VFR Flight Following Why?

[LAXSaabdude]

I guess there is not a high confidence level in see and avoid.

Not really! I tell you what, TCAS has made a believer out of me. I have 20/15 vision, but I can't count the times the TCAS has pointed out traffic that was almost dangerously close, that I never saw! Made me wonder how close to other airplanes I have gotten over the years when I was TCAS-less.

LAXSaabdude.

 

[dsee8driver]

Toledo approach and tower get overloaded at 3am when they have 1 727 and 1 DC-8 coming in from opposite directions.

Sometimes your lucky if the tower guy wakes up long enough to answer your call for landing clearance sometime before your wheels hit the pavement.

I assume you meant this as a joke, right? TOL in the middle of the night can get busy with /ac coming from all over. When the weather gets crappy they do a very good job. I've never encountered any "sleeping" tower dude. At least at night they are on the ball. A few years ago they had "Breathless", a chick controller with an awesome voice, specially at 2 am and she hustled us in and out very efficiently.

 

[YGBSM]

NO, there really isn't... and I have 20/10 vision and keep my eyes outside the airplane.

Don't they get dry?

 

[wrxpilot]

I like to do flight following whenever I'm going very far, but this is mainly so I can get in the practice for my instrument training. I also like doing it here in South FL, as it's extremely busy and I like to have the redundancy of having someone out there looking as well. Of course I keep my own eyes out, particularly since I've had to make room for traffic before (or even if) they give me the heads up. They're usually pretty good about it though.

 

[cforst513]

it's a nice, free insurance policy. i, as a student, will definitely ask for flight following to cover my butt until i am completely comfortable and capable of flying without it.

 

[SammyG]

See and avoid is nice. Class A airspace is better. Also, If your VFR and don't want to talk to anyone, take the time to climb at least above 7k. Most private pilots I know think thats high altitude. I knew a guy at riddle that was private IFR and had never been above 3.5. Very few of the 1200 targets I observe daily make it above 5k. Very very few above 11k.

Sssshhh...you're giving away my secrets. I really do like to cruise at the highest altitude I reasnoably can in a 172, because of this very reason. If you keep telling people then I won't be as alone up there anymore

On my flight from Florida to Atlanta last year I went up to 8500' and stayed there the whole time. Saw very few others, so I felt at ease. One of the few aircraft I saw was a Southwest Airlines jet, BELOW me.

 

[lymanm]

If done properly, VFR FF works very well. When I say properly, I'm refering to good vigilance by both ATC and pilot. However, this is not always the case - ATC of course will only provide it "work load" permitting. Even worse, though, are pilots who recieve FF and never look outside for the rest of the flight. That sense of complancency can be dangerous.

 

[FlyJordan]

I get VFR FF so I can set the AP and go to sleep. Good thing my Garmin 530 tells me when to desend!

 

[Bryan D]

it's a nice, free insurance policy. i, as a student, will definitely ask for flight following to cover my butt until i am completely comfortable and capable of flying without it.

I've flown twice from coast to coast all VFR with a sectional and a handheld GPS without flight following. I never request flight following but, sometimes when transitioning B/C/D it is automatically given. I would'nt consider it free insurance though. Yes, it keeps you out of restricted airspace but it does not relieve you of your navigation and see/avoid responsibilities.
I prefer dead recon or pilotage navigation. It keeps me awake, gives me something to do, I get to take in the scenery and I know exactly where I am 99% of time at any given moment.

 

[Lead Sled]

I get VFR FF so I can set the AP and go to sleep. Good thing my Garmin 530 tells me when to desend!

At night, when things are slow, ATC will also give you a wakeup call if you ask real nice.

'Sled

 

[TurboS7]

With football season approaching I want you guys to be aware of something that I was not aware of until I started doing it. Our charter operation flies 55 to 60 college football teams all over the country. These teams come out of some of the most poldunk airports that you have ever seen. If the runway is over 5000 feet we will be in there if there is a Division 1 college around it. Usually when we get within 30 miles of the airport we have to cancel IFR and go VFR. We have all our lights on and our TCAS but if you forget to turn your transponder on we can't see you. That is why you want flight following so center can warn you of this big airplane poking around in your airspace. You guys are very hard to see but I know that you will see us long before we see you. Midair's are not in the QRH and usually result in a forced landing that we don't want to talk about. When I see Bobby buy it who was one of the best of the best it is a reminder that we all have to be careful if we are going to survive. Be safe.

 

[pilotyip]

Turbo, your point is valid, but if too many people talk to the controller he will not accept any more traffic. That is the situation that happened to me at TOL a couple weeks ago. Since he would not talk to me, he did not who I was and then was even busier telling peolle he did not know who I was. You say you go into Part 139 uncontolled airports, many of which do not have towers. I am not saying this applies to you, but I run across a common thing with turbine airplane operators coming into uncontrolled fields. They do not conform to uncontrolled field traffic patterns. i.e. right base approach, 7 miles straight ins. etc. some don't even make radio calls on the CTAF.

 

[TurboS7]

I do, but I have a strong little airplane background, can't vouch for the others especially the ex-military types.

 

[FlyJordan]

At night, when things are slow, ATC will also give you a wakeup call if you ask real nice.

'Sled

Never got the courage to ask for it.
I can just imagine how that would go.

ME: ATC, I'm going to catch a little nap here, would you mind yelling real loud in the mic in about 30 minutes? Thanks I appreciate it!
ATC: Have you lost your mind?!?!?!?

Nice! I want to try that sometime now