How To Pickup VFR Flight Following - MzeroA Flight Training

In this video I show you how I pickup VFR Flight Following and even receive a Flight Following handoff.

I set out to shoot a basic almost "cookie cutter" type flight following video for you guys. However what happened was anything but normal. In this video I'll not only show you how to pickup VFR Flight Following but also show a Flight Following Handoff, Change of Squawk Code, and a bit of a different format.

[jamesdriscoll]

I love how much help the controllers give you with flight following, it makes you feel like a VIP in your little cessna.

I once tried to terminate flight following early before my arrival because I just wanted to relax after listening to approach control talk nonstop for two hours and they didn’t just tell me to squawk 1200 and have a nice day, the controller saw some maneuvering traffic en route and wanted to make sure I got through there safely! Shouts out to all the controllers out there for keeping us safe.

[captmorgan]

When the controller typed you in the keyboard he gave you the squak code for his local area for Orlando approach so in a nutshell its flight following still but, not outside say 60 nm radius of Orlando.
When he changed your squak code he gave you a national airspace code so you could get flight following to anywhere in United States which includes handoffs to adjacent radar facilities.The first way he did it is quicker just to put a data tag with aircraft so he can move on to other aircraft when he's busy. If he has time he will go back and try to provide you better service. Otherwise he would say radar services terminated squak vfr frequency change approve suggest miami center 132.25 for further flight following as you are leaving the controllers airspace..

Bobby Morgan
Air Traffic Controller
PBI ATCT

[DerekKalista]

Best video on the topic! Flew into Ktki (Dallas) using VFRFF and was very busy with approach and center. Had a lot of handoff and changes. Most video just show the normal, not what can and does happen!

If you have never picked up flight following just do it! Don't be scared or overwhelmed. Just have a pencil and paper and if you are unclear about a code or freq just ask for it again! Keep learning and pushing you skills into becoming a better and SAFER pilot. -Derek (KFES)

[nickolson]

I fly in the busy DFW area. I've visited FW Center a few times. Each time they have emphasized to me that they WANT VFR pilots to request flight following, even when they're busy. It helps them keep everyone in control and safe. Don't be afraid to call them, they are hard working people trying their best to keep you safe. They don't expect you to say everything just right. If you get corrected (usually politely) just shake it off and see it for what it is - a valuable lesson.

[CaptJimDavis]

Hey Jason, you are exactly right why newbie pilots shy away from requesting flight following or avoiding of talking to controllers for any reason other than an emergency situation. This video is a great example of it. When a controllers jump 5 steps ahead of a new pilot and confuse the heck out of them by responding a situation out of ordinary way it overwhelms and distress the new pilots. Most new pilots prepare how the training bnooks and manuals and CFIs teach them the proper by the book way of picking up a flight following. So those new pilots who may even be using some cheat sheets to talk a controller with certain expectations about what they will be hearing from them. When controller responds a non-traditional, off-the-book way response, first thing a new pilot will think if he/she made a mistake, then not to know how to behave or what to ask next and throws them off... But again it is a very good practice and advice from you to hear that pilots have to be ready to expect the unexpected at times and react/respond accordingly. Great video & advice as usual!

[jameshazen]

Nice video, I love hearing "radar contact", it's like hearing "you're not alone". In high traffic areas it's like an extra set of eyes. Out in the big empty, it's somebody to help. I had a bird strike on the way to North Las Vegas. Las Vegas Approach took me straight to VGT and handed me off to VGT tower, who cleared me number one to land.

[grantlarmstrong]

What is cool, is not only flight following, but sometimes a shortcut through air space. I called for flight following through Dayton and they allowed me to pass right over the field to my destination. Talk about feeling pretty important in my C150! I loved it!

[randym]

Great video, Jason.  Please consider a video that teaches who to call (for flight following) in a given area.  I'm a low time pilot and I've never been quite clear on that... especially in remote areas away from large cities.  Fort Worth, TX

[kmr]

Jason - Great Video! That was much better than if the interaction had gone 'normally', whatever that is. I use flight following a lot and wanted to say the ATC folks in Champaign (CMI) usually respond to a cold call with a squawk code.

[timmitchell]

Thanks for the great videos!  I'm a private pilot working on my instrument rating and had to take a brake due to an extended overseas trip for work.  I'm sucking up everything I can to make it easier to get current when I get home this summer.  Your videos are by far the best I've found!  Thanks so much!

[AaronB]

Just got my ppl last week and during my student pilot solo trips I always opened flight plans and used flight following. Such a great tool to use for that extra set of eyes on you. Great video as well!

[DocsOnAPlane]

Nice Video. I am not sure why people don't use this service. I always use VFR Flight following. Not only are the traffic advisories awesome, it is a source of comfort to me knowing I can get in touch with a controller at any time 

[uncertifiedpilot]

Great video again, Jason :-) I especially like your ATC demonstrations. Please consider showing us more of these (e.g. emergency, air to air, non-towered, etc.)

[FlightChops]

Happy to see you didn't use "with you" when handed off...  it's such a hard thing to resist saying because it seems to make sense, and so many of us learned it from hearing others say it...  but my understanding is that controllers don't appreciate hearing "with you"...  UPDATE: as I am typing this comment, you've just addressed this point at about the 5:00 mark - awesome.

[jerryphillips]

I had an interesting occurrence during my long solo cross country for my student pilot requirements (so that made it even more fun) just a few days ago: I gave a cold call to the towered airspace I was approaching, and they replied with "536 squawk 3019".. I was expecting an altimeter setting in the initial response, but since he said "squawk" I complied and read that back to him. For obvious reasons, I struggled to put 3019 in the transponder which resulted in me calling back tower and stating something along the lines of one of my buttons not working, and was then given a different squawk code in what seemed like a fairly confused voice... coincidentally, 30.19 was the current altimeter setting but I was already a nervous wreck and it snowballed downhill from there. Pretty embarrassing but I made it through my landings then home.

[captanfred]

your a great instructor and love watching your videos

[luiz.ribeirinho]

Another great video, Jason! I was introduced to MzeroA a couple of months ago, and I immediately became an enthusiast of your channel. I'm a flight student in São Paulo, Brazil, heading for my 9th practical lesson of the private pilot course. It's always great to watch your videos to improve my listening for the ICAO certification as well.

Well, let's add some comments and questions here: I believe "with you" comes from Microsoft Flight Simulator, which uses it on its virtual ATC communication. And if I got this right, at 3:55, you said "two point five" to state your altitude (2500ft), and the Jacksonville controller came back with an ATIS information you should grab (Lima), right? Just wanted to make sure I got it properly...

It was great to watch such a valuable video, with all those non-standard communications, the squawk code change and the hand-off. Thank you once again for posting!

[bobram]

I'm not a PPL pilot but i fly gliders and don't normally use Flightfolllowing. But you've made a good point here that simple cold calls simply often get more complicated than they ought to. What ever - very nice video that shows what could happen.

[DerPilotMann]

I rarely get to fly right now (poor college student) and fly XC flights even less frequently. That being said, this video was a great review. Thank you!

[PghGameFix]

This is a good vid... and I think it's a reason that some VFR pilots don't want to worry about flight following. While it makes things safer... it does make your work load heavier. But thanks for the vid.