Flight Following or Flight Plan or just Wing it

[roncachamp]

Ok, now I'm being serious.

What frequency (frequencies) do you usually try? If you call up on a primary ORD arrival frequency I can see this happening. On other frequencies...not so much.

The ones that can be received in Des Moines, apparently.

 

[MarkZ]

It depends on who you call, and what the traffic situation is. I have denied FF, but the instances are rare.

In 11 years I've denied FF three times. Each one involved an abnormal situation.

 

[DesertNomad]

1/2: No FF unless I am going over the Sierra's (I am based in Reno). I'll file a flight plan if I am going more than 70 miles or so, esp if I am not following a highway.

Just flying around? No FF and no plan either. But I don't do that much.

 

[txflyer]

What are flight plans and flight following?




To answer you OP....

I get FF when cross country. Not local.

 

[denverpilot]

When I registered my spot I named it 'corpsefinder'

ROFL!

 

[Jim_R]

I fly in the Houston area myself. There's enough traffic in the local area where I fly that I appreciate the traffic advisories that FF offers. But I also think others in the neighborhood also appreciate getting my position called clearly to them: "traffic, 11 o'clock, eastbound, Cherokee at 1,500" as opposed to "traffic, 11 o'clock, eastbound, altitude indicates 1,500 unverified".

It's also nice when both traffic parties are on freq and can hear when at least one party has the other in view.

 

[C182P]

Got TFRs? No then go. Do you ask permission to drive to the store? Sad to see everyone on FF all the time. Bet you guys never leave the seat up either.

Do you view requesting FF the same as asking permission to do something? If so, that seems like a rather hazardous attitude. I guess one way to look at it though is "can I have permission to not run the risk of descending onto some other aircraft that you can see but I cannot?" and "can I have permission to receive expedited emergency services should the need arise?".

 

[N747JB]

I normally file IFR, but on my VFR trips I normally ask for FF, I don't think I've been denied in years. One of my regular short VFR trips is from FTY to CNI for maintenance, I don't use FF on that one as I go from FTY to Dobbins tower, then it's 15 miles to CNI. so I'm pretty much in radio contact 75% of the trip.
I think it's important for newer pilots to get used to the system, especially if they want to get their IR in the future.
My primary CFI taught me how to avoid talking to controllers by flying above and around their airspace.