CJones
Final Approach
Per this flight....
Climbing out of CVB, I called up SAT approach. They were fairly busy and took a few minutes (I had to level off my climb to stay below OVC deck) to get my clearance back to me. Squawk XXXX. Radar contact. Cleared as filed and up to 9000'. Readback to them. Readback acknowledged. Controller shift change. The 'new' voice never talked to us. Several IR training flights were up doing holds, approaches, etc. into Stinson, SAT, and CVB. The controller was doing a great job of keeping all those bugsmashers from becoming planesmashers all while working with them on their 'training' requests (block clearances, numerous holds, etc.) After about an hour of hearing all their clearances, I started to have the gut feeling that he had forgotten about us - it was a LONG time to stay with an approach controller, especially since we were heading north towards Gray Approach's airspace.
Eventually, the controllers transmissions were getting weak and I had to turn the squelch down to be able to hear all of his transmissions. I called him up to rattle his cage: "Approach, N5274S. Your radio is breaking up, do you have another freq for us?" (I was trying to present it in a nice way "Hey you, did you forget about us!?") No reply. Try again. No reply. Tried one of the low-level bugsmashers for a message relay. No reply. Finally heard another IR bugsmasher coming out of SAT with a strong transmission. Asked them to relay a message. "5274S, IFR over Lampassas at 9000'. I think you missed our handoff." The controllers reply was "Try Fort Worth Center on XXX.XX for that area." I thank the bugsmasher for their help and call up Ft. Worth Center. "Fort Worth, 5274S level 9000' over Lampassas". Their reply "5274S, we've been looking for you. XXX altimiter XXXX." A few minutes later, we were handed to Gray Approach and we were 'back on the scope'.
The Fort Worth controller didn't seem irritated or anything, and we were VMC on top of a OVC - becoming BR - becoming SCT layer, so traffic avoidance was possible by our Mk. 2 Eyeballs. BUT, if we had been IMC, and skirting along on our merry way, we would have had no way to "see-and-avoid". Of course, we would have been visible on other controller's scopes and they could have vectored around us, but still....
Would you file an ASRS for this? I don't think the controller was incompetent - he got busy working 3-4 IR training flights, in IMC, in close proximity to each other and probably got his scope zoomed in to watch them and simply forgot about his only 'cruise' IFR flight which he never talked to b/c the previous controller provided the clearance, etc.
What say ye, gentlefolk?
Climbing out of CVB, I called up SAT approach. They were fairly busy and took a few minutes (I had to level off my climb to stay below OVC deck) to get my clearance back to me. Squawk XXXX. Radar contact. Cleared as filed and up to 9000'. Readback to them. Readback acknowledged. Controller shift change. The 'new' voice never talked to us. Several IR training flights were up doing holds, approaches, etc. into Stinson, SAT, and CVB. The controller was doing a great job of keeping all those bugsmashers from becoming planesmashers all while working with them on their 'training' requests (block clearances, numerous holds, etc.) After about an hour of hearing all their clearances, I started to have the gut feeling that he had forgotten about us - it was a LONG time to stay with an approach controller, especially since we were heading north towards Gray Approach's airspace.
Eventually, the controllers transmissions were getting weak and I had to turn the squelch down to be able to hear all of his transmissions. I called him up to rattle his cage: "Approach, N5274S. Your radio is breaking up, do you have another freq for us?" (I was trying to present it in a nice way "Hey you, did you forget about us!?") No reply. Try again. No reply. Tried one of the low-level bugsmashers for a message relay. No reply. Finally heard another IR bugsmasher coming out of SAT with a strong transmission. Asked them to relay a message. "5274S, IFR over Lampassas at 9000'. I think you missed our handoff." The controllers reply was "Try Fort Worth Center on XXX.XX for that area." I thank the bugsmasher for their help and call up Ft. Worth Center. "Fort Worth, 5274S level 9000' over Lampassas". Their reply "5274S, we've been looking for you. XXX altimiter XXXX." A few minutes later, we were handed to Gray Approach and we were 'back on the scope'.
The Fort Worth controller didn't seem irritated or anything, and we were VMC on top of a OVC - becoming BR - becoming SCT layer, so traffic avoidance was possible by our Mk. 2 Eyeballs. BUT, if we had been IMC, and skirting along on our merry way, we would have had no way to "see-and-avoid". Of course, we would have been visible on other controller's scopes and they could have vectored around us, but still....
Would you file an ASRS for this? I don't think the controller was incompetent - he got busy working 3-4 IR training flights, in IMC, in close proximity to each other and probably got his scope zoomed in to watch them and simply forgot about his only 'cruise' IFR flight which he never talked to b/c the previous controller provided the clearance, etc.
What say ye, gentlefolk?