Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

5 Answers

Flight Following

Asked by: 3790 views , , , , ,
Airspace

I ask this question because the correct answer needs wide distribution. Scenario - I have plotted my x-country flight in a straight line which takes me through airspace with a control tower in operation. I don't want to circumnavigate around it. I can't go above it because of weather. I am participating in Flight Following and am now about to enter the airspace.

Am I legal to continue on into and through the airspace without making contact with the control tower since I'm already with Flight Following? What is "best practice" here? 

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

5 Answers



  1. John D Collins on Nov 08, 2014

    ATC will normally coordinate with the Class D controller and switch you to the D frequency, but compliance with the regulations is the pilot’s responsibility.

    +1 Votes Thumb up 1 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  2. Mark Kolber on Nov 09, 2014

    Here’s what the FAA has to say about controller responsibility for transitions in FAA Order 7110.65V, the ATC Handbook:

    ==============================
    2-1-16 (emphasis in the original)
    a. **
    b. Coordinate with the appropriate control tower for transit authorization when you are providing radar traffic advisory service to an aircraft that will enter another facility’s airspace.

    NOTE
    The pilot is not expected to obtain his/her own authorization through each area when in contact with a radar facility.

    ==============================

    If you think about it, it makes sense. The communication requirement is to communicate with the facility that has jurisdiction over the airspace. Especially with respect to area TRACON and Class D airports, there are many Letters of Agreement that talk about which facility is responsible at certain altitudes. These aren’t published and there isn’t a general way for pilots to know which facility actually has jurisdiction. So the FAA wisely puts the burden of coordination for Class D through traffic won those who have the information.

    +3 Votes Thumb up 3 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes

  3. Best Answer


    Mark Kolber on Nov 09, 2014

    Couple of additional clarifications that I thought of:

    The title of §2-1-16, which I accidentally omitted, is “Surface Areas.” So keep in mind that while it applies to such things as Class D or the inner circle of Class C when speaking with TRACON, this section would not necessarily apply to other airspace incursions. For example, receiving flight following from Center and approaching a Class C airspace, I would expect to be handed off to Approach long before I reached the Class C boundary and would query the Center controller if I were not.

    Also, the section specifically talks about “transit” and “through” so I would also at least ask “do I stay with you” or “should I switch to Tower” if not being handed off for landing. I have, for example, been cleared to land at a Class D airport by Approach; I have also been given a late handoff to Tower for landing which aggravated the Tower (the latter happened so often between Denver TRACON and Centennial Tower that I was convinced it was a game TRACON was playing from time to time).

    +2 Votes Thumb up 2 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  4. Gary on Nov 10, 2014

    Gentlemen, thanks for your answers. It’s always great when we can get annswers we can depend on.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  5. Gary S. on Nov 17, 2014

    Folks, I found this article in Avweb.com about Flight Following. Worth a read since FF is such a valuable tool. Thanks to Maj. David M. Sampson, USAF.

    http://www.avweb.com/news/avtraining/183268-1.html?redirected=1

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.