Picking up a Clearance Airborne

"PlanetJ" wrote in message
...
Contact the local FAA Regional office and file a communication complaint.
Inform the FAA(Airways Facilities) that insufficient ground communications
exist at Harford and you would like to see a GCO(Ground Communication
Outlet) or RCO(Remote Communication Outlet) installed at that location.

Inform the FAA that a safety of flight issue exists due to poor ground
communications. Also contact the congressional representative for that
area
and tell him or her the same story. The FAA regional office for that area
I
believe is the Eastern Region in New York City near JFK.


All excellent ideas, I hope "Brad Z" follows them. I've never had a problem
picking up a clearance after a VFR departure, but if this can't be tolerated
from a particular airport they need to provide a method to communicate
besides cell phones and it needs to be NOTAMed. Berating a pilot in the air
for following a legal and normally appropriate procedure doesn't advance
safety and security.

-Greg


"Brad Z" wrote in message
. net...
I was departing Harford Co MD airport yesterday (0W3) enroute to
Chesterfield MD (FCI). 0W3 is a small non-towered field with no ground
communications to ATC or FSS. In trying to pick up my clearance on the
ground, I attempted to contact Leesburg FSS on the 1-800-WX-BRIEF. Due
to
call volume, I was routed to Altoona FSS, which did not have access to
my
flight plan and said that I needed to call Leesburg directly. So I
called
the direct Leesburg number, and after staying on hold for 15 minutes
(meanwhile my cellphone battery charge is ticking away) I decided to
hang
up, and get my clearance airborne.

The weather was VFR, albeit a bit hazy. Even though 0W3 is just north
of
the ADIZ, I really wanted to get my clearance prior to departure just
because my route would eventually take me into the ADIZ.

I ultimately decided that I would depart VFR to the north, and circle if
necessary, until I was cleared enroute.

After taking off, I contacted the departure freq on the approach chart
for
0W3. The controller chewed me out for departing VFR, made a comment
that
it
was unsafe, and sent me to another frequency. I tried the new freq, and
this controller chewed me out even further, refused to get my clearance,
and
told me I should have gotten it on the ground. Explaining to my
passenger
(1st time flying with me) that the ground was a better place to deal
with
this than the air, I returned to the field to start making phone calls.

I finally got the number for Potomac approach, got my clearance. I was
told
to call back right before I was airborne. (Is a cell phone now a
require
piece of comm equipment in an IFR aircraft?)

I know the controllers were busy at that moment and that's why refused
my
clearance. Why didn't they just issue a sqawk code with the
instructions
"remain vfr"? Does it have to do with the nearby ADIZ? I guess my
confusion is this: I've picked up clearances in the air on numerous
occasions. I thought it made it easier for them because they did not
have
to block out airspace for my departure. I've even been denied a
clearance
through an RCO on the ground at a Charlotte area airport and asked to
pick
it up airborne. While I didn't appreciate the on-air chew out from the
controller, I am not really upset, I just want to know how I should know
these things ahead of time. I haven't been able to find guidance from
the
AIM or 7110.65, NOTAMS or otherwise.

Brad