Well if you are in the Center environment, "maintain VFR" is the correct phraseology. We do not assign altitude changes to VFR aircraft, just like you wont hear the words "cleared to" if you are VFR. Those are for IFR only. All the "Maintain VFR" mean is, "Cool, just dont go through the clouds". It's not meant to be rude.
A couple of weeks ago, in response to, "Regional Approach, Cessna 1234 descending to 2,500" (I was approaching the B and wasn't cleared in), I got, "Who is descending to 2,500?" "Cessna 1234 descending to 2,500." "Cessna 34, I terminated RADAR services a few minutes ago, squawk VFR."
I use DUATS
I also say when I'm changing altitudes too. Whether it annoys the controller or not doesn't bother me. In my airspace, you could be flying west at 8500 but if you drop down to 6500 for whatever reason, It puts you into an approach control. To the pilot, this does not matter because you have done nothing wrong. For the controller, you might be explaining why another aircraft is squawking a code in somebody else's airspace. The approach control might think it's an IFR aircraft that has deviated from their altitude. So, I still bug controllers with VFR altitude changes.
First I’ve ever heard of doing such a thing, so please forgive me of my ignorance (which I have a lot of).
That would be about the equivalent of wearing dork bars while flying a 152!
Actually I know you’re kidding, but just to clarify for others..
That's a myth. There's no such altitude as "four six thousand five hundred."
Why does it matter?
Come fly with me again, Richard!
@eetrojan - its right where the 'CTC SBA Approach" box is - there is a narrow gap there that only goes up to 4500 or so - you can easily slip through at 5500 and above -
I see what you mean. That would let you bypass the SBA class C and possibly some coastal stratus.
If you're zipping along in a 172 at 4500 because you really can't comfortably climb much higher easily - then you're not going to see it!
But there is such an altitude as 8,504. There is an ambiguous and unambiguous way to say it.
I dunno - I've had controllers call traffic, but not sure it helped me avoid the other aircraft; likely one or both of us would have seen the other, and if not, still not merged aluminum. Cruise flight collisions are pretty rare, and I prefer the quiet. The sky is big, my airplane is small.
Yeah. There's lotsa places in the world where it's a long way between stations that report altimeter settings. A common reference is needed to keep the 'aluminum' a thousand feet apart.
Good point. Traffic Advisories, more commonly known as Flight Following exist to 'assist' the pilot in complying with their responsibility to 'see and avoid.'
How about the equally confusing "to"?
and if ATC somehow thought you were reporting at 8,504 instead of 8,500, the consequences would be...
