How To Use VFR Flight Following

How do you pick up VFR flight following from ATC? We'll walk you though how to call ATC, what to tell them, and what you can and can't do on Flight Following.

[philip]

You folks are doing a great job of educating pilots with clear, concise materials. Well done! CFI Phil

[davisandotube]

Good video. Just happened to me a couple days ago. I was with approach fight following and about ten miles from my destination “class D”, approach was extremely busy, I manage to let them know I had airport insight and they let me go.

Then switched to tower and they had a busy party themselves. Couldn’t communicate until I was 6 miles away. I squished myself in somehow with tower. I knew I was not going to bust the airspace but it is within a class B, so you only have little room to maneuver. What I didn’t know was if tower was expecting me or not.

I called like any other VFR and had to “ident” and everything. It was a relief had them know about me. This is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a D without communicating before. I was thinking about doing a 360 until getting a hold on tower. Good video, thanks

[bakkaboi]

Would love to see more of your videos. They have so much more info than most of the others on here and are a great tool and learning opportunity. I hope you can start making more!

[eddib]

Wow, I look up VFR flight following and this is the first video I see. I literally did a XC last night from KFNL to KAPA. using Denver approach.

[OBENSquad_]

flight following will definitely hand you over to tower in due time, I learned this the hard way when I kept asking them if they wanted me to contact tower hahahah

[gbigsangle]

If leaving controlled airports you will get a VFR or IFR clearance for departure and a departure TRACON frequency. TRACON will hand you over to ARTCC once enroute. You can always fly over any Bravo if high enough. When approaching towered airports you will be handed over from enroute ARTCC to TRACON approach control. Usually 20 or more miles out. Approach will clear you into the airspace and hand you over to the tower when closer.

[Greenlid]

I fly out of KBJC & have traveled to KCYS for cross country trips, great to see local areas..

[Bulldog]

Pretty cool video. I grew up in Colorado and used to fly out of PUB flying N9614H. As a pilot, I've flown in and out of 1V6 (Florence), COS, and PUB. It's beautiful scenery out there.

[moodberry]

You obviously put a lot of work into this. THanks.

[AUBravo]

How did you get your flight instrument data into your dash cam footage?

[rmaha]

Awesome video. As a VFR pilot who is (severely) non-current, this video and you other ones go a great length to banging the mental rust off of long ago learned procedures. Will be brushing up before climbing into a plane with an instructor in the spring. Thanks.

[twc]

Usually, approach control will tell you to switch to tower before you enter tower’s airspace but you are right that sometimes they don’t. Instead of requesting termination of flight following, I request frequency change to tower. I think it’s basically the same thing. Correct me if I’m wrong.

[stinsonguy]

I've read where the radar facility which has agreed to give flight following has the responsibility to coordinate your travel through controlled airspace with the proper facility. Common sense tells me if there's a question about who to talk to and when, ask well before reaching the controlled airspace.

[Ty]

Why do you only have 38k subs .... you should have more.

[erickkabler]

I really enjoy professional, well edited aviations videos.  I learn something every time I watch a video.  Thank you!  I also would like to know the overlay process you are using.

[jusgettnby]

Thanks for the awesome video. Very educational. What system are you using to record your flight with the information tapes displayed. That's awesome.

[FWDSlip]

Great information. How would you communicate with a class C or D if you are on flight following and your flight path would go through their airspace?

[TheWindigomonster]

You may have answered my question in the video and I just missed it, but as a student pilot I´ve had a question about VFR flight following that I cant seem to get answered from anywhere online: Say I´m doing a cross country in my flight schools 1980 Cessna 152, and somewhere in the middle of the trip I get turned around over a rural area in class E airspace, and I´m not sure of my position. If I´m using VFR flight following, would the center I´m talking to be able to see my position and give me vectors, or is this only available in airspace with radar capability? If they´re able to vector you out in class E, it would definitely be an added layer of comfort especially in an older airplane.

[BanterEdits]

I don't understand anything but it's an airplane video so I don't really care.

[stingerjc]

You should have done more research. While on flight following with a radar controller, the controller will do the appropriate coordination for any airspace along your route. From the ATC rulebook, 7110.65, this is what controllers are required to do.
2−1−16. SURFACE AREAS
a. Coordinate with the appropriate nonapproach
control tower on an individual aircraft basis before
issuing a clearance which would require flight within
a surface area for which the tower has responsibility
unless otherwise specified in a letter of agreement.
REFERENCE−
FAA Order JO 7210.3, Para 4−3−1, Letters of Agreement.
14 CFR Section 91.127, Operating on or in the Vicinity of an Airport
in Class E Airspace.
P/CG Term− Surface Area.
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.
c. Transfer communications to the appropriate
facility, if required, prior to operation within a surface
area for which the tower has responsibility.
REFERENCE−
FAA Order JO 7110.65, Para 2−1−17, Radio Communications
Transfer.
FAA Order JO 7110.65, Para 3−1−11, Surface Area Restrictions.
FAA Order JO 7110.65, Para 7−6−1, Application.
14 CFR Section 91.129, Operations in Class D Airspace


Also, Denver Approach controls Pueblo airspace and will switch you to the tower with no coordination required. That's why you he had you remain on your present beacon code, since you already had a datablock on the tower's radar screen. No need to tell tower where you are or what you want, they already know all the information and assume you have the ATIS since that's approach's job to verify.