There is so much traffic in the area that not participating in ATC services seems like a classic anti-authority dangerous attitude. IF you try for VFR advisories and can't ge them, that's one thing, but to deliberately fly over the busiest airspace in the world doesn't seem like the best idea to me.
Jon
Oh please.. anti-authority? Like I said, talk to NY ATC, they're glad to accommodate VFR flight following requests for overflying the Bravo. Maybe during push times by not talking to anybody, when you can and should, would not be a good idea for anyone. However, filing and flying IFR when you don't need to, then thinking you're now being a safer pilot is silly.
Light aircraft flying IFR through the Bravo below 7000' in beautiful VMC conditions further loads the system up, for little reason. Wonder why in clear weather the radio chatter inside the Bravo is non-stop? Not so much while above. Arrivals are already below the Bravo and enter through the sides. Departures are called out, before they climb through the top. That cuts the volume of threatening aircraft by half.
IFR (IMO & experience) should be flown when you need it. No reason to mix it up with the airlines and commercial flights when in VMC weather conditions you can fly above the maelstrom.
Anybody getting refused Flight Following on a regular basis, anywhere? If so, maybe the ATC system in your region needs more controllers to handle IFR traffic in severe clear by those pilots thinking they're now "safe" with ATC formally obligated to separate them from other IFR flying in VMC conditions.
Looking outside with eyeballs is still considered an important part of flight safety (last I heard). It's easy to become complacent in your duty to look outside when tooling along IFR, good weather, or bad.
