IFR clearance phone number?

BigBadLou

BigBadLou

Final Approach
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Lou
Greetings,
last weekend was the very first time where I was departing IFR from an airport without a remote CD frequency. (I got spoiled)
So after the run-up, I pulled out my cell phone and called the national CD number (888-766-8267). The gentleman who answered did not sound happy, likely due to poor sound quality and my misunderstanding of his two questions, even though I opened the conversation with clear: "N12345 would like to pick up IFR clearance from KABC to KXYZ".
So after he finally understood where I was going from and to, he barked at me (pretty unprofessionally, IMO) that our local TRACON has a local CD phone number. I politely inquired whether I could get the number from him and got another bark that he will give it to me when I'm ready to copy. A simple "ready to copy" did the trick.
I hung up, exchanged puzzled looks with my co-pilot and called up our local TRACON who was very nice and helpful.

Two questions came up for me from this experience:
1) Did I commit a mortal sin by calling the nationwide number and asking for CD? *shrug* Aside from the cranky personnel, I am not aware I did anything wrong and obviously I had the right number. What could I have done better?
2) Where can I find local TRACON numbers for CD? The one for our TRACON is not in the AF/D for the departure airport or for the Charlie airport where the TRACON is housed.

Thank you in advance for any USEFUL answers. :)
Lou
 
What I've done is create an entry in my iPhone, "IFR CLEARANCE" as the last name. Then I have the National number as the first one, and the other regionals I've uncovered as the additional numbers for that contact. I also use the iOS option of changing the label for the individual numbers from "home" or "work" to a custom one for the area that number covers.

Some numbers can be found in the dusty corners of the A/FD. But a discussion with C'Ron found out that these are not always reliable.

But what you can always do when flying is to ask the approach controller what phone number you can call to cancel or activate plans for the area you're operating in. I actually added that line to my arrival checklist.

Lou, what I have so far is:

National: 888-766-8267
DFW regional: 972-615-2799
Corpus Approach: 361299-4230 << you'll need this if you go visit Jay and his hotel.​

Hopefully others will share the ones they have collected.

IMG_0347.PNG
 
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flyingron said:
I've found the publishing of TRACON CD numbers haphazard. There is not any official place to look it up. There used to be a third-party directory that had them, but that was at least 10 years ago.
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Unfortunately true. Two I've been told about are Raleigh (919-380-3125) and Fayetteville (910-484-8012) in North Carolina, although I haven't had the opportunity to use either yet.
 
I hunted all over for the CLT number and finally found it listed on some handout on the table at a nearby airport. The PCT ones are nicely published for each sector.
 
You could try a Google search and might find something. For example, a simple search for TRACON phone numbers results in a few hits including this listing from Atlas Aviation.
 
Those numbers aren't necessarily the ones that connect you to someone who can pull up a clearance for you.
 
flyingron said:
Those numbers aren't necessarily the ones that connect you to someone who can pull up a clearance for you.
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Agreed. You don't know until you try. OTOH, it's kind of like not knowing a specific sector frequency. Call the facility and they'll direct you. Or, since Tower numbers are relatively easy to locate, one can always call them and ask for a TRACON number.
 
What is a good comeback for, "Where did you get this phone number!"
 
Seems like when I call the National Clearance number there's a 50/50 chance that when they get back to me after getting my info that they tell me that I need to call such-and-such to get my clearance. The briefer has always been polite but I hate it especially when it's hot outside (I'm doing this from the run up area via the Bluetooth connection between my cell and headset).

Is there any rhyme or reason that determines when the National number should or shouldn't be used?
 
The national number ,should work. The controllers sometimes have an attitude.last time I used the number they directed me to a radio freq. ,which I couldn't get to answer on initial call.
 
If I'm flying into a small airport without a tower IFR and know I'm going to have to depart IFR when it is time to leave, I will ask the last controller I speak to for a phone number for when I leave. It helps them out too so they're always willing to give one out in my experience.
 
I get spoiled being able to reach Approach on the ground at my home field...
 
The only TRACON numbers I know for that purpose (clearance) are Detroit (800-499-8181) and Saginaw (989-695-9143). I haven't had the need to learn any of them out here; I don't think Burlington Approach serves any satellite airports, and I can reach Boston Center on the ground here. Someday I'll probably need Boston Approach or one of the other big TRACONs...

It would indeed be nice if they were published somewhere, like in the A/FD.
 
I know you can file via LockMart FSS. I wonder if they have some of the regional numbers?
 
frfly172 said:
The national number ,should work. The controllers sometimes have an attitude.last time I used the number they directed me to a radio freq. ,which I couldn't get to answer on initial call.
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Gad yes - Flying out of DC FRZ, all the numbers are conspicuously posted at the airports in the FRZ and SFRA, but trying to depart Jacksonville NC, I went through an enormous goat rope of non-responsive RCO freq, trying a phone number the kindly FBO lady have me when she heard my calls, only to be told to call another number that I either copied wrong, or no one wanted to answer. Got off the ground VFR, tried the RCO freq again over the airport, got an annoyed response, and said to h*ll with it, and called the center freq. .
 
I wish there was a list for us to access. I have collected a few over the years via friends and/or asking around. I actually got a few after being given the dreaded "number" by ATC. Those times were after being lazed and having to call per some FAA/ATC/DHS/FBI... directive.

I have a number for Memphis Center that only works for closing IFR. I've asked to pick up IFR through that number in the past, but I've been told to use the national number.
 
I've honestly never had a problem using the national CD phone number. Maybe I've been lucky.

However, I will say that in more recent times, flight service seems less friendly overall than what I remember them being. It doesn't seem to matter whether you're contacting them via radio or telephone, they just don't seem as eager to help as they once were.
 
mondtster said:
I've honestly never had a problem using the national CD phone number. Maybe I've been lucky.

However, I will say that in more recent times, flight service seems less friendly overall than what I remember them being. It doesn't seem to matter whether you're contacting them via radio or telephone, they just don't seem as eager to help as they once were.
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I've been hit or miss on getting a good briefer. One saved my bacon a year or so ago after he went beyond his duties to tell me what was about to go down weather wise. I wish I could have gotten his name and just use him when I call. I've noticed that a lot will not diverge from their "script" for liability reasons. I didn't call you for you to read me what I can read myself. I called to get YOUR professional opinion on the weather.

I wish you could call the local NWS office and get a brief from them. I'm not a meteorologist and sometimes I need someone to give me the down low.
 
mondtster said:
I've honestly never had a problem using the national CD phone number. Maybe I've been lucky.

However, I will say that in more recent times, flight service seems less friendly overall than what I remember them being. It doesn't seem to matter whether you're contacting them via radio or telephone, they just don't seem as eager to help as they once were.
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I have noticed this too. Oftentimes when doing a simple VFR flight, I'll check NOTAMs and for TFR's on my own and don't need weather information... so it's been a while since I've called them for anything. The last couple flights I did for my IFR ride, I called a briefer and both times they acted like they hated the world. Maybe just coincidence, but I don't recall them being that way a year ago and prior to that.
 
I've noticed just the opposite. MUCH too eager. Flying IFR yesterday, right seat, during an approach, I mentioned there was a NOTAM that straight in minimums were NA. The PIC didn't know it, so he called FSS. They gave him a standard briefing, complete with "VFR not recommended." While we were on an IFR clearance starting an instrument approach.

Another flight, same day, a different briefer gave the longest briefing I've ever heard. There was a lot of weather, including a convective sigmet, but did we really need to know about every closed taxiway along the route of flight? And the NOTAM about OAK 28R being closed wasn't even true at our arrival time.
 
MAKG1 said:
there was a NOTAM that straight in minimums were NA.
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That's a weird NOTAM. You can't fly straight in? You have to circle to land? Was the runway supposedly closed?
 
PPC1052 said:
That's a weird NOTAM. You can't fly straight in? You have to circle to land? Was the runway supposedly closed?
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It wold be interesting to see the reason for that one. "Straight in minimums NA" does not mean you can't fly straight in, just like a VOR-A approach with only circling minimums does not prohibit flying straight in. In the case of a NOTAM, it might be something as simple as a temporary obstruction so that, straight in or not, you need to use the circling minimums.
 
midlifeflyer said:
It wold be interesting to see the reason for that one. "Straight in minimums NA" does not mean you can't fly straight in, just like a VOR-A approach with only circling minimums does not prohibit flying straight in. In the case of a NOTAM, it might be something as simple as a temporary obstruction so that, straight in or not, you need to use the circling minimums.
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That or a visual approach only?
 
midlifeflyer said:
Dunno for sure but I would expect an IAP for which you only could do a visual to be NOTAM'd NA for the approach as a whole and not just one set of minimums.
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Makes sense. But another reason to fix the NOTAM mess, huh?
 
PPC1052 said:
That's a weird NOTAM. You can't fly straight in? You have to circle to land? Was the runway supposedly closed?
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I agree it's weird. We interpreted to mean you must use circling minimums even for a straight-in.

If you want even weirder, the circling minimums were exactly the same as the straight in minimums, for all categories.

http://155.178.201.160/d-tpp/1606/09480R34.PDF

Under these circumstances, why not just publish circling minimums only?

We didn't see any evidence of nearby construction, though there were a lot of trees. Real nice airport. But take off on 16 with calm wind or even a slight tailwind. The slope is pretty obvious when you're trying to wheeze up it.

FYI, this is one of those fields with instrument approaches, no weather, and the nearest airport with weather is across a mountain range and totally different. Curiously, the segmented circle was made out of snow drift barriers. HUGE. It's barely over 2000 feet altitude and probably sees no snow at all. The lack of weather reporting is why I think straight in minimums are not called for. But why were they ever on the chart?
 
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Agreed that "straight-in minimums NA" does not mean you can't land straight in, just that you have to use circling minimums. But there are cases where you actually have to circle to a different runway even though straight-in minimums are given on the chart. The chart notes for the RNAV 35 at KMPV say landing on rwys 5, 35 NA at night. The reason for both runways is terrain. Not too long ago AOPA did a "never again" article by someone who nearly hit trees trying to land straight-in on 35 at night.

So I would not be too surprised by a NOTAM somewhere that said landing on the runway the approach is to is NA. One possibility would be a failed recent flight test with the limitation in NOTAM form pending incorporation into the chart.
 
MAKG1 said:
I agree it's weird. We interpreted to mean you must use circling minimums even for a straight-in.

If you want even weirder, the circling minimums were exactly the same as the straight in minimums, for all categories.

http://155.178.201.160/d-tpp/1606/09480R34.PDF

Under these circumstances, why not just publish circling minimums only?

We didn't see any evidence of nearby construction, though there were a lot of trees. Real nice airport. But take off on 16 with calm wind or even a slight tailwind. The slope is pretty obvious when you're trying to wheeze up it.

FYI, this is one of those fields with instrument approaches, no weather, and the nearest airport with weather is across a mountain range and totally different. Curiously, the segmented circle was made out of snow drift barriers. HUGE. It's barely over 2000 feet altitude and probably sees no snow at all. The lack of weather reporting is why I think straight in minimums are not called for. But why were they ever on the chart?
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Perhaps that's the gameplan... Given that the chart change is exactly that, perhaps that's how the NOTAM got drafted?
 
mkosmo said:
Perhaps that's the gameplan... Given that the chart change is exactly that, perhaps that's how the NOTAM got drafted?
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Well, maybe, but that airport has never had weather reporting, and the mountain range is not new. It's rather isolated up there.
 
MAKG1 said:
Well, maybe, but that airport has never had weather reporting, and the mountain range is not new. It's rather isolated up there.
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There are other reasons to raise a minimum, though... or somebody in charting saw the useless duplicate information.
 
"National Clearance Delivery Line, how can I help?"

"I'd like to have a clearance delivered."

"That's outrageous! We don't do that."
 
coma24 said:
"National Clearance Delivery Line, how can I help?"

"I'd like to have a clearance delivered."

"That's outrageous! We don't do that."
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If they can't do it in 30 minutes, is it free?
 
AggieMike88 said:
I know you can file via LockMart FSS. I wonder if they have some of the regional numbers?
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When you call, the first thing the automated voice asks is "What state are you departing from?" The answer to that question determines which of the three regional facilities your call will be switched to.

To the best of my knowledge, the national number is for FILING, not for picking up clearances. That's because terminal airspace is regional, not national


Bob Gardner
 
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