Proceed on course VFR

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nfeldberg

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Marthius
This has been bothering me so I hope someone can give me a precise answer.

When departing a Class C airport VFR I will usually receive a clearance “maintain VFR at or below X” regardless of the altitude requested. When I receive “proceed on course” from tower or departure, does that formally cancel my altitude restriction and allow me to climb to my cruise altitude? What if I did not request a specific cruise altitude when I called CD?

I cannot find any formal definition of proceed on course for VFR flights stating that it removes altitude restrictions only that it allows you to turn to the requested heading.
 
No, a route clearance does not change your altitude clearance, or restrictions, and vis versa.
 
Courses are horizontal, altitudes are vertical. It's plain English. It is possible the controller could forget about your requested altitude or that you had been assigned one, in which case, a gentle reminder may be prudent.
 
So proceed on course should only be taken as a heading change and not altitude regardless of requested altitude, got it.
 
“Altitude your discretion” is what releases your altitude assignment. Proceed on course or resume own nav are only supposed to apply to heading.
 
Actually, I've been hearing "Resume own nav" rather than "proceed on course" lately.
 
midlifeflyer said:
ATC: ...maintain VFR at or below X.
ATC (sometime later): Proceed on course.
Pilot (unsure about the altitude restriction): Is my altitude restriction cancelled?"

Simple, no?
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Amen. Although VFR instructions in class C airspace are not clearances per se, the following excerpt from 14 CFR 123(a) seems appropriate:

"When a pilot is uncertain of an ATC clearance, that pilot shall immediately request clarification from ATC."​
 
asicer said:
Actually, I've been hearing "Resume own nav" rather than "proceed on course" lately.
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Interesting.
I usually only hear "resume own nav" if they've given me vectors for traffic or weather on VFR flight following and are turning it back over to me.
Otherwise it's usually "proceed on course".
 
ArrowFlyer86 said:
Interesting.
I usually only hear "resume own nav" if they've given me vectors for traffic or weather on VFR flight following and are turning it back over to me.
Otherwise it's usually "proceed on course".
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Perhaps you're right. I suppose if you were given a departure route out of class C, you never had your own nav so there's nothing to resume. Now I'll have to pay closer attention to what they say the next few times.
 
nfeldberg said:
This has been bothering me so I hope someone can give me a precise answer.

When departing a Class C airport VFR I will usually receive a clearance “maintain VFR at or below X” regardless of the altitude requested. When I receive “proceed on course” from tower or departure, does that formally cancel my altitude restriction and allow me to climb to my cruise altitude? What if I did not request a specific cruise altitude when I called CD?

I cannot find any formal definition of proceed on course for VFR flights stating that it removes altitude restrictions only that it allows you to turn to the requested heading.
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Absent a SVFR, clearances are not issued to operate under VFR in Class C airspace. Clearance Delivery and Departure gave you several instructions (remain VFR, heading, altitude, ect)

FAR 91.123(b) Except in an emergency, no person may operate an aircraft contrary to an ATC instruction in an area in which air traffic comtrol is exercised.

You are required to follow each instruction until radar service is terminated or ATC modifies the instruction.
 
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asicer said:
Actually, I've been hearing "Resume own nav" rather than "proceed on course" lately.
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Kinda tough for ATC to advise a VFR flight to proceed on course because there is no course assigned to the flight and you were instructed to remain VFR.

Under IFR, there is a course assigned in the clearance and cleared to bore holes in clouds.
 
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nfeldberg said:
This has been bothering me so I hope someone can give me a precise answer.

When departing a Class C airport VFR I will usually receive a clearance “maintain VFR at or below X” regardless of the altitude requested. When I receive “proceed on course” from tower or departure, does that formally cancel my altitude restriction and allow me to climb to my cruise altitude? What if I did not request a specific cruise altitude when I called CD?

I cannot find any formal definition of proceed on course for VFR flights stating that it removes altitude restrictions only that it allows you to turn to the requested heading.
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Like already said, proceed on course or resume own navigation does not cancel any altitude restrictions. That’s a precise answer. And like already said, speak up and get your question answered in real time from the controller. That should give you a precise answer what he meant then. Curious, had you been given any route instructions?
 
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Palmpilot said:
Amen. Although VFR instructions in class C airspace are not clearances per se, the following excerpt from 14 CFR 123(a) seems appropriate:

"When a pilot is uncertain of an ATC clearance, that pilot shall immediately request clarification from ATC."​
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I always thought it was a little strange to put that in 91.123(a) instead of being in its own paragraph. I also wonder what led something so obvious to be needed to be in a regulation at all.
 
Or radar service terminated, squawk 1200. :)
 
I recall flying on July 4th near Hartford, CT and was on with Bradley Departure/Approach. I had initially requested 4,500 on a 260 heading. About 10 minutes in I saw the clouds ahead of me around 4,200'. I requested an altitude change and I got back was.... "Maintain VFR". - Not sure if this applies to the OP thread, just wanted to add my 1.5 cents.
 
Alpha Kilo Warrior said:
I had initially requested 4,500 on a 260 heading. About 10 minutes in I saw the clouds ahead of me around 4,200'. I requested an altitude change and I got back was.... "Maintain VFR".
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Sometimes I hear "Altitude is at YOUR discretion." You have no obligation to request an altitude change if you have not been assigned an altitude.
 
Anytime unsure of an altitude restriction, be it hard or potentially lifted, query. “Confirm remain 4500 feet” is all that’s necessary in this example. Applied VFR and IFR. Doubt there’s a flight I make without at least one query. Never been scolded yet.
 
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