Jim Baker wrote:

Wow, Tim, you're going to open a huge can of worms with that!! LOL. About 2
to 3 years ago I wrote practically the same thing regarding 5-3-3 and got in
a big thread with the inhabitants here, especially Newps, about it. The
thread began with whether you should make a report when vacating a
previously assigned altitude or flight level. The controllers and many
other pilots contended, this from memory, that it wasn't required and
garbaged up the freq. I cited 5-3-3, the "should" and "at all times"
language, and rec'd a barrage of return fire.

Those who scoff at this stuff haven't been involved in rule-making or the
enforcement posture of the FAA. Because the FAA does not invoke enforcement for
things like these comm reports unless something really goes wrong, it becomes
easy to think they are optional.

Failure to report a previously assigned altitude in a radar environment would
almost certainly never result in an enforcement proceeding. Failure to make the
same report in a non-radar environment increases the chances of being sanctioned
to some degree.

I know, I have been through this stuff here before and am immune to those who
say "BS." ;-) I brought it up this time in the spirit of how I would include it
in a ground school course. In a training context, I would place it far below
the knowledge needed to survive in the system. But, neglecting to teach the
legal nuances of this "lesser" stuff is inappropriate.