Flight following with a wandering path?

bcool

bcool

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Nov 25, 2010
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201
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St Charles, MO
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Display name:
Bud
Is it OK to request flight following if your route isn't more or less direct from point A to point B?

For example, I'll be traveling through TX, NM, and AZ soon and a lot of my route will be following roads, but occasionally I'll do direct legs that deviate from the highways.

How does one request flight following from ATC? Just give my final destination, or do I need to give some sort of heads-up about my erratic path?

I would imagine they might wonder what's going on if I'm going hither and yon, but otherwise I'd have to keep telling them when I change direction every few miles.
 
Just let them know in plain English how you'll be navigating. Example, VFR flight following from AAA to BBB following the coastline for sightseeing. They'll take care of you if they can.
 
Well, it won't be quite that straightforward o_O

More like "I'll be following interstate X west, then north to the XXX VOR on the 120 degree radial, then west again along interstate Y....", etc, etc.
 
The only thing you need to do is let the current controller where you are headed. As long as they know approximately what you are going to do they are fine. Ask me how I know.
 
Sure it’s ok to request FF without a direct route. Just realize if it’s XC and they’ve put you into the system, it doesn’t compute a route outside of the points entered.

So, to help the controller, tell them some waypoints along your route that coincide with the roads you want to follow. If you don’t give them anything other than direct A to B and you veer off course, it could take you into another controllers sector without coordination. It’s not a big deal but it helps out the controller if they know your actual route vs a basic direct route.
 
If you can give them a few waypoints near your intended route of flight, it will help with flight plan processing.
 
Stay tuned for this week's installment of "Does Flight Following Change Any of the Visual Flight Rules?"

Spoiler alert: As with last week's episode and all those before, the answer is that it doesn't. Flight following is a radar service that ATC can provide to VFR flights to help with traffic advisories and a few other services. Flight following is not a clearance to fly a route or an altitude. We have some controllers around here who can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think anyone at ATC much cares what route you take or what altitude you fly when you are on flight following, because you are VFR and that is not their job. They care about your destination mostly so they know which direction to look for traffic to advise you about.

So what I would do is something like "Fort Worth Center, Bugsmasher N123BS ten miles west of Texarkana, request flight following to KPAN." And then fly exactly the same flexible route and altitudes that I would if I had never tuned the radio to Center in the first place.

The trip sounds awesome, by the way. I flew across TX, NM, and part of AZ earlier this year and it was a blast. Bumpy and we had to go around White Sands, but a blast nonetheless.
 
Thanks for the tips! It's going to be an epic trip - from St. Louis to Death Valley (and back) in my humble Archer.
 
bcool said:
Well, it won't be quite that straightforward o_O

More like "I'll be following interstate X west, then north to the XXX VOR on the 120 degree radial, then west again along interstate Y....", etc, etc.
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tell 'em zactly what u just told us.
 
Not infrequently when I’m on FF, I’m obliged to change course here and there to avoid build ups - ATC will not infrequently ask if that’s what I’m doing - when I confirm they “roger” me.
When flying over inhospitable terrain I will inform ATC “following the interstate Highway” or some such - sometimes when that happens they seem to need to switch me from Approach to Center, no big deal.
Welcome input here too from our ATC compatriots.
 
English. Just regular English. Works great.
"I'm headed towards Boogerville, but I'm going to do some sightseeing over the Four Lakes for a while, and then follow the coast."
--or--
"Headed for Boogerville via Podunk VOR"
--or just--
"Destination Boogerville" and call it good. That works too.

If they need you to be somewhere (or avoid somewhere) in particular, they'll let you know. Otherwise, wander hither and yon as ya like!
 
Not sure where Boogerville is, but there is or was a Kitty-wompus. A local told me the farmer let the cows take it over however.
 
kath said:
English. Just regular English. Works great.
"I'm headed towards Boogerville, but I'm going to do some sightseeing over the Four Lakes for a while, and then follow the coast."
--or--
"Headed for Boogerville via Podunk VOR"
--or just--
"Destination Boogerville" and call it good. That works too.

If they need you to be somewhere (or avoid somewhere) in particular, they'll let you know. Otherwise, wander hither and yon as ya like!
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Boogers??:D

 
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wrbix said:
Not infrequently when I’m on FF, I’m obliged to change course here and there to avoid build ups - ATC will not infrequently ask if that’s what I’m doing - when I confirm they “roger” me.
When flying over inhospitable terrain I will inform ATC “following the interstate Highway” or some such - sometimes when that happens they seem to need to switch me from Approach to Center, no big deal.
Welcome input here too from our ATC compatriots.
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Knowing whose airspace you're going into next is a thang. It can make the difference between making a very simple 'push the button' silent handoff and a more time consuming 'verbal via landline' handoff. Like said above in posts #5 and 6. Inhospitable terrain or not doesn’t really figure into it.
 
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My experience may be of help here. I fly semi-regularly between Culpeper VA, KCJR (SW of the Washington SFRA) to Dexter MI 2E8, which is just outside and west of Detroit Class B. The direct route would take me over portions of Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Detroit Class B airspaces. So, I shift my route to the south about 20 miles keeping clear of all Bravo, and fly over KDUH Toledo Executive then curl around the SW perimeter of Detroit Class B making my final leg heading to 2E8 015. Usually somewhere around Cleveland they ask if I am on course or what my intended course is. The same thing may happen west of Toledo. Sometimes they offer direct to 2E8 across Bravo from my location. I usually take it if offered, but I don't ask for it anymore because then the can route you all over hells half acre to get there. Not a fan of that.

My point here is Flight following can accommodate VFR variations easily if they have a general idea what you are trying to do. If they don't, they can simply call you and ask. Be aware they do not use the VFR sectional on their screen and may not have references to some way points you may be using. VPACE and VPAXI come to mind here as ATC doesn't know where they are.

Good luck.
 
Tell them you are following roads and sight seeing. Around here they are interested in your route because there are lots of approach corridors. Just tell them generally where you are going to be. Like "going to Podunk, following highways for the most part, sight seeing along the way. Saves them from asking when your path is not direct."
 
eman1200 said:
tell 'em zactly what u just told us.
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except I might add, not the whole route. Just the general overview and first leg or two...next landing location so they get the idea of general direction and can plug that into their computer, and the first jog or two in the routing.... Doubt they care what your specific route will be outside their sector.... or even turns that will happen 15 minutes from now....
 
ATC is very accomodating and you can pretty much fly whatever route you like. It is possible to confuse them, however....

When I picked up my new-to-me Beech a couple of months ago, the plane was in Defuniak Springs in the Florida panhandle. I needed to fly it home to Winter Haven. The plane was just out of annual and I made a 45-minute test flight in the vicinity of the airport on the day I retrieved it. The next morning I took off just after sunrise for the flight home.

Since the plane was both new to me and freshly out of maintenance, I wanted to have good options if there were a problem. Therefore, I didn't take the most direct route. Instead, I created a route that avoided the Tallahassee class C, avoided MOAs and Restricted areas, and weaved a bit from one airport to another. I was never more than about 15 minutes from an airport.

Anyway, I was on FF with Tallahassee approach and they handed me off to Jax center. I was northeast of Tallahassee and flying due east at the time. Shortly after checking in with Jax, they called me and asked me to confirm my destination:

Me: "Winter Haven, Florida - kilo golf-india-foxtrot."
<pause>
Jax: "Uh, just how are you planning to get there?"
Me: "I'll be turning south in 5 minutes."
Jax: "Okay, course change at your discrection and maintain VFR."​


In retrospect, it was a good thing I planned a cautious route. The plane was fine for the entire flight, but I encountered some weather en route and decided to set down at Crystal River for a couple of hours. The "prudent" route only added about 20 minutes compared to the more direct route and was well worth the added safety.
 
I think the, "I'm following highway 276," works better with approach controllers who have a more intimate knowledge of the local geography. For enroute facilities, probably not so much. Filing a few waypoints along your approximate route of flight, especially if you're going to be talking to multiple facilities, greatly helps in flight plan processing which ensures the receiving facility has flight data. Nothing prevents you from saying, "We're going to fly east for 20 miles then go direct ABCDE."
 
PastZTL said:
I think the, "I'm following highway 276," works better with approach controllers who have a more intimate knowledge of the local geography. For enroute facilities, probably not so much. Filing a few waypoints along your approximate route of flight, especially if you're going to be talking to multiple facilities, greatly helps in flight plan processing which ensures the receiving facility has flight data. Nothing prevents you from saying, "We're going to fly east for 20 miles then go direct ABCDE."
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Controllers don't see vfr flight plans.
 
So "Filing" was the incorrect word. Please replace that with, "Request flight following and include,"
 
Years ago I was returning from the east side of the state to home. We turned towards Mt. Rainier to take some pictures and SEA Center came up on the radio (we were getting FF) and said, "I know what you are doing!" We laughed and told him he was right and that we'd be heading back to KOLM shortly. No biggie at all.
 
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