Requesting Flight Following from ground control

I just learned recently that this was possible at my little airport,
Hawthorne CA (KHHR). Presumably they get a squawk for you from SoCal and
arrange your radar coverage. Couple questions--

1. What is the phraseology of the request to ground?

--I'm guessing it's just "ground, cessna 1234 can you arrange flight
following to xxx via y and z"

2. At what point would you contact SoCal, and what would your initial
callup be? I assume you don't "request" FF at that point since it's already
been arranged, but I can't figure out what's best. Would you just report in
as you would if you were being handed off to a tower or tracon controller?

You would do #1 as you suggested. Then when you are given permission for
frequency change from the tower, open your flight plan with your local FSS,
then check in with SoCal with current position and altitude.
They do this out of Sacramento Executive also.

Have a great flight,
David Smith

"Yossarian" wrote in message
...
I just learned recently that this was possible at my little airport,
Hawthorne CA (KHHR). Presumably they get a squawk for you from SoCal and
arrange your radar coverage. Couple questions--

1. What is the phraseology of the request to ground?

--I'm guessing it's just "ground, cessna 1234 can you arrange
flight
following to xxx via y and z"

2. At what point would you contact SoCal, and what would your initial
callup be? I assume you don't "request" FF at that point since it's
already
been arranged, but I can't figure out what's best. Would you just report
in
as you would if you were being handed off to a tower or tracon controller?

On Fri, 18 Jul 2003 01:00:03 GMT, "Bob Gardner"
wrote in Message-Id: nEHRa.76573$OZ2.13686@rwcrnsc54:

There is no such thing as "proper" phraseology for pilots in the same sense
that controllers must conform to the ATCH. Say whatever you have to say in
an understandable manner.



At Orange County/Santa Ana Airport (KSNA; Class C) all departing VFR
flights are assumed to desire Radar Traffic Information Service; the
Los Angeles basin airspace is usually quite congested.

KSNA Tower personnel have published VFR Departure Procedures with
various names: El Toro, Mesa, Newport, Orange, ... They have also
implemented a one-word convention for alerting ATC when Radar Traffic
Information Service is _not_ desired by the pilot; the word "local" is
appended to the desired departure name when contacting Clearance
Delivery:

Departing Flight: "Orange County Clearance, Cherokee 1234 request
Mesa _local_ departure."

A flight on a _local_ departure clearance receives radar advisories
from the tower until clear of the Class C airspace, and then, "radar
service terminated; squawk VFR." Flights not on a _local_ departure
clearance are handed off to SoCal Departure (TRACON) for enroute Radar
Traffic Information Service.

The Aeronautical Information Manual contains this note*:

NOTE-
Participation by VFR pilots in formal programs implemented at
certain terminal locations constitutes pilot request. This also
applies to participating pilots at those locations where arriving
VFR flights are encouraged to make their first contact with the
tower on the approach control frequency.

Perhaps the practice I described above is a result of such a formal
program.

*Ref:
Chapter 4. Air Traffic Control
Section 1. Services Available to Pilots
4-1-14. Radar Traffic Information Service
http://www.faa.gov/atpubs/aim/Chap4/aim0401.html#4-1-14

Yossarian ) wrote:

I just learned recently that this was possible at my little airport,
Hawthorne CA (KHHR). Presumably they get a squawk for you from SoCal and
arrange your radar coverage. Couple questions--

1. What is the phraseology of the request to ground?

--I'm guessing it's just "ground, cessna 1234 can you arrange flight
following to xxx via y and z"

I use: "Ground (or clearance, if applicable), Cessna XXX, VFR to Catalina
Island at six thousand five hundred, with Alpha (current ATIS), request
flight following."

At my class C airport in central NY, I had asked the controller about the
need to request FF and he told me that they will always coordinate FF.
Thus, it is redundant to ask for it here. However, at unfamiliar airports
I will always tag on the request as above.


2. At what point would you contact SoCal, and what would your initial
callup be?

When told by tower to switch. Then, I use the callup, "SoCal Approach,
Cessna XXX, one thousand four hundred (whatever the current altitude),
climbing six thousand five hundred (whatever your requested altitude),
runway heading (or whatever tower's assigned departure heading was).



--
Peter

When contacting departure you should state that you are passing through
xxxx for yyyyy. That way ATC confirms what they see on the radar

Bob Gardner wrote:

There is no such thing as "proper" phraseology for pilots in the same sense
that controllers must conform to the ATCH. Say whatever you have to say in
an understandable manner.

If the folks in the tower have set up flight following with the terminal
facility, the last transmission from the tower should be "Contact departure
on ......" so you don't have to worry about what to say. Your first call to
the radar facility should just be "Departure, Fastbird 1234X," because they
already know you are coming and have a data block on their scope with your
tail number and altitude.

Bob Gardner

Bob Gardner

"Yossarian" wrote in message
...
I just learned recently that this was possible at my little airport,
Hawthorne CA (KHHR). Presumably they get a squawk for you from SoCal and
arrange your radar coverage. Couple questions--

1. What is the phraseology of the request to ground?

--I'm guessing it's just "ground, cessna 1234 can you arrange
flight
following to xxx via y and z"

2. At what point would you contact SoCal, and what would your initial
callup be? I assume you don't "request" FF at that point since it's
already
been arranged, but I can't figure out what's best. Would you just report
in
as you would if you were being handed off to a tower or tracon controller?

Kyler Laird wrote in message ...
(Snowbird) writes:

socal approach, Cessna 1234, leaving one thousand eight hundred for
two thousand five hundred, assigned runway heading"

42,500?!

--kyler

You're too deep for me, Kyler, I don't get it.

Sydney

On 18 Jul 2003 22:04:35 -0700, (Snowbird)
wrote in Message-Id:
:

I don't get it.

Sydney

for = four

I took it as bragging about his new Citation.

--
Montblack

(Snowbird wrote)
42,500?!

You're too deep for me, Kyler, I don't get it.