lost radio procedures

[JediNein]

This is why I always carry a handheld transceiver.

A recent NORDO experience was upon entering the clouds of a thick marine layer with a tower enroute clearance back to our departure airport. We broke out on top, squawked 7600, climbed to a VFR altitude, and debated if we would land at one of three distant VFR airports or if our departure airport had made it to VMC while I got out the handheld. The handheld could receive ATC, and every so often the controller would query us with a 'if you can hear, ident." Ten miles later, I had re-established radio contact and cancelled IFR.

If the entire route was IMC with no VMC available, we would have shot the approach most directly with our direction of flight that met the forecasted minimums without any waiting. Our tower enroute clearance limit was the airport.

99.9% of my IFR clearances are to an airport, "cleared to the Burbank Airport via. . ." Per controllers I work with daily, that means "get yer NORDO a$$ to that airport and get out of our hair, RADAR or NOT!!", no holding anywhere for any ETA.

Comments? Anyone receive a clearance limit that was not an airport recently?

Fly SAFE!
Jedi Nein

 

[LAZYB]

There you go...

99.9% of my IFR clearances are to an airport, "cleared to the Burbank Airport via. . ." Per controllers I work with daily, that means "get yer NORDO a$$ to that airport and get out of our hair, RADAR or NOT!!", no holding anywhere for any ETA.


...end of sentence.

 

[Vector4fun]

Comments? Anyone receive a clearance limit that was not an airport recently?

Not to disagree in any way, but to clarify:

In today's Radar environment, you'll almost always get an airport clearance limit initially. If you then LEAVE a Radar environment, unless you're #1 for the approach, you should get a new clearance limit, which is often an IAF. Lot's of folks never pick up on the significance. It will go something like this:

"Cessna 123, cleared to the ABC VOR via V12, radar service terminated, contact so-n-so approach on 119.8."

Lot's of folks just never really grasp that their new clearance limit is now the ABC VOR. They're busy looking up the ATIS freq and checking in on the new freq. The fact that the controller never issues holding instructions and an EFC is not significant, because neither is required if no delay is expected . The next (approach) controller may then immediately change your clearance limit by re-clearing you to another fix, perhaps the LOM for the ILS.

Chances are, you may never run into this type of stuff unless you fly in the mountains out west, or Canada or Alaska for example. Many years ago, I worked at a non-radar approach control. (the place now has a new tower and radar). But it was always "fun" to have the following type exchange:

"Approach, Mooney 34X is with ya (man I hate that phrase), with information Alpha".

"Mooney 34X, say DME."

"Uh, we're 34 DME".

"Mooney 34X, cleared to TOPAN via V68, the 17 DME arc north, and the localizer course. Maintain NINER thousand until established on the 17 DME arc, then descend and maintain seven thousand. Report crossing the 360 degree radial on the arc."

(llloooooonnngg pause)

"uh, approach, can't we just get vectors to the ILS?"

"No sir, the Air Force left, and took their Radar with them."