C172 FLC ASKED FOR DELAY FOR IFR TKOF DUE TO WAKE TURB OF DEPARTING B737. TWR CTLR REQUIRED TO COORD WITH TRACON FOR ANOTHER DEP RELEASE; CAUSING FURTHER DELAY. FLC DEPARTS VFR AND PICKS UP IFR WHEN AIRBORNE. PIC PERCEIVES POOR SVC BY ATC TWR CTLR.
Synopsis
C172 FLC ASKED FOR DELAY FOR IFR TKOF DUE TO WAKE TURB OF DEPARTING B737. TWR CTLR REQUIRED TO COORD WITH TRACON FOR ANOTHER DEP RELEASE; CAUSING FURTHER DELAY. FLC DEPARTS VFR AND PICKS UP IFR WHEN AIRBORNE. PIC PERCEIVES POOR SVC BY ATC TWR CTLR.
Narrative
I WAS FLYING AS SAFETY PLT. WE WERE AT RWY 33; HAD RECEIVED OUR IFR CLRNC; AND WERE TOLD TO HOLD SHORT FOR A BOEING JET. THE BOEING JET WAS CLRED FOR TKOF. AS THE B737 STARTED ITS TKOF ROLL I STARTED MY STOPWATCH. AFTER ABOUT 1 MIN 30 SECONDS WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF. I ASKED THE PIC TO ASK FOR AN ADDITIONAL 2 MINS FOR WAKE TURB SEPARATION; SINCE WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN PROVIDED WITH 3 MINS; AND CAN ASK FOR AN ADDITIONAL 2 MINS (THE B737 IS A 'LARGE' AND A C172 IS A 'SMALL'). THE PIC DID SO. AT THIS POINT; THE CTLR CANCELED OUR CLRNC AND SAID HE'D HAVE TO CALL FOR ANOTHER RELEASE. WE CONTINUED TO HOLD SHORT AND WAIT FOR OUR RELEASE. AFTER AN ADDITIONAL 6-7 MINS ANOTHER AIRPLANE RPTED TO TWR AT RWY 33 FOR THEIR IFR RELEASE. THE CTLR THEN TOLD US WE'D HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE OTHER AIRPLANE BEHIND US BECAUSE HE'D TOLD US WE HAD TO CALL HIM BACK FOR OUR CLRNC (HE DIDN'T). WE REQUESTED A VFR DEP AND THE CTLR TOLD US THAT APCH PREFERRED THAT WE HOLD ON THE GND. WE TOLD HIM THAT WE WERE REQUESTING A VFR DEP; WERE NOT CANCELING OUR IFR FLT PLAN; AND WERE HAPPY TO TAKE OUR CHANCES WITH APCH. WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF; GIVEN AN EARLY FREQ CHANGE; AND OUR IFR CLRNC IN ABOUT 8 MI. I THINK THE CTLR CLRED US FOR TKOF TOO SOON IN ORDER TO PROTECT OUR RELEASE TIME. WHEN WE ASKED FOR THE ADDITIONAL 2 MINS HE SHOULD HAVE EXPLICITLY STATED THAT WE SHOULD CONTACT HIM WHEN WE WERE READY TO GO; IF THAT WAS WHAT WE WANTED. HE SHOULDN'T HAVE ARGUED ABOUT OUR DEPARTING VFR -- THAT'S BTWN US AND APCH. IF THEY COULDN'T HANDLE US IFR; THEY WOULDN'T. I'D LIKE TO ADD SOMETHING THAT WE COULD HAVE DONE TO IMPROVE SAFETY IN THIS SIT; BUT THE ONLY 2 THINGS THAT I CAN THINK OF ARE: 1) PARK THE AIRPLANE. 2) BUGGED THE CTLR FOR OUR RELEASE. IN TERMS OF HUMAN PERFORMANCE; RENTON TWR WILL BECOME A CONTRACT TWR; BUT THIS HAS BEEN DELAYED. BECAUSE OF THIS; THE CTLRS ARE IN LIMBO -- THEIR WORDS -- AND HAVE BECOME VERY UNPROFESSIONAL -- MY WORDS -- DUE TO VERY POOR MORALE.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.