Air Traffic Control Fully Certified; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Instrument
Air Traffic Control Non Radar 8; Air Traffic Control Radar 26; Flight Crew Last 90 Days 120; Flight Crew Total 3600; Flight Crew Type 1500
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict Airborne Conflict; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Airspace Structure; Human Factors
I am a retired ATC specialist and flight instructor. The wind aloft was from the southwest at about 20 knots giving us a ground speed of 115 knots. I was providing instruction to a student in a Cessna 152 and we contacted ZZZ tower to transit the Delta airspace. Our track was 014 degrees to our destination. I had the student advise the tower we would be at 2;500 and passing 1 mile east of the airport. Controller instructed to advise of any altitude changes. As we neared the airport the controller said 'no delay thru the arrival corridor.' I told the student to respond with 'roger.' When we were 1-1/2 miles southeast of the airport the controller said to 'expedite thru the arrival corridor.' I advised the controller we were a C152 and we were doing the best we could. The controller instructed us to turn eastbound for traffic inbound on the RNAV approach. We complied and turned. The controller called traffic to a Falcon jet as a Cessna at 12 o'clock; 4 miles eastbound at 2;500. Realizing the traffic was us; I scanned the sky quickly and spotted the traffic just to the left of our nose. I turned the aircraft to the right and observed the jet climb slightly and pass off our left side very rapidly. I called the traffic in sight and was told to pass behind the traffic before turning northbound. I acknowledged the turn. The controller then advised us to remain eastbound for additional traffic inbound on the RNAV approach 5 miles to our east. I saw the traffic and replied I would not do that and continued northbound to clear the final approach course. I advised that what had just happened was the worst service I'd seen in [over 20 years] of ATC experience. The controller then said I was 'outside of class Delta; frequency change approved.'Appalling does not begin to describe this situation. Although the controller meant to keep us south of the approach path with the eastbound turn; it was a) begun too late to keep lateral separation; b) did not take into account the wind drifting our flight path; and c) had the controller simply allowed us to remain at 2;500 MSL (1;500 AGL) our flight paths would have crossed about 1 mile east of the airport with my aircraft north of the final approach course. Additionally; when the Falcon jet would have been 1 mile east of the airport his altitude would have been around 400-500 AGL (providing for a 3 degree glide path) which would have maintained 1;000 feet of vertical separation when only 500 feet was required between an IFR and VFR aircraft.The poor judgment displayed by this controller was atrocious. Four different actions could have been taken if the controller was worried about separation. 1) A left turn to put us over the airport; 2) leaving us on course; 3) looking for and applying visual separation by either the pilot or controller; or 4) a right turn to keep us south of the approach course. The fourth option; done in a timely manner; would've worked. However; any of the other three would have been better. I have been flying for [over 40] years and that was the closest I've ever been to another aircraft while airborne.
C152 flight instructor reported an airborne conflict with a Falcon jet that was poorly handled by ATC.