Going through ATL

I will be flying down to the NASCAR race in Atlanta on March 14th. For
those of you who have flown out of races, it is a pain in the butt to get an
IFR clearance and get out of the airport quickly. By far, the best way is
to take off VFR and try to file and get a clearance in the air. The airport
is under the class B veil and is due south of ATL. I want to go northbound.
For pilots familiar with the area, what are my chance that I could get
permission to go through class B airspace and go directly over the airport
(6500 MSL) or am I more than likely not going to get clearance into class B
and have to work around the city? Are the folks at ATL approach pretty
friendly or just too busy to concern themselves with me?

Advise from people familiar with ATL approach is appreciated.

Thanks,
Kevin

wrote:
I will be flying down to the NASCAR race in Atlanta on March 14th. For
those of you who have flown out of races, it is a pain in the butt to get an
IFR clearance and get out of the airport quickly. By far, the best way is
to take off VFR and try to file and get a clearance in the air. The airport
is under the class B veil and is due south of ATL. I want to go northbound.
For pilots familiar with the area, what are my chance that I could get
permission to go through class B airspace and go directly over the airport
(6500 MSL) or am I more than likely not going to get clearance into class B
and have to work around the city? Are the folks at ATL approach pretty
friendly or just too busy to concern themselves with me?

My recommendation:
Get the direct dial (866) number for the AFSS that serves ATL.
Ask the briefer for the telephone number for the ATL Approach Watch Desk.
Call the Watch Desk and discuss the matter with them directly.

On Tue, 02 Mar 2004 13:13:37 GMT, john smith wrote:

wrote:
I will be flying down to the NASCAR race in Atlanta on March 14th.

My recommendation:
Get the direct dial (866) number for the AFSS that serves ATL.
Ask the briefer for the telephone number for the ATL Approach Watch Desk.
Call the Watch Desk and discuss the matter with them directly.

Whew, what a breath of fresh air. You said that so well.

Bar none, when I've called the facility supervisor when I felt a
little bit unclear about something like that, I got almost royal
treatment. It seems to me that the supervisors are actually human and
enjoy a little bit of stretching to help a pilot out.

Mike Weller

That's wonderful...
Now, how is the average pilot supposed to know that there is such a thing as
an 'Approach Watch Desk'? Or, that FSS is the part of the system which has
the phone numbers for 'supervisors' identified by this internal jargon
within ATC? Where in the AIM is this information contained? How many CFI
or CFII folks give their students this specific information?

Rhetorical questions to make a point...
denny

Get the direct dial (866) number for the AFSS that serves ATL.
Ask the briefer for the telephone number for the ATL Approach Watch Desk.
Call the Watch Desk and discuss the matter with them directly.

I cannot remember how or when I first learned about such things, but I
do know that I learned about it within five years of obtaining my PPC.
It was either when I was working on my IR or doing research on
airspace.Flight Service has many numbers of intererst, so they will give
you, some they won't. They can contact any Customs officer in their area
24/7.


One of the real interesting things I have ever seen was/(is) the front
wall of the San Juan PR FSS.They have the names and telephone numbers
for probably every aviation related contact in the Caribbean affixed to
it. The letters and numbers are large enough to clearly read from the
back of the room.

Dennis O'Connor wrote:
That's wonderful...
Now, how is the average pilot supposed to know that there is such a thing as
an 'Approach Watch Desk'? Or, that FSS is the part of the system which has
the phone numbers for 'supervisors' identified by this internal jargon
within ATC? Where in the AIM is this information contained? How many CFI
or CFII folks give their students this specific information?
Rhetorical questions to make a point...
denny

Get the direct dial (866) number for the AFSS that serves ATL.
Ask the briefer for the telephone number for the ATL Approach Watch Desk.
Call the Watch Desk and discuss the matter with them directly.

On Wed, 3 Mar 2004 07:01:32 -0500, "Dennis O'Connor"
wrote:

That's wonderful...

Well, frankly, yes it is. Let me see if I can address your questions.

Now, how is the average pilot supposed to know that there is such a thing as
an 'Approach Watch Desk'?

You're not expected to, but as a working CFI and Commercial Pilot, I
spent a lot of time bull****ing with fellow instructors and local
pilots, and when waiting for the boss to do his business, the pilots
at every airport I go to. The list of subjects that spins around with
a group of pilots cooling their heals is almost infinite.

The first time I discovered the ease and beauty of this approach was
doing aerial survey work for the Nashville Airport Authority. I had
the contract to do it, but the Airport Authority only owns the ground
stuff that makes up an airport. They don't own the overlying
airspace. I talked to the supervisor and he briefed the controller
that I would be flying race tracks at 2000 AGL. It turned that when I
got up there, they were in the middle of a push. I thought I had died
and gone to heaven to fly back and forth across that airport and watch
the traffic coming and going. The tower would constantly asked me if
I had specific landing aircraft in sight. "Sir, you bet your sweet
ass I do." There is a neat little book called "The Cellular Pilot"
that Sporty's puts in each order. To me, if you want to have a
usable list of tower supervisors, this book is the way to go.
Beware, however, that the TRACON number may just get you the gal at
the front, which is fine during business hours because you simply tell
her "Hello, Cessna 12345. I need to talk to the active TRACON (or
ARTCC) supervisor."

After hours, you'll get an answering machine. Soo, you dial wx-brief.
Put the number they give you got on your PDA, or reverse write it on
your forehead so that whenever you look in a mirror you see it and
memorize it without even trying.

Or, that FSS is the part of the system which has
the phone numbers for 'supervisors' identified by this internal jargon
within ATC?

It's the "Service" part of FSS. Most pilots don't use a lot of what
FSS can do. DUATS is good for most situations, but FSS can add that
extra enhancement that you need.

Where in the AIM is this information contained?

Sadly, nowhere. There are clues in the AFD.

How many CFI
or CFII folks give their students this specific information?


I was going to be flippant and say, "Why should we give out this
information to the un-washed masses. They'll call the supervisor and
ask him, 'How's the weather over there' , or something similar.

Lord, the more I think about it, that's true. And as a CFII, I do
tell my students how to find those numbers. But they forget it as
fast as I mention it. Not many, but still... there are way too many
idiots that would bring the system to its knees, and the poor ATC guys
to brink of insanity. Really, how many old folks do you hear that
sound like they're not understanding anything and talk in an early
1950s flying movie dialect... "Calling Houston! Calling Houston!
Come in Houston, this is the Secret Rocket Ship to Mars! Calling
Houston, without un keying the Mic Calling Houston, Come in
Houston..."

Rhetorical questions to make a point...
denny


And that's fine. I hope this helps.

Mike Weller

Ya did good, Mike...
denny

"Mike Weller" wrote in Rhetorical questions to
make a point...
denny


And that's fine. I hope this helps.

Mike Weller

Thanks for the advice.

It worked well. They are very friendly and very happy that I called ahead
of time to get their opinion. They told me to ask to overfly Hartsfield at
5500 on the way down; however , go around under class B until I get north of
Hartsfield on the way back. They will be way too busy to get VFR traffic
identified and cleared to go over ATL before the plane gets into class B.
They don't want anyone circling and/or climbing to get over ATL after the
race. The area will be too conjested.

Kevin

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There is a guy working the ATL approach control that is just
incredible. I was flying in there one night on United and listening
in on channel 9 as he kept calling out flights and vectors one after
the other never missing a beat. When we turned base I looked out the
window and there must have been close to 100 other planes in the
pattern behind us heading for both runways.

I can remember thinking, how does he keep everybody straight in his
head? It was very cool.

Paul Davis

" wrote in
message ...
I will be flying down to the NASCAR race in Atlanta on March 14th.
For those of you who have flown out of races, it is a pain in the
butt to get an IFR clearance and get out of the airport quickly.
By far, the best way is to take off VFR and try to file and get a
clearance in the air. The airport is under the class B veil and is
due south of ATL. I want to go northbound. For pilots familiar
with the area, what are my chance that I could get permission to go
through class B airspace and go directly over the airport (6500
MSL) or am I more than likely not going to get clearance into class
B and have to work around the city? Are the folks at ATL approach
pretty friendly or just too busy to concern themselves with me?

Advise from people familiar with ATL approach is appreciated.

Thanks,
Kevin


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"PhyrePhox" wrote in message
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There is a guy working the ATL approach control that is just
incredible. I was flying in there one night on United and listening
in on channel 9 as he kept calling out flights and vectors one after
the other never missing a beat. When we turned base I looked out the
window and there must have been close to 100 other planes in the
pattern behind us heading for both runways.

I can remember thinking, how does he keep everybody straight in his
head? It was very cool.

Paul Davis



Did he sound like Billy Bob Thornton?