Why does ground control care?

[UnAnswerd]

When my instructor and I are ready to head for the practice area, he has me contact ground control, and I say something like this:

"Two Nine Whiskey ready to taxi with Lima going to practice area at 3000 feet"

Just out of curiosity, why would ground control need to know where I was flying to, and at what altitude????

 

[pilotman2105]

That information is relayed to the tower controller and approach controller if applicable. This way they know what direction you're headed before you start going that way.

 

[FracCapt]

When my instructor and I are ready to head for the practice area, he has me contact ground control, and I say something like this:

"Two Nine Whiskey ready to taxi with Lima going to practice area at 3000 feet"

Just out of curiosity, why would ground control need to know where I was flying to, and at what altitude????

In the scenario you state, ground probably doesn't care. I assume you're operating out of a Class D airport. If you were in a Class B or C, you would be required to call clearance delivery for a squawk before calling ground.

I think your instructor is just making you do it because......1) He believes it is required...or 2) He's trying to get you ready for busier airports....though, number 2 doesn't make much sense to me...I've just heard the argument before.

Then again, maybe it's a requirement at your airport due to a large amount of training flights going in and out of there. As your instructor.

 

[Vector4fun]

As the above posters noted, Ground Control is likely responsible for putting that info on a strip, and perhaps for entering the info into the ARTS, (terminal radar) system. At a larger airport, a Clearance Delivery position would be staffed, and they'd be asking for the info. With ARTS IIe and III, controllers can put data into the "scratchpads". Basically 3 character abbreviations that time-share with your Mode-C altitude and groundspeed. Our Clearance Delivery position will enter both your destination and requested altitude into the ARTS, and on a strip for the Tower Controller.

 

[DX Rick]

Plus if the winds are suitable they can give you a runway to get you pointed in that general direction first so you're not flying over the field jamming up traffic, if there is any. Regardless, Tower wants to know which way you are going.

 

[ExAF]

Ask

All of the other answers here are quite logical, but if you want to know why your instructor makes you do it, I would suggest you ask your instructor. He is the only one who really knows for sure why he would make you do it. His answer might surprise you and you could learn straight from the horses mouth.

 

[Lrjtcaptain]

vector4fun is right.....however, at my airport and alot of others the only person who needs to know where your going is the local controller. If you practice area is in some approach controlls airspace or just outside however, then more then likely the clnc deliv position would input that into arts so the departure controllers know where you are headed as does the local by looking at the strip.

However, this could just be your flight instructor has no clue what he is doing, thinks he knows how atc works, but in alot of cases, such as mine, if a plane calls up ready to taxi and tells me his destination, if he is VFR i don't even bug local and tell him, the local will solicate that info from the pilot prior to takeoff.

 

[TrafficInSight]

Here in San Jose at Reid Hillview they ask you to state your departure request to the ground controller... I have a feeling that it's because we're right up against the SJC class C and if you're going that way they can get a squawk for you before you even reach runup.

VFR Departure requests here are usually downwind departure, straight out departure, charlie transition to x, bay tour, Calaveras departure(reservoir to the northeast), or closed traffic.

It's easy to see why when the tower controller is up to his ears in student pilots doing touch and goes and 5 people are calling up from UTC (10 south on a straight in). It just helps the controllers plan for you... except for the one guy... all he does is get stressed out and start yelling at the poor students in the pattern

 

[Mr. Cole]

If there is more than one runway being used for departures, knowing your direction of flight will allow the ground controller to send you to the runway that's most advantageous. At CDW we often have Rwy 22 and Rwy 27 being used for departures and which one you receive is typically based on your direction of flight, unless you request otherwise.

Dave

 

[Goose Egg]

I'm with ExAF on this one. Why don't you ask your instructor for a change? If he knew that you were second-guessing his every move on some website, he'd probably refuse to fly with you.

-Goose

 

[midlifeflyer]

However, this could just be your flight instructor has no clue what he is doing,

Sorry, but that answer is completely uncalled-for and suggests that someone other than unanswered's CFI may be clueless about VFR flight out of Class D airports.

There are more procedural variations than are thought of in your philosophies, Horatio. There are even two airports where the normal procedure is to call Ground instead of Tower after run-up when ready for departure. (Each one thinks it's the only one!) Can you name a Class C where GA doesn't speak to Ground at all? (Calls CD for departure instructions and then talks directly to Tower).

For example, it is SOP at some Class Ds, especially busy ones, to have direction of flight mentioned in the "what I want" part of invital call up to ground as a way of reducing the local controller's communication workload. In some cases, it's mentioned in the ATIS as an advisory to all pilots; in other cases it's simply a tower's preference that cooperative locals know about.

 

[UnAnswerd]

I'm with ExAF on this one. Why don't you ask your instructor for a change? If he knew that you were second-guessing his every move on some website, he'd probably refuse to fly with you.

-Goose

Sorry, but I have never once "second guessed" my instructor, and I'd like to see one post in which I did. I ask my instructor lots of questions. I did not ask him this one.

 

[TrafficInSight]

Sorry, but I have never once "second guessed" my instructor, and I'd like to see one post in which I did. I ask my instructor lots of questions. I did not ask him this one.

Keep asking questions, to him and us.

 

[homerjdispatch]

Best way to learn is to ask questions.