Flight Following question

"LWG" wrote in message
...
Okay, here's my question. When I get FF on a long trip, often I get
handed off from centers, approaches, etc. to my destination. I have been
put "in the system" along the way. How do controllers do that so the
handoff happens? Does the original entry into the system generate P
strips along the route like an IFR flight? If so, how do they do it so
that the flight is not IFR? Do they "force" the VFR aspect like this
thread has been discussing? Is the handoff automatic, or does it get
coordinated by land line, or both?

But if the VFR friend requested FF, it would be "opened" and the
controllers would have the strip all along the route, right?

Years ago, when radar was steam powered and the tower's light guns burned
whale oil, there were two semi-separate "flightplan" systems: ARTS which
generated the datablocks on the radar indicator and FDEP (later called FDIO)
which generated the paper flight progress strips.

Separate because there were two different keyboards to enter data and two
different formats for entering that data. Each controller had an ARTS
keyboard at his position but in terminal facilities there were usually only
one or two FDEP keyboards. These were located at the Flight Data or
Clearance Delivery positions away from working sector controllers.

Semi-separate because while the FDEP not only generated the paper strip it
also generated a datablock with a center transponder code and sent
everything to every facility along the aircraft's proposed route, the ARTS
did not. ARTS datablocks used local codes and remained solely within the
facility generating them. They were also much easier to create requiring
less info and fewer keystrokes.

So now the stage is set for a couple scenarios:

Scenario 1. Mister VFR aircraft files a VFR flightplan into the IFR system
which generates the strip and center code datablock in the originating and
subsequent facilities' airspace. He then calls CD, gets the center code,
tags up on departure, is handed off to each facility along his route, and
receives FF all during his flight. Everybody's happy unless or until:

-One or more of the facilities has inhibited the processing of VFR flight
data
-One controller is too busy to provide FF, terminates radar service and
drops the datablock which removes it from the FDEP and therefore all the
remaining facilities along the route
-The next controller is too busy to accept the handoff and the track gets
dropped (see above)
-For some reason the aircraft doesn't immediately tag up so on initial
contact the controller thinks it's a pop-up and enters the data into the
ARTS. This either generates a series of computer input error messages for
"dupe ID" (bad) or a local datablock on a local code (not too bad).
Depending on how the controller decides to sort all this out the aircraft
may stay in the system or it may get dropped

Scenario 2a. Mister VFR airplane pops up on freq and requests FF (either
initially or because he got dropped somewhere along the route). The
controller enters the simple data in ARTS format into his readily available
ARTS keyboard, issues the local transponder code, gets an ARTS generated
datablock (which is all he needs to keep track of the airplane), and
workload permitting, provides FF within his airspace. Easy.

Scenario 2b. Mister VFR aircraft calls and in addition to the ARTS entries,
the controller gets on the intercom to CD/FD to have that controller enter
the more detailed info into the FDEP or if CD/FD's not staffed, gets up,
goes to the FDEP keyboard, enters the info into the FDEP, waits for the
center computer to generate the strip and datablock with the center code,
issues the new code to the aircraft, waits for the new datablock to tag up,
then provides FF within his airspace. A PITA.

In Scenario 2a when the aircraft nears the limit of his airspace the
controller terminates radar, drops the local datablock, and he's done.

In Scenario 2b, the controller can start the automated handoff to center,
wait for center to accept or refuse, transfer communications if accepted or
terminate radar if refused, and then he's done.

That's how it worked in the past.

Maybe in the last few years or so the FAA has actually integrated the
systems, streamlined the procedures, and hired a whole bunch of controllers
who really like to do a bunch of extra work for VFR aircraft.

Sure they have.

"Oh boy, I WANT to be an air traffic controller"
"You're HIRED!"
"Now, control traffic"
"But that would be a lotta wooorrrkkkk......"

KP wrote:

That's how it worked in the past.

Maybe in the last few years or so the FAA has actually integrated the
systems,


The system is basically the same. ARTS and the FDEP computers now talk
to each other. I can use the ARTS exclusively if I want. Type in
TC345Enter and I get a local code for Twin Cessna N12345. Type in all
the info and I get a center code.

Newps writes:
What he meant was to file an IFR flight plan except to put VFR as the
altitude. That would generate a strip just like an IFR aircraft but
when you put that transponder code in the data block on the radar
scope shows you as a VFR aircraft.

I don't remember exactly what I did, but I have succesfully done this
trick (back in the 1980s). I also recall something about putting a
"Z" somewhere, but that might have been for something else like a
composite flight plan. (I need to go re-read some of these things.)
I know this stuff was actually documented somewhere, because I figured
it out by myself and have done it, getting the ATC responses that have
been described here. I used to fly from Boston into the NY area or
into DCA a lot back in those days, and I would normally get flight
following all the way.

The airports I fly out of are under the BOS (uh, I almost said "TCA"!)
class B airspace, and I would ask (pre-taxi, which was CD if they had it)
for "flight following to airport" to make sure they knew I was hoping
for service all the way. This was also with normal VFR flight plans.
If they had some idea where you were going (or that you were going
anywhere at all, probably) they would tend to hand you off to the next
facility rather than abandoning you.

Speaking of DCA, I was also asked ("do you know" / "are you able")
to do the River Visual approach while VFR, in reference to someone
else's question about being assigned that kind of approach clearance
while not IFR. (And since I had the chart and was familiar, I did.)

This was all very long ago and I haven't been flying much in years,
but I can confirm that these things all used to work just fine, so they
probably work fine now. (Except for the "DCA" part, god damnit.)
I haven't flown any trips in many years; just local goofing around.