www.GroundSchool.com Flight Following is a great service offered to VFR pilots by ATC. So why are so many pilots reluctant to use it. Russ shows you how easy it is to use in this video. -------
I love flight following. I talk to PPLs all the time who just don't find a need or have a desire to use it. To me, it's just another layer of safety. Great video GSFT
Thanks for helping understand Flight following and communications, Gold Seal member passed the ground school 90/100. Best Online Ground School, great videos too!
What if you just departed a class B or C airport and you're still/already communicating with departure/approach/center, but want to continue with radar service even after leaving their airspace to continue with your cross-country. How would you request to maintain VFR flight following/ask for a handoff?
"Request flight following to destination" that should do the trick... You can usually set up flight following up on the ground (with clearance delivery and/or ground control) at towered airports. some class D towers might not be able to set up flight following but SHOULD be able to at least give you a freq for approach/center to use once you're on your way... If they don't, ask. In some parts of the country at least, flight following is a highly under utilized service that could save your or other people's butts.
Hey i'm new to this channel but you explain very well but i have a doubt regarding entering a new sector My question is do we need to request flight following again to the new frequency or no need ? Plz reply
It depends. Normally, the controller will do a "hand off". We refer to this in the video. The controller will supply you with the frequency of the next controller and ask you to call him.
99% of the time, you will not need to request this again. Occasionally the receiving controller will not buy the handoff because of work load, radar limitations and/or frequency limitations both of which related to your altitude. Maybe too low to reliably speak to you or see you. In these cases you should be asked to squawk VFR and there will be no doubt you’ll need to request this again. But hopefully you’re also provided the frequency of the next controller. Sometimes you’ll be told stay on your beacon code but “radar services terminated, contact ABC center/approach 123.8.” Means the next controller doesn’t have you on radar yet but will soon or maybe anticipates poor communication at first and then the next controller will re-identify you on radar when all is good.
I'm a bit surprised you wouldn't request VFR flight following on the ground at PDK. Was that just to illustrate how to pick up flight following once you're in the air?
It seems to depend on circumstances. I've been told on the ground that center doesn't like the tower setting up FF because they may be busy. So they have you request it in the air so center can tell you directly whether they have time for you. Plus practically speaking at many small non-towered airports, picking it up after takeoff is the only practical option.
1) different controller = "Different controller, N12345, XXXX (feet)" 2) same controller, different frequency = "N12345 with you on xxx.xx (new freq.)"
great Video my Q?: Lets say you fly in an unfamiliar area and you decide to get flight following. How do you find the right ATC frequency for that area??? Thanks in advance Wolfgang
For every cross country flight, I always get flight following (FF). Before you depart, write down the frequencies and also have the written dialogue handy so you don't choke on the radio. Here's mine. (PILOT) Tucson Approach: X 12345 east of Marana airport with request. (Wait for acknowledgement). (PILOT) Tucson Approach: X 12345 X9 / U East of Marana Airpark en route to Chandler, AZ (KCHD), Charlie, Hotel, Delta @ 4,000, climbing to 4,500, Request Flight Following. The X9/U depicts the plane I am in and its equipment. FF will assign you a squawk code and enter u into the system. As you travel and exceed the ability of their radio reception, they will hand you off to another controller. Eventually, they will hand you off to APPROACH at your destination and then your destination tower (if there is a tower). If you have the destination in sight and it's not towered, you can say: (PILOT) (Current) Approach: X 12345 has Chandler in sight, request termination of flight following. They will acknowledge with FF terminated, squawk VFR. At that point you would select the local frequency and u r on your own.
Don't fly without a chart or preflight briefing. Very important to at least have a vague idea of where you are going and the airspaces. I would never go in blind and with today's technology, you can find the information you need in an emergency if it's something you didn't plan (like a landing at a different field due to weather or emergencies)
Part of pre-flight planning is getting that information. If you're flying cross country without familiarizing yourself with your intended route and without a sectional chart you are doing something very wrong
Some towers will request it for you prior to departure if you ask. Otherwise yes, when you leave the tower freq, request it on the app/dep frequency. If you are departing a Class B or C, specify that you'd like flight following all the way to your destination when you call clearance delivery.
Look up the airport in the A/FD section of the Chart Supplement. That will give you the appropriate ATC frequency. Otherwise, if you're near to a Class D airport, call the tower and ask who controls the airspace in that area. They'll be happy to give you the freq.
The sectional chart contains approach frequencies near major airports. He called Atlanta Approach and asked for flight following. Look for the approach frequency on the sectional chart where u r flying and call them. If they want u to speak to another entity, they will tell you to call their frequency. You can also find the frequencies using Skyector.
@@barry5724 Really? Find me the Atlanta Approach frequency on the sectional, that's a major airport, but it's not there. In fact, it's only on the sectional for Class C airports. You have to either find it in the chart supplement for a nearby airport, off the IFR Enroute charts, or just call flight services and request the frequency your location.
I noticed that "error" in the video. According to every controller I've talked to doing nothing is the appropriate response to a request to stand by. Don't say anything, don't click your mic, just keep flying the plane and be totally silent on the radio. The controllers are usually talking to and trying to hear someone else when they tell you to stand by and don't want the extra noise/distraction.
I fly out of Cincinnati. I always ask for flight following, as I am under the class B veil. However, It almost always happens that as soon as I am out of the veil, they terminate the flight following and advise me to squak VFR 1200. If I am not near a controlled airspace, I am left on my own. My question: why can't we contact Center of FSS when we are out of a controled airspace? It seems the controllers really don't want anything to do with VFR enroute if you are out of their airspace. Flight watch is gone and so even if I file a VFR flight plan (for emergency ) there really is no radar or communications out in class E airspace.
You can still contact flight services on 122.2 or the frequency listed on a nearby VOR and request it from them. Also, when they try to drop you, ask the controller for the frequency to request continued flight following.