Do you use ATC Flight Following?

A quick pilot report on dealing with part 91 general aviation in the air traffic control system. Do you personally use VFR flight following? Tell us about your experience with ATC in the comments.

[mylifeasanoldergentleman]

I haven't used flight following in decades, I make sure I am on frequency in areas to monitor what is going on and to call if I need help. I find in more annoying that helpful. Flying out west they lose radar contact all the time and they terminate it anyway.

[arpeltier]

I use it often (although I'll probably file IFR flight plans after I get my IFR rating). I listened to a webinar with SoCal ATC guys and they asked us to use flight following as much as possible, as it helps them to know what we're doing. It's pretty busy airspace down here with a lot of IFR traffic and they're forced to vector IFR traffic around non-participating VFR traffic, which makes it harder for everyone. I really like it, especially when transiting near or through the Bravos. It helps to have them looking out for you. When times get busy though, sometimes they don't have time to provide it and I also hear pilots on flight following not listening to their instructions to the point that they get booted back to squawking 1200. Not sure why you'd want to be on flight following and then argue or not follow ATC's instructions, but I hear it more than you'd think. I know they provide the service only when able and sometimes it can be a burden for them, but from my experience, it helps them being able to talk to you and to know what you're doing. It definitely helps me and so I try not to be a PITA for them.

[xplayman]

The tower situation is easy to understand because the IFR pilots have a slot that's given by ATC. They have a certain window that they have to be up by and all other IFR traffic (depending on the airports around and radar coverage available this can include incoming and outgoing) is blocked from moving. And airlines and most commercial aircraft are required to fly on IFR flight plans. So when they get the slot to go the controllers get them out immediately because there's a line of other IFR flight plans.

I fly out of NY, the busiest airspace in the world, and so I often deal with this either with or without a flight plan. Because of radar coverage the airport I fly out of is held hostage by two other airports. When any IFR aircraft, either taking off or landing, coming to one of three airports then all of the airports are essentially closed (unless you're taking off VFR).

[zlcju]

It depends. As a former FAA air traffic controller, current major airline pilot and 91/135 pilot. There are certain situations when it's better to not be on flight following. LOAs and SID/STARs are not necessarily published on VFR charts, so how could you be held liable for flying through an arrival at an appropriate VFR altitude. ATC over the years has increased their reliance on procedural deconfliction rather than good ol' ATC skills. At the same time be fair and do some homework, maybe not be at or near the altitude for crossing restrictions for arrivals and approaches. Also, I hear from my terminal buddies that the new wake turbulence categories can constitute a "deal" for a controller, so there's that. Overcontrolling when you're VFR. When you're a 1200 squawker, I'd say you're MORE safe, especially with the advent on ADS-B (above 10000) and the fact that controllers will move all other traffic away from you because your altitude is unverified.

[erikpetersen]

I use flight following as often as I can. When traveling west to east Washington and back, I'm usually above and to the north end of the class B in Seattle unless flow is south to north where I'm usually in the way of climbing airliners where ATC needs to warn them about me. I hop on the freq and offer to go a little lower and shade north as long as they clear me into the B, otherwise, I'll stay right where I am and let them go around me. Saves them a ton of energy to clear me and I come out with some social karma.

[jcheck]

Never use FF. After 45 years of military/airline flying and now with ADSB-IN/OUT, I don't to talk to anyone. But then again I fly low (under Class B airspace) and thereafter fly in uncongested airspace.

[AvgDude]

I only use it if my route includes possibly tricky air spaces like bravo, Charlie, a cluster of deltas, prohibited, restricted, or MOAs. But if it’s a clear route or an area I know well like the DFW bravo area, then I’ll forgo it. I’ve literally got three GPS units in my plane: G430W, Aera 660, and Fore Flight with ADS-B in. I also monitor the local departure, center, and approach frequencies in transit. So I know exactly where I am and who is around me for the most part (except planes lacking ADS-B out. Why use a resource I don’t need? Plus, it just seems like another way to get in trouble with ATCs.

The last time I did VFR flight following, the ATC had me flying around off route for 20 minutes looking for a 150 he feared crashed but merely turned out have a cheesy comm. what a nuisance.

[MrSuzuki]

You are wrong not to get flight following. You are flying VFR while the jets are IFR, so naturally they get priority. I wrote an article for both the Cessna and Piper Owner Magazines on why pilots should ALWAYS get flight following when leaving the vicinity of the departure airport under VFR. In that article, I make these points. 1. If you are getting flight following, you are automatically cleared through Class D and C airspace.
2. you are automatically cleared through the outer ring of a TFR, and are told if your flight path will take you into the inner ring of a TFR or into a prohibited area or hot military airspace. 3. you will be alerted if you are approaching high terrain at night or in marginal VFR weather. 4. but the most important reason is if you experience an emergency, such as engine failure flying a single engine airplane, and not in contact with ATC, who are you going to tell you are about to make an emergency landing, where you are, and on what frequency? If you are getting flight following, all you have to say is "Nxxx, engine failure, declaring an emergency." The controller already knows who you are and where you are. One caveat is that if you are getting flight following, speaking to ATC, squawking a discreet transponder code and approaching Class B airspace, you still need to request a Class B clearance. 5. Flight following is a free TCAS service where the controller will point out any traffic threats. Anyone who does not get this free service is not flying as safe and professionally as they can. If you are getting flight following, there is no such thing as a TFR bust. I am a 30, 000 hour retired airline pilot who has been a current and active CFI for the past 53 years, so I know something about flying airplanes.

[justicier-]

If I am doing a cross country I will most likely use flight following. Florida is a very busy airspace, and while Miami Center may be a little annoyed having to track a Cessna 172, they have provided a worthwhile service. An example would be informing me of "Unknown traffic, co-altitude, 12-o'clock, 1 mile"... Traffic that I did not see. Spotting it was difficult because we were nose-on... and that presents a very small cross section. The other guy's plane, when I finally spotted it, looked like a tiny, old, tail-dragger. I had to dive rapidly to avoid conflict, the other pilot never saw me as far as I can tell. Flight following can be a bit frustrating, and sometimes I just want peace and quiet, but it definitely can be a literal lifesaver so I think in the busier airspaces it's worth it.

[whiskybravoflight]

When the FAA changed from the CAA (Civil) to FAA (Federal) the agency's #1 priority was commerce. We do not represent commerce so they will de-prioritize accordingly. They don't want to say that out loud, but yours and everyone else's experience bears it to be true.
Great video.

[johnparkman]

I always use it in Southeast Virginia...and I have never had a problem with them...only been cancelled by them once...

[hornet]

I am such a ding dong about that. Almost every time I fly I say "I'm not going to bother with flight following today". As soon as I level out from my initial climb I'm all like "Fort Worth departure N-blah blah blah request".

[ericfagerburg]

I do flight following more often than not. It's an extra layer of safety in my mind. Visually looking for traffic, getting ADSB on the GPS, ATC looking out for me via flight following... ATC should have radar that would allow them to warn me about the folks still flying around without an electrical system. I used to have one of those guys next to me in the hangars. I agree, though, that it can be annoying. If I'm sightseeing away from everyone's airspace it's blissfully quiet to not be on frequency with ATC. And sometimes ATC can be cranky. I used to have a hangar at an airport under a Class C shelf. Sometimes ATC would refuse to even answer my call to them and that would mean I had to stay under the shelf and 1000 ft. lower than I really wanted to be until I cleared their little fiefdom. And I do sometimes get cut lose when they're busy. If I'm going very far at all and really want the extra security blanket and there are any clouds at all I'll file IFR so they can't ignore me. 🙂

[tacmajasn]

Why not just cancel when it gets cumbersome?

[bmoulas]

You can use it, and if you find it not of service you can cancel it at anytime. Don't like the vectors, don't take them.

[mikemurphy]

I swear, I thought this was a video starring Anderson Cooper

[TRabbit]

There are far more GA airports with the long, paved runways the Cozy MkIV enjoys that don’t have these problems than those very few that do….

[koc]

I get it, I really do, but the fact of the matter is you're just not a priority, I'm sorry but that's just how it is against airliners where they're carrying one or two hundred passengers its you in your own aircraft against all of those lives. For business however yeah that was shitty of him to do and doesn't make much sense.

[WirelessDevelopment]

Hello Russ, I live in Atlanta and I am trying to build a Cozy. I would like to contact you if you think that you would be able to give me some advice.