Flight Following

JCranford

JCranford

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JCranford
I'm gonna ask a dumb question, but I'll take my lumps

I'm flying to airport A, but I need to stop at airport B to pick up a pax. How do I request that on initial contact to get FF? "Request VFR flight following to B, continuing on to A" or "Request VFR flight following to A, with a stop at B enroute"? Or handle them as separate legs?
 
JCranford said:
I'm gonna ask a dumb question, but I'll take my lumps



I'm flying to airport A, but I need to stop at airport B to pick up a pax. How do I request that on initial contact to get FF? "Request VFR flight following to B, continuing on to A" or "Request VFR flight following to A, with a stop at B enroute"? Or handle them as separate legs?
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When you call up and ask for FF, tell them you are going to B. When you are approaching B, before the controller hands you off to tower or CTAF, tell them you will be taking off again shortly for A and ask if you can keep your squawk code.

Depending on the facility, they may tell you to keep the code, or they may tell you to squawk 1200 and start over again when you take off.
 
I have no doubt there are facilities that will allow you to keep a squawk for a full stop landing and shutdown.

But I honestly can't think of a good reason to avoid the net extra seconds involved in calling once airborne and getting a new code for the next leg. I'm trying to think of what advantage it gives us and can't. Can someone help me?
 
Fearless Tower said:
When you call up and ask for FF, tell them you are going to B. When you are approaching B, before the controller hands you off to tower or CTAF, tell them you will be taking off again shortly for A and ask if you can keep your squawk code.

Depending on the facility, they may tell you to keep the code, or they may tell you to squawk 1200 and start over again when you take off.
Click to expand...

This!!
 
Probably no real advantage over two separate legs. The home to B leg is fairly short but it is directly on the opposite side of a Bravo. That's really the only reason I would get FF to B, to transition the Bravo rather that go around. Figured if my real destination is A and I work in B to the mix I might stand a better chance of a short Bravo transition.
 
This may not be typical, but I've had it where the first airport was Rockwall and then I was going to Tyler. Since I requested Tyler off of Meacham they sent me north of Denton, and across with no B clearance. Then I canceled, went south to Rockwall, got my buddy, and continued East to Tyler.

When I request Rockwall off of Meacham I usually get the Bravo transition. (we go there a little too often since that's where the A&P shop we use is)

So, now I ask for each leg. FWIW - the first example was over 2 years ago
 
Kinda the same thing. Leaving Denton for Ennis and continuing on to ATA (Atlanta,TX)
 
JCranford said:
Kinda the same thing. Leaving Denton for Ennis and continuing on to ATA (Atlanta,TX)
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Heading that direction, you can actually ask for over the top. They will most likely give it to you if they are not too busy. I have had pretty good luck doing that when headed to Athens Texas
 
midlifeflyer said:
I have no doubt there are facilities that will allow you to keep a squawk for a full stop landing and shutdown.

But I honestly can't think of a good reason to avoid the net extra seconds involved in calling once airborne and getting a new code for the next leg. I'm trying to think of what advantage it gives us and can't. Can someone help me?
Click to expand...

Maybe the controller won't have to re-enter info? :dunno:
 
Clark1961 said:
Maybe the controller won't have to re-enter info? :dunno:
Click to expand...

My thoughts too... I asked that exact question at a forum at OSH a couple of years back and this is what the ATC gal told us..

When I am traveling to various airshows with my experimental and I need to make a pit stop enroute, I will notify the controller of my intentions of fuel up and blast off again in 15 minutes or so...

If the controller working that sector is not going on break and will be there when I launch, 99% of the time they will let me keep the squawk code....

If they are changing shifts then they will have me squawk 1200 and get a new code with the new controller since that is easier then to brief him/ her for the shift change....
 
I'm often told to keep the squawk code when making breakfast/lunch runs. Call Departure, get squawk and FF; call field in sight, approved to "change to advisory frequency and keep the squawk."

Going home, I call Departure and include squawk code and altitude.

It's all up to the guy on the other end of the radio.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Heading that direction, you can actually ask for over the top. They will most likely give it to you if they are not too busy. I have had pretty good luck doing that when headed to Athens Texas
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I agree about asking for "over the top" of KDFW once you connect with Regional Approach. If time of day and activity permit, they will vector you appropriately. Just be on your game with headings and altitude, and be ready for a frequency change as you cross.

But if they say "unable", be ready with your alternate route around our Bravo space.

As far as the transponder, as you work your "15-miles to go" checklist, you can ask the controller if you can keep the same transponder code or should you expect to get a new one. What answer you'll get depends on the facility, controller, and workload. But it is possible you will be told to keep what you got, asked about next destination (so he can pre-enter that detail), and instructions to report when airborne.
 
I'd just treat it as two separate legs.

Like Mark said, what's the advantage? I doubt it causes any undue stress on the controller to re-enter information. They do that stuff their entire shift, believe it or not:eek:
 
fiveoboy01 said:
I'd just treat it as two separate legs.

Like Mark said, what's the advantage? I doubt it causes any undue stress on the controller to re-enter information. They do that stuff their entire shift, believe it or not:eek:
Click to expand...

1st of all, definitely not a stupid question, and probably has a lot of different answers, but I agree with, and personally would treat it as 2 different legs. one, you never know what's gonna happen on your pit stop.......yapping with the locals, oggling some cute babes hanging out at the airport.....might be a longer stop than you think. two, either way you have to call them back up, I don't see much difference in saying "hi, it's me again, looking to resume FF enroute to blah blah" or "hi, it's me, going from here to there". I guess whatever you feel comfortable with is the right answer. only other thought is, you might be at your pit stop thinking to yourself "I gotta get back up soon because they're expecting me" or put a small amount of unnecessary pressure on yourself, where if u treat it as 2 legs, u get FF whenever ur 2nd leg resumes. of course all of this is a wine and beer and turkey induced ramble, so go with what you want.
 
fiveoboy01 said:
I'd just treat it as two separate legs.

Like Mark said, what's the advantage? I doubt it causes any undue stress on the controller to re-enter information. They do that stuff their entire shift, believe it or not:eek:
Click to expand...
The advantage depends a lot on the airport and airspace in question. If you are just making a stop along the way and its all class G and E airspace, then no real advantage and I too would treat it as two separate flights.

Where it becomes an advantage to keep the squawk is when airport B is close to or underneath Class B or C airspace and you want to maximize deconfliction. Then keeping the squawk is advantageous if ATC supports.
 
Good point.

I've flown a lot from my home airport(MSN) to 6P3, shown in my avatar. It's to the northwest and there's a cutout in the class C surface area to accomodate it. Maybe 6 miles from MSN.

I once did a low pass there and approach had me switch to ctaf but keep the same squawk because I'd be off the departure end and above 2300 feet shortly, which is the base of the shelf. I'm not sure that they would do that if I was landing there, even if I requested it.

Another good example of how every chunk of airspace and controller can be different.
 
I'd treat it as 2 separate legs for the simple fact that pax can be unpredictable:

"Sorry, I didn't think rush hour happened during the commute time."

"Sorry, I need an hour on the john to download a burrito from my bowels."

etc.

If you tell the controller that it'll just be a quick pickup and your pax delays you for a long time, would that controller put out an ALNOT?
 
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