AN ATR42 ENCOUNTERS WAKE TURB FROM A PRECEDING B737 FLYING INTO DFW. THE ATR42 CLBS TO GET OUT OF THE WAKE AND THE CTLR CHASTISES THE ATR42 FOR LEAVING ALT UNAUTH.

Narrative

LEVEL 5000 FT BEHIND AN ACR B737 APPROX 6 MI. WE GOT HIT BY WAKE TURB; ROLLED MORE THAN 30 DEGS R; THEN +/-30 DEGS BACK TO THE L. FO FLYING. I IMMEDIATELY ORDERED HIM TO INITIATE A CLB. I ALSO SIMULTANEOUSLY CALLED APCH AND TOLD THEM THAT WE WERE GETTING WAKE TURB AND INITIATING A CLB. SCARED THE HELL OUT OF THE PAX. WENT UP TO 5400 FT. CTLR COPPED IMMEDIATE ATTITUDE; 'WHY ARE YOU GETTING WAKE TURB; YOU'RE 6 MI BEHIND THE ACR;' HE ASKED. I SAID I DON'T KNOW; BUT WE'RE CLBING. AT 5400 FT WE WERE OUT OF IT. WE LEVELED THERE AND ASKED CTLR WHAT HE WANTED US TO DO. HE CONTINUED WITH SARCASTIC; CAUSTIC ATTITUDE AND ASKED US WHAT ALT WE WANTED. I SAID ANYTHING BUT 5000 FT BECAUSE WE GOT HAMMERED THERE. HE GAVE US SOME GRIEF ABOUT THE WAKE AGAIN ('WHY DID WE GET IT?' -- HE SEEMED MORE CONCERNED ABOUT WHY WE GOT IT INSTEAD OF WHAT WE DID TO GET OUT). HE DID NOT OFFER A TURN 20-30 DEGS L OR R OF COURSE; WHICH WOULD HAVE ELIMINATED PROB. HE DID TELL US TO COPY A PHONE NUMBER AND CALL APCH ON THE GND. WE EVENTUALLY WENT BACK TO 5000 FT; HAD UNEVENTFUL LNDG. CALLED ATC ON LAND LINE. SUPVR WAS INITIALLY FULL OF ATTITUDE ALSO. 'WE NEED TO HEAR THAT YOU'RE CLBING BEFORE YOU CLB;' HE SAID. I TOLD HIM THAT WE WERE BEING ROLLED 30 DEGS L AND R; AND THAT IT WAS MY RESPONSIBILITY AS ACFT COMMANDER TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THIS FLT BY GETTING US OUT OF THE WAKE RIGHT FREAKIN' NOW; AND AS MY FO INITIATED THE CLB; SIMULTANEOUSLY I KEYED UP AND ADVISED ATC AS TO WHAT WE WERE DOING. IF THAT ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH -- TOO BAD. DFW TRACON IS IN THE MIDDLE OF A JOB ACTION AND THEY'RE ALL DOING THIS 'WORK TO RULES' THING. AS A RESULT; TURBOPROPS ARE BEING KEPT DOWN MUCH FURTHER ON DEP AND ARE BEING DSNDED EARLIER ON ARR. THE ATTITUDE OF THE CTLRS HAS TAKEN A TURN FOR THE WORSE. EVIDENTLY THIS STEMS FROM A PAY DISPUTE. THIS 'WORK TO RULES' THING THAT THEY'RE DOING IS DETRIMENTAL TO THE SAFETY OF FLT. SOMEONE NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS JOB ACTION! CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR PARTICIPATED IN THE WAKE TURB STRUCTURED CALLBACK PROGRAM. THIS RPTR WAS IN AN ACFT THAT WAS ROLLING IN 30 DEGS BANK; L AND R FROM THE WAKE OF A B737- 200. BECAUSE APCH WAS INSISTING THAT THEY COULD NOT BE GETTING ANY WAKE; THE CTLR WAS TELLING THE RPTR THAT IT WAS UNNECESSARY TO CHANGE ALT. RPTR FELT HE WAS GETTING NO RESPECT FROM THE CTLR AND THERE WERE HVY EXCHANGES OF HARSH WORDS OVER WHAT SEEMED UNREASONABLE BY THE PLT AND CTLR. WHEN ON THE GND; THE PLT CALLED THE CTLR BY PHONE AND TEMPERS WERE STILL STRONG. CTLR SIMPLY DID NOT WANT THE RPTR TO CHANGE ALT WITHOUT PROPER CLRNC AND THE PLT KNOWS HE COULDN'T KEEP THE ACFT IN THAT AMOUNT OF TURB.