SCT controller voiced concern regarding Center controller's reluctance to 'spin' inbound aircraft when requested; noting the belief that newly rated controllers have not experienced holding/spinning type procedures.

Date: 2010-03 · Aircraft: Widebody; Low Wing; 4 Turbojet Eng · Phase: descent

Anomalies: atc-issue-all-types|conflict-airborne-conflict

Synopsis

SCT controller voiced concern regarding Center controller's reluctance to 'spin' inbound aircraft when requested; noting the belief that newly rated controllers have not experienced holding/spinning type procedures.

Narrative

There was a flow of about 6; mainly heavy jets; inbound on the SADDE arrival. There was one VTU arrival which was a prop. My job is to mesh the two flows and give the final controller a good feed. The final controller was busy and the final was strung out; so in order to give the final controller a good flow I needed to slow my aircraft and space them out. The prop over VTU did not fit; so I called LA Center; Sector 14; and told them to spin the prop. The Center said; 'do you want me to spin him or can I just vector for spacing?' I said; 'You can do what you want but I would spin him'. As I looked at the situation I thought a spin would be so much easier than vectoring as it was only about 10 miles to the boundary of my airspace. Well; I came off the FIM VOR on a 180 heading with the last of my heavy FIM arrivals; the E-120 (Air Carrier Y) was one mile from the boundary when the Center calls and says; 'Hand off'; I tell the Center I need at least five miles behind Air Carrier X (the B747). With the Center still flashing me Air Carrier Y entered my airspace without me taking the hand off. Air Carrier Y was at 11;000 ft and Air Carrier X was just descending out of 11;000 two miles lateral right behind a heavy. Out of safety sake; I figured I better take the hand off and fix this; which I did. What bothers me about this is I feel the Center controller was a new hire. This would never have happened in the past. Since we hired all these new people traffic has been down and they haven't really experienced a lot of holding; when you tell them to spin it seems foreign to them; where as in the past at LA arrivals we would spin on a routine basis. I've gotten comments from other sectors at SCT when I told them I couldn't take the hand off; like; 'what do you want me to do with them' I just believe that the new hires are being trained in a less busy environment; and if traffic ever does pick up; some of the people getting checked out might not be able to adjust.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.