A highly experienced UK helicopter pilot has been fined $2,080 by the Civil Aviation Authority for a testy on-air exchange with an air traffic controller. Joel Tobias was flying his Airbus EC120 from Manchester to Lytham St Annes last July 31 when he radioed for permission to transition the airspace over Blackpool airport.
The controller on frequency said she was preoccupied with assisting a lost pilot at the time, and Tobias apparently grew impatient with the delayed response to his calls, which simmered into an open mic rant with controller Andrea Tolley. ''I'm in a helicopter here that costs £550 an hour, okay, and I've waited ten minutes for you to answer the call. It's absolutely appalling,” Tobias radioed after being told to “standby” on three separate occasions. Tolley was then advised to remain clear of the airport ATZ, which he did not do. He then made on-air critical comments about the quality of ATC at Blackpool and threatened to file a complaint against the controller, which he also did not do.
In fining Tolley, the CAA noted that he failed to report position, direction of flight, and altitude, potentially endangering other air traffic in the area. Tobias later apologized for his remarks.