How ATC can tell when a pilot says say... "Ummm... NOPE!"

[Old Ironsights]

[Griff]

DUH! I woulda said "H-E double hockey sticks NO!"

[Blaine]

Wise choice.....I would always check the NOAA Radar on my phone while on motorcycle trips.....I got pretty good at avoiding "pelosi". Other times, you just had to find a friendly facility and hang out for awhile.....

[Bullard4075]

As a 32 year Air Traffic Controller (retired), in a literal sense controllers do not "tell" pilots anything.
It may may seem like splitting hairs but controllers "instruct" pilots for their safety and the efficient
use of airspace. Much like a doctor telling you of an operation you must have the decision is finally
yours (or the pilots). It is not uncommon for a pilot to say " I can't (or don't want to) do that upon which
the controller goes to plan B or even C . Any experienced controller (or pilot for that matter) always , and
I mean always has a Plan B and C for any situation. Any of you LEO's can relate I'm sure.
And no controller would ever spear an aircraft into "red" weather.
I have at times turned aircraft away from weather where the pilot has said "We can go through there".
Most larger aircraft have better on board weather radar than ATC does.
Many times relating to weather the controller will give the pilot two or more choices of routes through or
around weather and let them decide. The movie "Pushing Tin" (been there done that) is a farce.

[Booger Bill]

I had a old friend that was a AF pilot. He claimed to have heard the following conversation. "Tower, there is a couple of N----- kids flying a kite on approach. The controller bawled him out for using the N word and asked another pilot coming in to confirm. He said this southern accent voice came on and said, Yup, they are N`s."!