Class C Airspace Discussion

A couple of months ago, here and elsewhere, there was a discussion
about the nature of the requirement to contact ATC before entering
Class C airspace. The specific issues over which there was disagreement
were (i) whether contact with any ATC facility was sufficient, or
whether contact with the specific TRACON responsible for the airspace
in question was required; and (ii) whether a pilot receiving VFR
advisories from an ARTCC would be in violation of the FARs if he
continued into Class C airspace without having first been handed off to
the TRACON controlling that airspace.

To obtain guidance on these matters, I wrote a letter to the FAA Chief
Counsel seeking an opinion. I today received a reply, and I shall post
a link to this and to the original enquiry in PDF format once I have
scanned the document into a suitable format. The essence of the reply
is that (i) it is necessary to be in contact with the specific TRACON
responsible for the Class C rather than just any old ATC facility; and
(ii) that the receipt of VFR advisories does not absolve a pilot of his
responsibility to contact that TRACON before entering the airspace and
that he would therefore be in violation if he entered without so doing.

As I say, links to PDFs to follow.