Flight following frequency

[sourdough44]

I won’t add to everything posted. One of the easiest ways to get a local freq is click on a nearby airport with a flight app, Garmin Pilot, whatever. You can see a handful of local freqs.


Often ATC agencies have at least several possible frequencies, so it would be almost impossible to know each ahead of time. I may look if you outfly the freq, never heard a freq change. The other common reason, you want to start with ATC, flight-following, whatever.

 

[N1120A]

My memory works in such a way that I'm very good at remembering frequencies that I'm likely to get on routes I fly a lot. I will dial up every frequency with 95% accuracy between MYF and CMA, and all the way up to coast to MRY if I really think about it. Same with MYF to AUN. I'm an outlier, and I also sometimes get different ones. Don't sweat it. You only need the first one. Also, make sure to monitor guard even as a VFR. If they lose you, they will call on there, and I can't tell you how many times I've heard VFRs missing calls.

Is there a way or a place to find the frequencies you're going to get when using flight following.

A chart with frequencies or something.

Whatever the chart supplement departure frequency is will usually be a good first bet.

I know I can tell ground or departure to establish flight following, I just want to be prepared when the controller handoff happens. Like when you're going to land you get ground frequency ready.

If you get it on the ground, the controller will give it to you. At some busier airports, it will be based on direction of departure.

Most class D towers won't/can't get you flight following, they'll just recommend a frequency to try once airborne. At class C/B airports it's possible.

In my experience, most Class D towers can and will get you flight following - especially FAA towers. The exceptions are some approach controls that don't like giving them the ability to do so, or sometimes where approach control is handled by center and the interface from tower is different.

 

[AirHare]

To be honest, that hasn’t been my experience so far. In fact, I can’t think of a Class D where, if I asked for FF when checking in on Ground and ready to taxi, they didn’t set me up with a squawk and departure frequency sometime between the check-in and departure. That has been mostly here in TX but I’ve had the same experience elsewhere as well.

I think the key to success may be to ask for it when first checking in for taxi.

This has been my experience in Florida as well. Multiple Class Ds, always granted flight following. In fact the local ATIS specifically says anyone requesting Flight Following should do so before taxi.

 

[chemgeek]

Bottom line is that unless you fly a route frequently, you are unlikely to be able to accurately predict what the handoff frequencies will be with 100% accuracy. Look up the appropriate departure frequency (an approach plate for the departure airport is a quick way to do that at a non tower airport, otherwise you go to the chart supplement) and then ATC will handle the rest for you. Depending on your route and ATC status, you may get handed back and forth from Approach and Center frequencies, which may be difficult to accurately predict from looking at a map or the chart supplement.