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Are ATC more friendly on weekdays?

I flew from Panshanger today, to Bristol Filton via BNN, DONNA, CPT. I didnt need a traffic service, but I prefer to have one anyhow so I called up Farnborough North and told them my route. They assigned me a 53** squawk as they usually do. Later they assigned me a different squawk and then handed me over to Benson Zone. Benson Zone later duly did the same and handed me over to Brize Radar with one of their squawks, and later Brize Radar kindly told me where I was (not that I didnt know where I was, being on top of the disused Lyneham zone) and gave me a new squawk, asked me what kind of approach I would like at Filton and duly handed me over to Filton approach, continuing with a traffic service.

Now, I normally fly at weekends and at best you get a reduced traffic service (after waiting 5 minutes to get a word in edgeways to some LARS units), and you rarely get a full handover to another unit, especially if your not flying on a flight plan (not that should make any difference). You dont often get asked what kind of approach you might want.

I wondered maybe they misheard PA28 for something else lol, or because I had the autopilot on most of the time and was keeping a straight line, maybe they had me down as something commercial. One could get used to the kind of service :-) :-)

On weekdays there are: 1. More LARS controllers 2. Fewer light aircraft

On weekends there are: 1. Fewer LARS controllers 2. More light aircraft

Not rocket science!

I am lucky enough to fly mainly on weekdays.

EGKB Biggin Hill

Wasn't quiet this afternoon in my neck of the woods.

Farnborough LARS West was up to his eyeballs. He had numerous light aircraft in the Bagshot/Camberley/Guildford area and was instructing them all to hold or take a different track in order to facilitate jets coming onto the Farnborough ILS.

Not just aircraft he was working, he was also giving out orders to "aircraft at position X squawking 7000 if you're on frequency..."

He was really pushing his luck.

I was just waiting for someone to tire of it and ask him when his control zone had come into effect, ask him why someone in a jet has more right to use class G airspace than someone in an SEP, or just cheerily reply that they were happy with own navigation and suggest he deconflict the IFR traffic rather than the VFR folks.

EGLM & EGTN

That has not been my experience.

I have often been requested to, e.g, stay south of Guildford to avoid ILS incoming, and been thanked for doing it, but never ordered.

On the other hand I have often heard increasingly strident messages aimed at avoiding incursions. None aimed at me yet, but that quip about gear-up landings springs to mind...

But you were there this afternoon and I wasn't, and even ATC are only human.

White Waltham EGLM, United Kingdom

I don't know about ATC in general but there is certainly far less light GA activity on weekdays.

Therefore, if I am flying to some show (e.g. Sywell) I try to go on a weekday, and also land there as soon as possible in the morning, to avoid the situation where you have ten trying to join at the same time and the controller going mad

There are also numerous military units which are closed at weekends. I think Shawbury and Wattisham are closed.

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Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom
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