Air traffic controllers are terrific people dedicated to helping pilots complete their flights smoothly and safely. That is a true statement until the smooth part, or maybe even the safe part, comes into conflict with the only absolute requirement in ATC, which is to separate airplanes under its control from one another by required minimum distance.
I have run up against this conflict between what pilots need and what ATC requires a number of times, and I haven’t come up with a way to resolve the situation without one side giving in. And it is always the pilot who has to yield, because the force of law requires controllers to issue clearances that maintain minimum separation between airplanes under positive control. The same laws require pilots to fly the clearance issued. The only alternative is for the pilot to declare an emergency, ignore the clearance and deal with the consequences later.
