Srinath and I both flew patterns today at Livermore, one after the other. N906MD continues to have starting trouble.

The traffic controller lost situational awareness on more than one occasion – when I was taxiing off 25L back for takeoff and again when there were a few planes in the air. On the latter situation, he sent one of the planes on downwind and never called his base turn until the pilot radioed and said he had gone almost to Brushy Peak. He then asked for my position and turned me base in front of the other plane.

When Srinath took off, he was cleared for 25R but for a left pattern on 25L. The radio communication snippet will be helpful because it was confusing to me the first time I heard it.

During my pattern, I asked to be switched to 25R when I was cleared for left pattern on 25L. The controller accommodated me and that too is a helpful radio communication snippet.