"Where" is my destination?

A fix from a VOR will always work. "Bearing 15 miles on the 180 Radial of
(VOR)."

What's this "VOR" thing you speak of?

:-)

I actually turned my on yesterday, just to make sure it still worked. And
we used the other one once on our way home from Sun N Fun -- to listen to an
AWOS.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

In article ,
Judah wrote:
That might have been why the first guy got snippy with you - he's
watching a sector in CA

The first guy was a ground controller. I was surprised that he put it
in the system in such a way that other controllers had to ask.

Anyway, the whole point of my query was: What IS the right answer?
When he came back with the snippy "Oregon" I thought that was it. So
I tried the local FSS, the state, the nearest airport and the nearest
VOR.

I should have seen this coming when Oakland FSS's computers told them
that Scappoose was the closest airport.

--
Ben Jackson

http://www.ben.com/

I'm sure that Steve or Newps will straighten me out, but I don't think
"putting it in the system" goes any farther than calling the radar facility
on the landline and telling them that you want flight following. I don't
think anything is "filed" per se. The "right answer" is that your
destination is the biggest, busiest airport in the vicinity of your real
destination (airports requiring reservations do not fit here). Then, when
you get close enough so that the controllers recognize the names of small
towns and airports, tell them you are changing your destination. Having
found Starks on my sectional, I think I would have waited until Seattle
Center handed me off to Portland Approach.

Bob Gardner

"Ben Jackson" wrote in message
news:PZfjc.26174$YP5.2043444@attbi_s02...
In article ,
Judah wrote:
That might have been why the first guy got snippy with you - he's
watching a sector in CA

The first guy was a ground controller. I was surprised that he put it
in the system in such a way that other controllers had to ask.

Anyway, the whole point of my query was: What IS the right answer?
When he came back with the snippy "Oregon" I thought that was it. So
I tried the local FSS, the state, the nearest airport and the nearest
VOR.

I should have seen this coming when Oakland FSS's computers told them
that Scappoose was the closest airport.

--
Ben Jackson

http://www.ben.com/

controllers in another state, especially "local" approach control, are not
expected to know every Podunk airport more than 200 miles away..

When departing an area like that.. I just give the direction of flight
"North" and get out of there as soon as possible.

BT

"Ben Jackson" wrote in message
news:SAbjc.42018$_L6.2563007@attbi_s53...
Leaving OAK I called ground and asked for flight following to 7S3
(which I gave by name and spelled phonetically). Later, while I'm
taxiing they come back with "where is that" and I couldn't imagine
how I could help them if the identifier didn't, so I came up with
"near McMinnville", which is both a nearby airport and the name of
the FSS. There was a pause and they came back with "we would call
that 'Oregon'" and gave me a squawk.

On climbout with Norcal approach and later Oakland center my destination
came up at least once with each controller. One thought it was MMV.
One of them accepted 7S3 without argument and asked for my route of
flight, which I gave as "direct Maxwell VOR and then airways" which
started a new round of "what's the closest navaid to your destination"
and I offered to amend my destination to HIO. She explained that she
just needed to know if she should hand me off (to Travis AFB?). I think
my destination finally "stuck" then because it didn't come up again.

So, "where" IS my destination? Is there anything I could have said
that would have made it clear? Would they be confused if I just asked
for flight following to the Newberg VOR?

--
Ben Jackson

http://www.ben.com/

"Newps" wrote:

Are you kidding? The entire air trafiic system is being run on a Commodore
64 with 48K of memory.

I gotta say, that's a neat trick finding one of those with 48K memory.
:-)

Rob

"Rob Perkins" wrote in message
...
Are you kidding? The entire air trafiic system is being run on a
Commodore
64 with 48K of memory.

I gotta say, that's a neat trick finding one of those with 48K memory.
:-)

Well, all the C64's are getting old. He's probably talking about one that's
suffering from Alzheimers or something.

Or maybe that was his whole point. Not only is the FAA using C64's, they've
removed 16K of the RAM as a cost-cutting measure.

Pete

In article vagjc.26334$cF6.1147161@attbi_s04,
Bob Gardner wrote:
you get close enough so that the controllers recognize the names of small
towns and airports, tell them you are changing your destination. Having
found Starks on my sectional, I think I would have waited until Seattle
Center handed me off to Portland Approach.

I did offer to switch destinations to a major airport but next time I will
probably start there.

I'd switch as soon as Oakland handed me off to Seattle. Any closer and
you'll start a new round of questions asking why you're way off course.
I didn't even talk to Portland Approach on Sunday, they just cut me loose
at about the time they would have handed me off.

--
Ben Jackson

http://www.ben.com/

"Jay Honeck" writes:

I would be surprised if Oakland Center's host computer has 7S3 in its
memory,

Given that my office PC has 7S3 stored in it (thanks to multiple flight
planning programs) it's hard to imagine anything dumber, in this day and
age.

Hey...aviation GPSs have all airports and navaids in North America
stored in a handheld unit! It's amazing the antique equipment used by
the FAA.

"Newps" wrote in message
...

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:ysdjc.42186$IW1.2048086@attbi_s52...



Given that my office PC has 7S3 stored in it (thanks to multiple flight
planning programs) it's hard to imagine anything dumber, in this day and
age.

Are you kidding? The entire air trafiic system is being run on a
Commodore
64 with 48K of memory. Once you move across center boudaries only the
larger airports are stored.

A Commodore? I thought they kept it all on Rolodex cards.

(Ben Jackson) wrote in message news:SAbjc.42018$_L6.2563007@attbi_s53...
Leaving OAK I called ground and asked for flight following to 7S3
(which I gave by name and spelled phonetically). Later, while I'm
taxiing they come back with "where is that" and I couldn't imagine
how I could help them if the identifier didn't, so I came up with
"near McMinnville", which is both a nearby airport ...
So, "where" IS my destination? Is there anything I could have said
that would have made it clear? Would they be confused if I just asked
for flight following to the Newberg VOR?

Ben,

This is a perennial problem. Believe it or not, I have every airport
in the US in my obsolete, limited-memory Palm VIIX but major TRACONS
and ARTCCs don't even have some pretty major airports outside their
airspace in their database. What's Wrong With This Picture?

If you can find an H-class VOR which is near your destination and
either give it as your destination or give your airport as degree-
distance to that VOR, it seems to work pretty well...though we were
once asked for a VOR *within* the airspace of the ARTCC.

Best,
Sydney