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What does VFR flight following do?
VFR flight following is a request made by a pilot to receive services from an approach or departure control facility. Flight following also means that someone is watching you, and that’s a good thing. If something goes wrong, you get lost, have a mechanical problem, or become somehow incapacitated, someone will notice.
How do I cancel a VFR flight following?
To cancel flight following your radio traffic will be in the form of an advisory phrased something like, “[your callsign], [airport you are flying into] weather and field in sight. Cancel flight following.” The standard reply format will be something like, “No traffic observed between you and the airport.
Who do you call for VFR flight following?
You must call to open your flight plan through the FSS, then you can call Center and get flight following. Check out my article on how to open a VFR flight plan for more information.
How to pick up flight following on VFR flights?
Picking up flight following is a critical final step in the VFR flight planning process. On cross country flights, the sequence of events starts with planning the flight, filing the flight plan, opening it with nearest flight service station (FSS), and finally requesting flight following with air traffic control (ATC).
Can a VFR pilot use an instrument plan?
Pilots on instrument flight plans take these services for granted. But they are also available to visual flight rules (VFR) pilots.
What does a VFR traffic advisory sound like?
Because you are a radar target on the controller’s screen, identified by a transponder squawk code he’s issued you, he’ll advise you of other radar targets (airplanes) that might conflict with your route of flight. A typical advisory sounds like this: “Cessna 23 Papa, traffic, 1 o’clock, 3 miles, southbound, VFR, altitude indicates 6,500.”
How many miles between IFR traffic and VFR traffic?
There may be clouds between you and it (clouds do not show up on radar, so the controller won’t know this), the traffic may be hidden in the glare of a setting sun, or it may just be too far away to be seen. Center controllers use 5 miles as their separation standard between IFR traffic.