Cleared to a fix, VOR-FMS question

Crop Duster said:
Always ask for the vector to Hector.

More seriously, ATC will rarely direct you to a fix that's not already on your flight plan, so, because you always will have acted in complete accordance with 91.103, you'll know all those and their status, and radial/distance limitations, and outages, etc. :rolleyes: If ATC does switch up on you it's via an amended clearance, in which case they will almost always spell it out for you.
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Tough crowd.
 
Well, they are in the flight plan on your Jepp app, because you know you're technically supposed to be inputting the route into that...
 
JordanD said:
I think it's in the EFB section of the FOM. Of course it's probably one of those things I remember seeing, and when I go back to find it again it's been moved or completely deleted.
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I just throw in the destinations I do as alternates and set my charts up that way. Really try not to waste the battery at cruise if I don't have to. I just thought it was personal preference to set up the whole route.
 
Just ask.

ATC: Callsign xxx, cleared direct Brickyard.

Callsign xxx: confirm that is VHP, Callsign XXX

ATC: affirmative

Or

Callsign xxx: confirm the identifier for brickyard, Callsign xxx

ATC: VHP
 
"Center could you spell that for me" - for confusing fixes.

Happens all the time when you've never been someplace before.
 
ppragman said:
"Center could you spell that for me" - for confusing fixes.

Happens all the time when you've never been someplace before.
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Or when you go some place all the time and they randomly start using a different fix one day.

The LDA was out here last week and they cleared us direct to the initial for a VOR-A that neither the captain (20+ years operating here) or I had ever heard of before. Fun times.
 
After programming the route into the FMS, I will look up any VORs that aren't familiar. Fortunately, the Jepp app has a search option that works great.

If I am ever given a direct VOR that is not in the clearance, they will often times spell it out.
 
Crop Duster said:
Always ask for the vector to Hector.

More seriously, ATC will rarely direct you to a fix that's not already on your flight plan, so, because you always will have acted in complete accordance with 91.103, you'll know all those and their status, and radial/distance limitations, and outages, etc. :rolleyes: If ATC does switch up on you it's via an amended clearance, in which case they will almost always spell it out for you.
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So we have this cool thing called GPS these days. And it's completely irrelevant if a navaid is operational unless it's used for an approach.
 
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BobDDuck said:
Or when you go some place all the time and they randomly start using a different fix one day.

The LDA was out here last week and they cleared us direct to the initial for a VOR-A that neither the captain (20+ years operating here) or I had ever heard of before. Fun times.
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True that - or when you brain fart a fix that you've been going to for years and the center is like, "really?!" Funny story about HCF - they were the only center I've ever worked with that would clear me to the most obscure fixes for approaches or the wrong ones for starting approaches - I'd get cleared to LYDAT frequently then 2 miles out be told to join the ILS, cleared ILS35. LYDAT isn't close to the ILS course....hell its technically inside the FAF. I queried and the response "it's 2 in the morning - there's no one out there, do what you want, report cancellation over radio - g'night!" is what I got. Same with MKK approaches, I'd get a wide variety of initial fixes depending on the controller. That kind of makes it fun to be honest.

Kona? There was an approach down there that some guys that had been flying for years hadn't flown. When I was giving check rides out there my favorite thing in the world was finding the weird approaches or starting them via the weird transitions. Not because I'm an evil ass (at least mostly not), rather it was a great way to make a routine training event into something where you learn something.

There were guys who'd worked in ITO for years that hadn't flown a circling approach. "Damn I didn't know you could circle out of this?"
 
ppragman said:
True that - or when you brain fart a fix that you've been going to for years and the center is like, "really?!" Funny story about HCF - they were the only center I've ever worked with that would clear me to the most obscure fixes for approaches or the wrong ones for starting approaches - I'd get cleared to LYDAT frequently then 2 miles out be told to join the ILS, cleared ILS35. LYDAT isn't close to the ILS course....hell its technically inside the FAF. I queried and the response "it's 2 in the morning - there's no one out there, do what you want, report cancellation over radio - g'night!" is what I got. Same with MKK approaches, I'd get a wide variety of initial fixes depending on the controller. That kind of makes it fun to be honest.

Kona? There was an approach down there that some guys that had been flying for years hadn't flown. When I was giving check rides out there my favorite thing in the world was finding the weird approaches or starting them via the weird transitions. Not because I'm an evil ass (at least mostly not), rather it was a great way to make a routine training event into something where you learn something.

There were guys who'd worked in ITO for years that hadn't flown a circling approach. "Damn I didn't know you could circle out of this?"
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1200px-Apple_logo_Think_Different_vectorized.jpg


(This actually took way longer in photoshop that I thought it would. Stupid clipping masks)
 
ATC - "You're cleared direct Hector."

Pilot - "Can you spell that for us?"

ATC - "H, as in How do you not know Hector. E, as in Every other idiot knows Hector. C, as in Can't you figure out what Hector is?"
 
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