"Departure time with me"?

[gnx99]

When picking up IFR clearances at uncontrolled fields from center (on the ground), I occasionally hear them say "departure time with me". Once, and only once, I heard a pilot call his off time when checking in after take-off. Is it required to state your departure time with center on the inital call in? I skimmed through the AIM and didn't see anything.

Also, sometimes center will say "down time with me" when landing at a uncontrolled field. Is this requred as well?

 

[rchcfi]

Obviously this would be best answered by one of our fellow controllers, but here is my take.

There are many different scenarios when calling for your clearance on the ground.

1. You are trying to preplan your departure based on a set time with your customers. You call Center and request your clearance. If it is Podunk Int'l with no current inbound IFR arrivals, the controller will ask you "How long until you're airborne?" If you guesstimate 20 mins., there are no IFR inbounds, he/she will most likely give you you're clearance and end it by stating "report departure time with me" so as to keep your planned flight time on your filed flight plan in sync with the system. They will activate your flight plan based on the time you called off the ground.

2. If you are at the same airport but call for clearance while holding short of the runway, the controller will usually only state "contact me on this frequency when airborne." This is because he/she now knows because it was stated that you would be airborne very shortly and they go ahead and activate your flightplanned time at that moment.

3. Now if you're at a slightly busier field that has a few IFR inbounds, the controller will assign a "Void if not off by" clearance based on the inbound traffic as well as the "call with departure time". If you don't make it off before your "void" time, you contact them again and will have to wait until that IFR traffic lands or cancels IFR. Or you can depart VFR and get your clearance in the air.

 

[igneousy2]

When picking up IFR clearances at uncontrolled fields from center (on the ground), I occasionally hear them say "departure time with me". Once, and only once, I heard a pilot call his off time when checking in after take-off. Is it required to state your departure time with center on the inital call in? I skimmed through the AIM and didn't see anything.

Also, sometimes center will say "down time with me" when landing at a uncontrolled field. Is this requred as well?

I would guess that this is some local procedure. The controller either has you hold - release now unrestricted (really 30min) - release now with void time - or release AFTER a certain time. When you call them on initial contact they will record the time you called them. This could be a new thing or new controllers trying to pin down your ETA for no-comm procedures. It is not normally done.

Incidentally - one trick I learned when flying freight years ago into some backwoods places with no/difficult radio contact on the ground - I would pick up my outbound clearence while still airborne inbound with a clearence window. The controller would give me "released for departure at 1200z clearence void if not off by 1215z" This saved some headache by not making me have to call them on the ground with sketchy cell/radio coverage.

Later