINALLY; SOME TIME LATER THAT MORNING I WAS FLYING WBOUND ALONG THE SOUTHERN BORDER OF FFO CLASS D AND TO THE S OF RTE 35 WHILE IN CONTACT WITH DAY APCH. MY POS SHOULD AT NO TIME HAVE TO BE CLOSER THAN 1 MI FROM PENETRATING FFO CLASS D; BUT DAY APCH SUDDENLY REQUESTED THAT I CONTACT FFO TWR. OK; I CALL FFO TWR AND THEY TELL ME THAT TRANSITION IS APPROVED. HOWEVER; I LET THEM KNOW THAT I DO NOT WISH TO TRANSITION AND THAT I WAS HANDED OFF FROM DAY APCH. THEN I ASKED FFO TWR HOW CLOSE I WAS TO FFO CLASS D BOUNDARY AND THEY SAID I WAS ABOUT A MI S. THAT CHKED ACCURATE WITH MY CHART-PILOTAGE. SO I REQUESTED A FREQ CHANGE BACK TO DAY APCH. THEN I ASKED DAY APCH WHY THE HDOF HAD OCCURRED. AND HE HAD APPARENTLY SEEN ME HEADING TOWARD FFO AND TRIED TO DO ME A FAVOR BY SWITCHING ME OVER. OK. IT WAS JUST A VERY STRANGE DAY ON THE RADIO; AND I NEVER FELT SURE THAT THE CTLRS KNEW EXACTLY WHAT I WAS DOING. THIS DESPITE MY RADIO CALLS USING STANDARD PHRASEOLOGY AND MY FLYING THE STANDARD RTE.