Narrative:

This particular flight was with a student pilot who was nearly ready to go on his first cross country flight. We went to vcv and then back to ccb. At ccb we worked the pattern for a little while before calling it a day. At about AD30 pm we decided to go home. We did the normal noise abatement departure, 3 left turns to the northwest. My student called brackett airport as soon as possible as we migrated towards brackett airport. As he called, he inadvertently reported that we left brackett airport and that we were inbound with the numbers. The controller questioned our position and we corrected our departure airport. The controller then told us to identify and we did. The controller then said 'you are 2.5 mi from brackett airport expect a pilot deviation.' unsure of what he was ranting and raving about with this pilot deviation, we continued to fly the plane and look for this instruction. We confirmed that we were cleared to land and we were. The ground controller asked us to call the tower which we did. Cable airport is very close to brackett airport. I know the landmarks very well and we were outside his airspace when we initially established 2-WAY communications with the tower. By time we corrected our initial call and by time he had us identify we were within his airspace. The class D airspace for brackett airport has a 4 SM or 3.2 NM radius. The tower reported that we were 2.5 NM out by time he had us identify. We were traveling at about 90 KTS which would have us covering about 1.5 NM every min. So to go the 0.7 NM in question would take us about 30 seconds, since we had established 2-WAY communication with the tower, which I feel that we did. Now I admit that we should establish 2-WAY communications with the tower well before entering class D airspace. But in this case there wasn't much room to have that luxury. Ok now that I have answered the issue regarding my involvement I must make the following comments. The controller had no right yelling these crazy threats to us while we are flying. The controllers are paid by pilots through the federal government to provide safety to the flying community. Human factors studies indicate that people under stress are more prone to make mistakes. This controller who was yelling 'expect pilot deviation' over and over with a nasty tone could jeopardize the safety of any flight. Since my priorities are to 1) aviate, 2) navigation, then 3) communicate, his yelling attempted to change my priorities to communicate first. Initially I didn't know what he meant 'expect pilot deviation.' I was expecting to have to maneuver depending upon what I saw in front of me. I would hope that this controller be subject to help pilots in need rather than to freak out on the frequency. I expect the controllers to provide a safer flying environment in our crowded airspace, not decrease my safety margins. In summary, I feel that this incident is a 2 edged sword. It was my fault for not ensuring that we gave no question about when and where we established 2-WAY communications with the tower. The other edge of the sword is directed toward the controller to provide a safe environment even in the event of the infraction into the outer fringes of his airspace. More professionally he should have reprimanded in private via phone call later, and praise in public. This particular controller is notorious for yelling at pilots for a multitude of infractions. I believe that his behavior on the frequency is a threat to all in the airspace.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: UNAUTH UNCOORD PENETRATION OF CLASS D AIRSPACE BY C172. TRAINING IN PROGRESS. ATCT LCL CTLR BEHAVIOR AGGRESSION UNPROFESSIONAL ATTITUDE.

Narrative: THIS PARTICULAR FLT WAS WITH A STUDENT PLT WHO WAS NEARLY READY TO GO ON HIS FIRST XCOUNTRY FLT. WE WENT TO VCV AND THEN BACK TO CCB. AT CCB WE WORKED THE PATTERN FOR A LITTLE WHILE BEFORE CALLING IT A DAY. AT ABOUT AD30 PM WE DECIDED TO GO HOME. WE DID THE NORMAL NOISE ABATEMENT DEP, 3 L TURNS TO THE NW. MY STUDENT CALLED BRACKETT ARPT ASAP AS WE MIGRATED TOWARDS BRACKETT ARPT. AS HE CALLED, HE INADVERTENTLY RPTED THAT WE LEFT BRACKETT ARPT AND THAT WE WERE INBOUND WITH THE NUMBERS. THE CTLR QUESTIONED OUR POS AND WE CORRECTED OUR DEP ARPT. THE CTLR THEN TOLD US TO IDENT AND WE DID. THE CTLR THEN SAID 'YOU ARE 2.5 MI FROM BRACKETT ARPT EXPECT A PLTDEV.' UNSURE OF WHAT HE WAS RANTING AND RAVING ABOUT WITH THIS PLTDEV, WE CONTINUED TO FLY THE PLANE AND LOOK FOR THIS INSTRUCTION. WE CONFIRMED THAT WE WERE CLRED TO LAND AND WE WERE. THE GND CTLR ASKED US TO CALL THE TWR WHICH WE DID. CABLE ARPT IS VERY CLOSE TO BRACKETT ARPT. I KNOW THE LANDMARKS VERY WELL AND WE WERE OUTSIDE HIS AIRSPACE WHEN WE INITIALLY ESTABLISHED 2-WAY COMS WITH THE TWR. BY TIME WE CORRECTED OUR INITIAL CALL AND BY TIME HE HAD US IDENT WE WERE WITHIN HIS AIRSPACE. THE CLASS D AIRSPACE FOR BRACKETT ARPT HAS A 4 SM OR 3.2 NM RADIUS. THE TWR RPTED THAT WE WERE 2.5 NM OUT BY TIME HE HAD US IDENT. WE WERE TRAVELING AT ABOUT 90 KTS WHICH WOULD HAVE US COVERING ABOUT 1.5 NM EVERY MIN. SO TO GO THE 0.7 NM IN QUESTION WOULD TAKE US ABOUT 30 SECONDS, SINCE WE HAD ESTABLISHED 2-WAY COM WITH THE TWR, WHICH I FEEL THAT WE DID. NOW I ADMIT THAT WE SHOULD ESTABLISH 2-WAY COMS WITH THE TWR WELL BEFORE ENTERING CLASS D AIRSPACE. BUT IN THIS CASE THERE WASN'T MUCH ROOM TO HAVE THAT LUXURY. OK NOW THAT I HAVE ANSWERED THE ISSUE REGARDING MY INVOLVEMENT I MUST MAKE THE FOLLOWING COMMENTS. THE CTLR HAD NO RIGHT YELLING THESE CRAZY THREATS TO US WHILE WE ARE FLYING. THE CTLRS ARE PAID BY PLTS THROUGH THE FEDERAL GOV TO PROVIDE SAFETY TO THE FLYING COMMUNITY. HUMAN FACTORS STUDIES INDICATE THAT PEOPLE UNDER STRESS ARE MORE PRONE TO MAKE MISTAKES. THIS CTLR WHO WAS YELLING 'EXPECT PLTDEV' OVER AND OVER WITH A NASTY TONE COULD JEOPARDIZE THE SAFETY OF ANY FLT. SINCE MY PRIORITIES ARE TO 1) AVIATE, 2) NAV, THEN 3) COMMUNICATE, HIS YELLING ATTEMPTED TO CHANGE MY PRIORITIES TO COMMUNICATE FIRST. INITIALLY I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HE MEANT 'EXPECT PLTDEV.' I WAS EXPECTING TO HAVE TO MANEUVER DEPENDING UPON WHAT I SAW IN FRONT OF ME. I WOULD HOPE THAT THIS CTLR BE SUBJECT TO HELP PLTS IN NEED RATHER THAN TO FREAK OUT ON THE FREQ. I EXPECT THE CTLRS TO PROVIDE A SAFER FLYING ENVIRONMENT IN OUR CROWDED AIRSPACE, NOT DECREASE MY SAFETY MARGINS. IN SUMMARY, I FEEL THAT THIS INCIDENT IS A 2 EDGED SWORD. IT WAS MY FAULT FOR NOT ENSURING THAT WE GAVE NO QUESTION ABOUT WHEN AND WHERE WE ESTABLISHED 2-WAY COMS WITH THE TWR. THE OTHER EDGE OF THE SWORD IS DIRECTED TOWARD THE CTLR TO PROVIDE A SAFE ENVIRONMENT EVEN IN THE EVENT OF THE INFRACTION INTO THE OUTER FRINGES OF HIS AIRSPACE. MORE PROFESSIONALLY HE SHOULD HAVE REPRIMANDED IN PVT VIA PHONE CALL LATER, AND PRAISE IN PUBLIC. THIS PARTICULAR CTLR IS NOTORIOUS FOR YELLING AT PLTS FOR A MULTITUDE OF INFRACTIONS. I BELIEVE THAT HIS BEHAVIOR ON THE FREQ IS A THREAT TO ALL IN THE AIRSPACE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.