Flight Following

[aerobat95]

For me anytime I am flying to another airport not in the immediate vicinity I use flight following.  I used to never use it and just fly utilizing the big sky theory.....that was until I had a few close calls with people not flying the proper VFR altitudes.  Both times my semi near misses were with Cirrus....anyway since then I use it all the time.  Flying in the Air Force we fly IFR all the time.  I do like the freedom when flying privately that VFR offers so I feel that FF is a good mixture of the two. 

[Bob]

I almost always use FF unless a very short flight.  I am so used to it that If I don't get FF, I check and recheck my checklists.  The benefits are endless!  I believe that if you have FF Bravo and Charlie space grant requests quickly.  Having FF allows proper planning rather than a last minute curve ball.

Last month I had FF and saw a band of weather coming up fast.  Just as I was deciding if I should continue or go around, Approach informed me that there was a 15min old pilot report of 3 mile vis and moderate chop.  My stresses were reduced by being handed the information quickly.  I decided to go thru the 10 minute patch and I gave an updated pilot report as a return favor and thought "these guys are just great!"

A few weeks ago I saw the real benefit of FF.  Level at 5500 with my wife and daughter onboard.  The Controller gave a traffic call at my 12 O'clock, 5 miles and climbing out of 2500, Southbound.  Wow, I am on a course of 179.  Called "negative traffic" and was looking very hard, then asked for an update.  Traffic 1.5 miles, 12:00 climbing out of 4000.  Still not in sight.  "Approach, I would like to make a 90 deg left turn".  If I was not on FF, I hope that would have been my worst close call ever rather than my last chance to request flight following. 

 

[kerry]

Quote: Ncbosshoss

I an not IFR rated (yet) and I always ask for flight following. It is a service your taxes pay for so use it. Then again, there are some pilots that find ATC as a PITA and avoid us when able. We try not to be that way!

 

Chris

[orangemtl]

Put me in the "Usually use it" pile.  It's reassuring in VFR, particularly when they notify me of traffic. Most of it shows up on the G1000, most of the time, at most altitudes. Except when it doesn't. 

Returning from SanDiego to AZ last weekend, LA Center notified me of a KingAir coming at me from 11o'clock, 1000 feet above me. Looked; looked some more; finally saw it, perhaps a half mile away with a closing speed of--what, 300 knots?  The King Air was onscreen, then not, then it was; why, I don't know. 

I tell myself on shorter flights "Nahh....don't need it this time."  Then I reach altitude and course: and, I call them anyway. Good practice for lowtimers, and in my opinion a good habit to establish. Plus, if you have the feeling that someone is watching you, it serves to make you more cognizant of your actions.  Weather info is nice as well, if only to correlate what they see/what they're hearing, with what you're seeing on the weather screen. I've had no bad experiences with them.

[Jeff_S]

Flight Following is for Wussies! If you can't fend for yourself in the air and live by your own wits then what's the point?

Well, actually, I use it pretty much like everyone else above but this thread was becoming such a love-in I decided just to spice it up a bit!

[PTK]

I always talk to somebody.  Either by FF or filing.

Being in the NE I use it all the time on short flights when I don't feel like filing and thereby turning a 20 min hop into an hour and a half roundabout. It is also a matter of safety with many small fields around here.  A couple months ago there was a tragically fatal accident over one these little fields in perfect VFR.  I knew the unfortunate fellow as he kept his Cessna on my home field. I do find that when ATC, especially MJX, gets very busy they will dump quickly or they will just not offer FF. Politely they'll just use the old "...please..standby"  This translates to  "please flyby and get out of our hair because we can't talk to you right now!!" 

Most of the time I'll just file. It's so much safer and easier to go through all these class Bravo's. Besides this way they have to talk to me!!

[jax88]

If I'm doing anything other than just practicing, I use flight following.  Just one more tool in the box.

[PilotDerek]

Ok, it seems nearly everyone uses it on a regular basis. Now here is another question. Would you still use it if they (Government) attach a user fee? Just for the record I do NOT support a user fees and have made my feelings known to my Senator and Congressmen. Again curious who would stop using it, or reduce the amount they use it.

[Joe Zuffoletto]

I normally file IFR so the point is moot for me. However, I'm based at Denver Centennial, an extremely busy airport, and sometimes getting out of there on an IFR clearance means a lengthy wait. Also, the DP's can get complicated, especially if you're headed SW or NW. Under these circumstances, if the weather is VFR, I'll launch VFR and get a pop-up IFR clearance over the rocks. My philosophy is to always be talking to ATC on a cross-country flight, whether IFR or VFR.

[Joe Zuffoletto]

Oooh, PilotDerek asks the Million Dollar Question! I also don't support user fees but I guess it would depend on how much it was. Even in the $50-$100 range per flight it would definitely have an impact on my flying habits... when VFR I would probably just rely on the TCAS. If the flight called for IFR there might be cases where I'd punt and go commercial.

[Shadrach]

Quote: PilotDerek

Ok, it seems nearly everyone uses it on a regular basis. Now here is another question. Would you still use it if they (Government) attach a user fee? Just for the record I do NOT support a user fees and have made my feelings known to my Senator and Congressmen. Again curious who would stop using it, or reduce the amount they use it.

[John Pleisse]

Quote: colojo

Oooh, PilotDerek asks the Million Dollar Question! I also don't support user fees but I guess it would depend on how much it was. Even in the $50-$100 range per flight it would definitely have an impact on my flying habits... when VFR I would probably just rely on the TCAS. If the flight called for IFR there might be cases where I'd punt and go commercial.

[kerry]

I wouldn't use it if a fee was involved.  O.K.  maybe I would but I'd probably use one of my buddies N# instead of mine. LOL

[scottfromiowa]

Quote: Jeff_S

Flight Following is for Wussies! If you can't fend for yourself in the air and live by your own wits then what's the point?

Well, actually, I use it pretty much like everyone else above but this thread was becoming such a love-in I decided just to spice it up a bit!

[scottfromiowa]

Quote: kerry

I wouldn't use it if a fee was involved.  O.K.  maybe I would but I'd probably use one of my buddies N# instead of mine. LOL

[Hank]

Quote: scottfromiowa

[Skybrd]

Quote: Mitch

For us, FF is a great tool!  We use it extensively in our travels.  FF does not take the place of looking outside for traffic.  That's our personal responsibility.  It's just antother feature for flight safety.  

[gsengle]

Really picky pet peeve.  You'll sound more professional on the radio if you call up and ask for 'advisories' or 'radar advisories' not 'flight following'.  Flight following is an informal slang term, not the real term.

I believe there was something called flight following, but that was something just in Alaska - someone else may recall.

"November zero romeo delta, just departed Northamton out of nine hundred feet requesting advisories direct Providence"

g

[Parker_Woodruff]

Quote: gsengle

Really picky pet peeve.  You'll sound more professional on the radio if you call up and ask for 'advisories' or 'radar advisories' not 'flight following'.  Flight following is an informal slang term, not the real term.

I believe there was something called flight following, but that was something just in Alaska - someone else may recall.

"November zero romeo delta, just departed Northamton out of nine hundred feet requesting advisories direct Providence"

g

[gsengle]

Quote: Parker_Woodruff

Interesting.  Addison tower (ADS) and multiple other towers I've visited have the words "VFR flight following" recorded in their ATIS.

[rob]

The literal meaning of "flight following" as I understand it, according to the AIM, is in Cape Cod and overwater. Their equivalent of the lake reporting service in the great lakes. I don't have any problem with "flight following" on the radio though, it's universally used, and understood. 

[gsengle]

Quote: rob

The literal meaning of "flight following" as I understand it, according to the AIM, is in Cape Cod and overwater. Their equivalent of the lake reporting service in the great lakes. I don't have any problem with "flight following" on the radio though, it's universally used, and understood.

[bnicolette]

I file IFR anytime I am going from point A to B.  Case in point, I flew today to work and filed both ways.  Its a whopping 44 miles or something but it was a beautiful day.  On the way home (lunch time) PIT called out 3 airplanes that were close to me.  None that they required me to turn for but close enough that they called them out.  I have made this same trip VFR before and filing IFR adds no time to the trip and I like working the system.  I feel lonely and all alone flying along and nobody having me on their radar screen??  I dunno??  I suppose since I fly for a living its just seems normal where flying along and not talking to anybody seems abnormal??

So, I am definitely an advocate for using the system.  I think it would be hard to find a "good" argument for not filing IFR or using advisories?  

[PilotDerek]

Other pet peeve?  No such thing as taking the active at an uncontrolled airport.  There is no active by definition.  Makes me always want to go on the air and say 'hey, don't take it, I'm going to need it to take off'...

g

[gsengle]

Quote: PilotDerek

 So what do you say at an uncontrolled airport?