Self announcing position while under flight following

RalphInCA

RalphInCA

Cleared for Takeoff
Joined
Jun 1, 2014
Messages
1,353
Location
McMinnville, OR
Display Name
Display name:
RalphInCA
Today I was on a cross country from my home airport to an airport about 50 miles away. I was under flight following with SoCal.

During the flight I crossed over a little lake and while over the lake I heard another aircraft announcing their position in over the same lake. I kept waiting for SoCal approach to point out the other traffic to me, and me to the other traffic, but they never did.

Would it have been appropriate for me to announce my position (over the same lake that the other airplane was over)?

When I saw the other airplane they were approximately 200 to 300 feet below me coming from my left hand side across my path. If they would've been higher, or me lower, we would have collided.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I'm assuming they announced on a CTAF frequency you were monitoring in addition to ATC?

On a CTAF, sure. On an ATC frequency, no. You could query the controller, but it would be inappropriate to make a position report unsolicited by ATC.
 
Brad Z said:
I'm assuming they announced on a CTAF frequency you were monitoring in addition to ATC?

On a CTAF, sure. On an ATC frequency, no. You could query the controller, but it would be inappropriate to make a position report unsolicited by ATC.
Click to expand...

Agree with this. The other aircraft may have been too low to be seen on the radar scope. He probably wasn't listening to ATC. Never hurts to tune a second radio up to the local CTAF frequency and make yourself known.
 
This is another great reason to cruise high(er). This will rarely be a problem at 7500 or higher.
 
Brad Z said:
I'm assuming they announced on a CTAF frequency you were monitoring in addition to ATC?

On a CTAF, sure. On an ATC frequency, no. You could query the controller, but it would be inappropriate to make a position report unsolicited by ATC.
Click to expand...
Yep..
 
I do this all the time when approaching my home field. Uncontrolled field and often are with them still well within 10 miles out. Approcah is on Com1, CTAF on Com2 and I am making calls on CTAF on Com2 while still on FF until given a frequency change.

...and remember, FF does not relieve the pilot of see and avoid responsibilities. I have had plenty of traffic NOT called out by ATC on FF.
 
Brad Z said:
I'm assuming they announced on a CTAF frequency you were monitoring in addition to ATC?

On a CTAF, sure. On an ATC frequency, no. You could query the controller, but it would be inappropriate to make a position report unsolicited by ATC.
Click to expand...

He was on the same frequency as I was - the frequency for SoCal Approach.

He was actually talking to SoCal Approach when I heard him announce his location above the same lake I was over. He was low, however, so he may have been too low for radar.

I was low too, 4500 MSL which would have put me about 3100 AGL.
 
Last edited:
Shawn said:
...and remember, FF does not relieve the pilot of see and avoid responsibilities. I have had plenty of traffic NOT called out by ATC on FF.
Click to expand...

Yep. I learned this lesson VERY well on this trip :D
 
I recently flew from SMX to SMO using flight following at 3,500 feet MSL.
There were several aircraft that SOCAL Approach missed.
Santa Barbara approach and Magu approach did much better.
I find piercing the bowels of the Los Angles airspace daunting.
 
Flight Following two weeks ago, similar story. I informed the controller I had the other aircraft visually after it passed below me.

He said apologetically...radar services unavailable below my altitude.
 
This was de regeur in the original (non-radar) flight following. That's where the term "following" came from. They'd follow your progress based on the position reporting. The term just got recycled when the radar services became more or less ubiquitous.
 
SoCal approach "Sorry about that" -- simultaneous with zoom! Two high speed helicopters came by 500 feet to my left going in the opposite direction.
 
If the other plane was already talking to ATC, but was not called out as traffic to me *and* if the frequency is not overly congested, I would chime in with a "Cessna 123, I have traffic at X O'Clock". In fact, I'd do that if the other plane wasn't on frequency as well.

If the lake is not a VFR reporting point, calling that location out to ATC won't help them, as they'll likely have no idea what you're talking about.

Remember, non-CTAF frequencies are not for plane-to-plane comm, so you have to phrase things as queries/statements to ATC.
 
Last edited:
What I usually get is "Traffic at X o'clock, altitude unknown". Oh, joy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top