VFR Flight Following Why?

[pilotyip]

Observation while flying VFR in the mightly C-172 the other day. Approaching TOL from the south at 5,500' on a 50 mile visibility clear blue day, I thought I would advise TOL approach I was overflying their airspace at 5,500'. I could not get a word in edgewise, there must have been 10 VFR airplanes asking for VFR flight following. So I finally made the call and was told to "Standby and remain clear of class C airspace". That was cool I was doing it anyway. I continued to moniter the freq. The controller kept telling the VFR airplanes he had a VFR aircraft at 5,500' unconfirmed at xxo'clock, etc. He was overloaded, plus he handels the IFR handoff's at CRUXX intersection for traffic going in YIP and PTK. To the point, why is it on a beautiful VFR day pilots have to be talking to someone? Is not the beauty of flying VFR the escape from the constant chatter on the radios? Why do pilots seek to have VFR flight following?

 

[CFIse]

Observation while flying VFR in the mightly C-172 the other day. Approaching TOL from the south at 5,500' on a 50 mile visibility clear blue day, I thought I would advise TOL approach I was overflying their airspace at 5,500'.

To the point, why is it on a beautiful VFR day pilots have to be talking to someone? Is not the beauty of flying VFR the escape from the constant chatter on the radios? Why do pilots seek to have VFR flight following?

I'm sorry - did you say you were flying VFR but felt the urge to talk to someone? Or is it only OTHER pilots that should get off the frequency, not you?

Yours is a valid question - but it seems you should be able to look to yourself and find an answer you can share with the rest of us.

 

[Milkdud99]

Observation while flying VFR in the mightly C-172 the other day. Approaching TOL from the south at 5,500' on a 50 mile visibility clear blue day, I thought I would advise TOL approach I was overflying their airspace at 5,500'. I could not get a word in edgewise, there must have been 10 VFR airplanes asking for VFR flight following. So I finally made the call and was told to "Standby and remain clear of class C airspace". That was cool I was doing it anyway. I continued to moniter the freq. The controller kept telling the VFR airplanes he had a VFR aircraft at 5,500' unconfirmed at xxo'clock, etc. He was overloaded, plus he handels the IFR handoff's at CRUXX intersection for traffic going in YIP and PTK. To the point, why is it on a beautiful VFR day pilots have to be talking to someone? Is not the beauty of flying VFR the escape from the constant chatter on the radios? Why do pilots seek to have VFR flight following?

because its an extra set of eyes looking for aircraft along with yours.... and if there is an emergency your already talking to someone...

 

[labbats]

I always made my students get it, but I never got it for myself. Clear as mud?

 

[paulsalem]

I live in Ohio, and everytime I go up to TOL airspace they are overloaded with VFR flight following. I've never see it that bad any where else in Ohio or WV.

Which usually puts the controllers in a bad mood for any IFR traffic.

Was it a weekend with CAVU weather?

 

[Tarzan]

Our insurance at the school requires either a fligth plan or flight following whenever you go cross country. If I am doing a short hop for my side job, as mentioned before, to have an extra set of eyes and and I don't have to worry about one extra thing if I need to holler "MAYDAY!" (twisting up 121.5)

 

[FN FAL]

Our insurance at the school requires either a fligth plan or flight following whenever you go cross country. If I am doing a short hop for my side job, as mentioned before, to have an extra set of eyes and and I don't have to worry about one extra thing if I need to holler "MAYDAY!" (twisting up 121.5)

Flight following can be done in house by company...

 

[Tarzan]

FN FAL, bring back the dog avatar. I got a chuckle everytime I saw it.

 

[Goose Egg]

Never mind flight following, I want to know why any of us bother to talk to anyone at all. I mean, all those pesky control towers and approach facilities and ARTCCs just get in the way and keep us from having the precious in-flight silence that we all deserve as strapping aviators. Some people say that it increases safety and our ability to prevent mid-air collisions, but I just don't buy it--we should be able to fly wherever and how ever we want. Screw public safety. If they can't avoid falling debris, that's their own effing problem. Oh sure, there will be a few "squares" down at the FAA who won't dig the "goose" philosophy, but I think it'll catch on eventually.

-Goose

 

[westwind]

Hey, it's a beautiful day. What could possibly go wrong? http://aero-news.net/index.cfm?ContentBlockID=e7d60ddb-6e91-408b-a24e-facd2c0bcb12&

 

[Ralgha]

Why do pilots seek to have VFR flight following?

Because I've almost gotten killed on two occasions by other airplanes. Both on beautful VFR days.

 

[PCL_128]

I always had my students get flight following just so they had someone already keyed up to talk to in case something happened. Student pilots have a propensity for getting lost, so I always wanted them to have someone to talk to instead of searching around on their sectional trying to find the closest FSS repeater for a direction steer. If they've been talking to someone from the start of the cross country, then ATC already knows where they are and can help if they get lost.

 

[pilotyip]

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

 

[Immelman]

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

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

 

[Ralgha]

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

No, there's not, because I was doing "see and avoid" when I noticed a flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye. I look to the right and see a light twin (about baron sized) in a 90 degree bank angle pulling away from me. I could see the stains on the underbelly. It lost at least 500 feet in that maneuver. Had the other pilot waited a fraction of a second longer, we both would have been fish bait (there was a river beneath us). Had I been using flight following, it probably wouldn't have happened.

So no, I don't have a high confidence level in see and avoid. I'll take every aid I can get to help me out.

 

[GravityHater]

ive had more close encounters when 'talking to someone' than when I was vfr and no talky.

If you are vfr, its "as workload permits",.

Heck, even when IFR (but vmc) I don't count on atc to add any huge layer of protection from collision.

Once, IFR and mostly imc, a pax reported an airplane zip past us very close behind.

the big hole below the nose can help, but the two above the nose are much more important.

 

[hindsight2020]

I totally agree about instilling the habit in student pilots, that said, Do as I say not as I do

I can't remember the last time I used flight following, it's nice sure but I personally go above the airspace (at least charlie) if I'm going somewhere far. I've noticed the younger instructors are addicted to it, my one old timer never made me use it...I like the old school approach.

It's occupying enough dealing with the controller's mood swings when I'm in the soup trying to get him to clear me for the approach without vectoring me to China, to also do it for the fun of it and talk to him/her while VFR? Maybe at night if I'm lonely and he's falling asleep, but day-VFR? pfff, forget that....

I need to go castigate myself now and re-read my ADM for being a naughty anti-authority little boy

 

[pilotyip]

I guess old timers who never really used it in the VFR environment get along just fine without VFR flight following and the new generation who get raised in the radar environment feels uncomfortable without having radar contact. I am wondering how students in these new glass cockpit C-172's will ever have time to look outside the cockpit, so maybe radar flight following is the wave of the future. I wonder how user fees will effect this?

 

[Ralgha]

You're all acting like it's a replacement for looking outside. It's NOT IN ANY WAY a replacement for looking outside, but it is one more set of eyes looking out for you, and that is a fact that can not be changed by any number of arguments by "crusty old timers".

It doesn't matter if your eyes are better, it doesn't matter if the controller is half asleep, it doesn't matter if the frequency is busy. It's still another set of eyes, and the chances of catching another airplane before it becomes a conflict go up, no matter what your opinion of ATC or flight following is.

I "got along just fine without VFR flight following" too, until that baron came within fractions of a second of killing me (beautiful day VFR). Even then I didn't start, it took a Citation nearly cutting me in half with it's tail as it climbed out (beautiful day VFR), and even that didn't do it. It finally took the time when I was doing power on stalls with a student, and I got that wierd sixth sense notion that I should put the nose down and clear the front again, and when I did I saw another airplane coming straight at us (beautiful day VFR). Third time's the charm, I take any help I can get, regardless of how little it is.

 

[Lead Sled]

I fly a bizjet in SOCAL. I really want the VFR guys talking to ATC when I'm in the neighborhood. The more people "in the loop" the better.

'Sled

 

[English]

I guess old timers who never really used it in the VFR environment get along just fine without VFR flight following ...

No, they don't. Those are the guys trying to kill us all.















KIDDING!!

 

[Metro752]

I was in regular air space once down near Daytona, and the controller must have been beating off or something (my initial thoughts), cuz next thing I know, these crazy old guys in their T-6s and a Mooney come blasting out from under a small bit of clouds at about my 1:00, headed right for me, so I dove that rusty little 152 I was renting really hard, and I don't know what, but those old farts did not see me, none of them manuevered to avoid me.

As I was "dodgin" the old coots, the approach controller comes on, Cessna 1............he pauses, and I key up, yeah I saw em.

Apparently they had just taken off from some little private strip, climbed really fast right at me, and ATC didn't really have a chance do to anything about it.

Then there was this one time, in a WELL maintained 152, where I was flying northbound along the Chicago lake shore at about 1000agl and 80kias, and I am now a little further north, just east of Palwaukee and the app controller comes on, kind of paniced, Cessna 970, traffic your 2 to 3:00 climbing fast a little lower than you, 2 miles, westbound.

At this point, I was a fairly fresh little private pilot, and didn't know if I was suppose to call him in sight, even though I didn't get an ATC advisory yet (didnt wanna tie up the radio). So I called back, have the traffic in sight and climbing. the controller, 2nd best app controller I ever had, just said thanks. I had watched this guy coming since he was 4 or 5 miles out.

Ended up being some moron flying just off the water in a twin something headed to PWK.

I don't count on VFR Flight Following very much. Most of the reason why I use it is so I can go over little airports and class C's so I dont have to worry about getting permission, usually. Handoffs have been pretty smooth for me when VFR. Never had a flight following denied or dropped either, except once in Florida, where there was a shift change, and the new controller dropped all 3 of his VFRs. Bastage

 

[TDTURBO]

I have had a few close calls in exactly the same spot you desribe above. Many people don't realize that you can call Midway Radar on 118.7 and get advisories until 3 north of the peir, which was the same Meigs would give you. Where you had your close call, as well as most of mine, are right after the 3 north when they drop you.


That is tuely a heads up place to be flying. I know the CfI that was killed, (3 south of the Peir), in a head-on there while TALKING to Meigs a few years back. Even with advisories I would still look around like you aren't getting them.

Also, get a Monroy or SureCheck for a THIRD pair of eyes if you are on a budget flying small planes. It's portable and has saved my ass a few times!

 

[NookyBooky]

I fly a bizjet in SOCAL. I really want the VFR guys talking to ATC when I'm in the neighborhood. The more people "in the loop" the better.

'Sled

I second that, especially for flying around here. Most of the time I see traffic before ATC calls it out, but it's the ones I don't see that worry me. There is no replacement for a visual scan, but all planes have blind spots-thats why I talk to ATC. You never now when that SWA 737 5k above you in your blind spot is going to start his 7000fpm decent.

ATC is a help, but I would have had many more close calls, or worse, if I wasn't always searching for planes like I was in a dogfight.

 

[Photoflight]

I spend most of my day flying VFR in and around class B and C airspace all over the country do survey work. It has saved my butt more than once. I'm currently in socal and the haze out here makes it nearly impossible to see most of the AC out there.

 

[NookyBooky]

I spend most of my day flying VFR in and around class B and C airspace all over the country do survey work. It has saved my butt more than once. I'm currently in socal and the haze out here makes it nearly impossible to see most of the AC out there.

Cheers to your avatar, and welcome to SoCal.

 

[Goose Egg]

Here in the Boston area there is so much traffic that it would be foolish to both not get flight following and not aggressively scan for traffic. For the record, I have not once ever had a problem getting flight following from Boston Approach or Boston Center.

-Goose

 

[User546]

I always get flight following when able, on my personal VFR cross countries for "another set of eyes" but more importantly to me, to have someone I can immediately talk to and squawk too if I have an emergency and have to put down quickly.

Sure theres 121.5, but theres no guarantee that someone heard you, and even if they did it might be harder for you to accurately relay your position to them in a timely manner. Flight following, just hit the IDENT button a few times, and/or squawk 7700 and your in good hands.

I'd hate to be sitting at a crash scene somewhere wondering if anyone actually heard my calllout.

Even if I don't use flight following on a cross country, I still reguarly check in with "busier" controlled airspaces and defintely check in with Approach when around Class B or C airports, just to let them know I'm over head, or around there, and am monitoring the frequency if they need anything. Never had a controller not sound like they appreciate the gesture.

That's my personal opinion, and how/why I use the system.

 

[aeronautic1]

"Gulfstream XXXXTango...

... I have traffic at your 12 o'click two miles opposite direction indicating 5500, unconfirmed."

Enough Said

 

[ISaidRightTurns]

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.