RPTR ALLEGED A MEM APCH CTLR REFUSED THE HDOF OF AN ENRTE DA50 AFTER INTERFAC COORD IN WHICH THE CTLR HAD GIVEN A 'POINTOUT APPROVED' AUTH FOR THE ACFT TO ENTER AND DSND IN THE CTLR'S AIRSPACE.

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IN THE FAA THERE SEEMS TO BE A MOVEMENT AMONG SOME CTLRS TO TRY TO AVOID WORKING ACFT THAT TRANSITION THROUGH THEIR AIRSPACE. THE FOLLOWING IS AN EXAMPLE OF THIS TREND. ON THE EVENING OF AUG/FRI/97; I WAS WORKING MAW-LO (R6) IN ZME. AT APPROX XX30Z I ACCEPTED THE HDOF ON A DA50 OUT OF PHK INBOUND TO JBR WHICH WAS DSNDING OUT OF THE HIGH ALT STRATUM FROM FL250 DSNDING TO FL240 AND 25 MI E OF MEM. I POINTED IT OUT TO AN ADJACENT LOW-ALT SECTOR AND ISSUED THE DSCNT CLRNC TO MAINTAIN 17000 FT. MEM APCH WORKS 16000 FT AND BELOW; THEREFORE; 17000 FT WAS THE LOWEST ALT AVAILABLE TO ME. I CALLED MEM APCH ON THE LAND LINE TO MANUALLY COORDINATE. WHILE I WAS ON THE LINE THE DA50 LEVELED AT 17000 FT 12 MI NE OF MEM AND 55 MI SE OF JBR REQUESTING DSCNT. THE CTLR AT MEM SAID MY XMISSION WAS NOT UNDERSTANDABLE AND ASKED IF I COULD CALL ON THE OTHER LINE. I CALLED BACK ON THE SECOND LINE. AFTER TELLING THE MEM CTLR THE INFO TWICE HE REPLIED; 'WELL; I DON'T NEED TO WORK HIM. POINTOUT APPROVED.' I REPLIED TO HIM THAT 'THIS IS NOT A POINTOUT IT IS A HDOF.' AGAIN; HE GAVE ME THE SAME REPLY. I STATED AGAIN THIS WASN'T A POINTOUT AND ASKED IF HE WAS REFUSING THE HDOF. HE REPLIED; 'AFFIRMATIVE.' I RELEASED THE LAND LINE AND RETURNED TO THE FREQS. THE DA50 WAS DESPERATE FOR LOWER ALT AND CANCELED HIS IFR CLRNC. DUE TO THE MEM APCH CTLRS REFUSAL; I WAS FORCED TO EITHER LEAVE THE DA50 AT 17000 FT UNTIL HE CLRED MEM APCH'S AIRSPACE 17 MI FROM JBR OR WORK THE ACFT THROUGH MEM APCH'S AIRSPACE A DISTANCE OF 45 MI AND UP TO 12000 FT BELOW MY LOWEST ALT IN THE MEM VICINITY. FOR THE R6 CTLR TO WORK AN ACFT THAT FAR OUTSIDE OF THEIR AREA OF SPECIALTY WOULD HAVE BEEN UNSAFE TO THE FLT DUE TO FREQ COVERAGE AND CTLR UNFAMILIARITY TO THE AREA. TO LEVEL THE ACFT AT 17000 FT UNTIL 17 MI FROM THE DEST FOR NO REASON IS INAPPROPRIATE. AS A RESULT THE ACFT WAS NOT PROVIDED THE IFR SVC TO THE JBR ARPT. WHY DO ACFT FILE IFR FLT PLANS? FOR SAFETY. THE DA50 WAS NOT PROVIDED SAFE OR EXPEDITIOUS SVC.