Question re Flight Following
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: On a different Island
Age: 52
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From ATC perspective, what distance would you say would be a good starting point?
Join Date: Jul 2001
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Age: 52
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Basically the VFR plans that do not require clearance within TAAATS (ie not entering class C and not likely to be "activated") are sent to the VFRX system; which means they actually don't go to TAAATS, to assist data management. If we need one of those plans (for RIS or clearance) we get our flight data to find it in the VFRX and submit it to TAAATS directly. (It maybe a NAIPS filter not a TAAATS filter, but you get the idea) When doing this it causes a little delay getting out of VFRx into TAAATS.
Join Date: Sep 2000
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The VFR plan blocking is also the answer to why, when some VFR pilots ask for flight following, we may take a little more time to get the plan moving. Although you may have done the righty and submitted a plan, it has to get found by a third party (ie, not th ATCer you are talking to) and put into the TAAATS system.
As some of my fellow ATCs have said, it is generally not a problem for us to do RIS and it gives us a better picture of what is going on OCTA. It is also bloody fantastic when we ask about a VFR paint somewhere and the pilot is listening out and pipes up with 'that's us centre, we are a ..... tracking .... to ..... at ...... feet' Makes everyone's job easier.
Cheers,
NFR.
As some of my fellow ATCs have said, it is generally not a problem for us to do RIS and it gives us a better picture of what is going on OCTA. It is also bloody fantastic when we ask about a VFR paint somewhere and the pilot is listening out and pipes up with 'that's us centre, we are a ..... tracking .... to ..... at ...... feet' Makes everyone's job easier.
Cheers,
NFR.
When you live....
Yes - although as you are "known" to ATC, they may provide the clearance automatically as you approach the CTR.
But if they don't and you bust then it's down to you and not them.
UTR.
But if they don't and you bust then it's down to you and not them.
UTR.
Join Date: Apr 2007
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For an Aussie who has been living in the US for a while this is a great discussion thread. When I left Aus about 6 years ago RIS or Flight Following was pretty darn scarce and it didnt really seem to be encouraged. Here in the US I fly alot in Boston and NY areas and having done a number of safety seminars sponsored (and staffed ) by the FAA and ATC I can say that the controllers here in the US seem to encourage flight following. I often fly into a class D airport that sits just under the NY class B and whilst I can fly in and out without a code or FF they definitely prefer me to be on a code with flight following and no matter how busy they are they seem to make time to provide traffic info.
Even though there are no user charges here at all for IFR so I could always go on an IFR plan, if the weather is good I generally fly VFR with flight following for destinations over about 50 miles. With the volume of air traffic buzzing about it helps situational awareness.
Even though there are no user charges here at all for IFR so I could always go on an IFR plan, if the weather is good I generally fly VFR with flight following for destinations over about 50 miles. With the volume of air traffic buzzing about it helps situational awareness.
