departing Class B (MCO) VFR

taseal

taseal

Well-Known Member
I'm taking 2 friends to a convention (PRI) in Orlando today, and we'll be going into MCO which is a rather busy airport (Orlando Intl).

I was told by a friend that I file an IFR flight plan, but on remarks I put VFR on there. this helps the clearance guy when we try to get our VFR clearance so he doesn't have to make a strip for us. Is that true? should I do that, or just call clearance up...

would be easiest if I could just get IFR, but I'm like only 1 flight away from the examination flight to get the ticket urgh.
 
taseal said:
I'm taking 2 friends to a convention (PRI) in Orlando today, and we'll be going into MCO which is a rather busy airport (Orlando Intl).

I was told by a friend that I file an IFR flight plan, but on remarks I put VFR on there. this helps the clearance guy when we try to get our VFR clearance so he doesn't have to make a strip for us. Is that true? should I do that, or just call clearance up...

would be easiest if I could just get IFR, but I'm like only 1 flight away from the examination flight to get the ticket urgh.
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Do NOT file an IFR flight plan if you're not instrument rated.

When you're ready to leave, just call Clearance Delivery and get your VFR clearance. For one, you still have to call clearance. Two, it's his job to make you a trip.

Sidenote - why not just go into Executive?
 
mtsu_av8er said:
Do NOT file an IFR flight plan if you're not instrument rated.

When you're ready to leave, just call Clearance Delivery and get your VFR clearance. For one, you still have to call clearance. Two, it's his job to make you a trip.

Sidenote - why not just go into Executive?
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I wanna do a flight into a B airport :) plus ORL is to the north of MCO, I don't wanna have to go around B, or stay under it if they don't let me in for any reason.

I just hope I won't get vectored around for 30 mins to land...

ok, I'll just get VFR clerance
 
taseal said:
I wanna do a flight into a B airport :) plus ORL is to the north of MCO, I don't wanna have to go around B, or stay under it if they don't let me in for any reason.

I just hope I won't get vectored around for 30 mins to land...

ok, I'll just get VFR clerance
Click to expand...

Because you wanna do it - that's a perfectly good enough reason! ;) I made my CFII take me into CLT during my Instrument training. He didn't want to, but oh well . . . it was that or me find a new CFII! ;)

Just stay on your A-game, and you'll be fine!
 
taseal said:
I'm taking 2 friends to a convention (PRI) in Orlando today, and we'll be going into MCO which is a rather busy airport (Orlando Intl).

I was told by a friend that I file an IFR flight plan, but on remarks I put VFR on there. this helps the clearance guy when we try to get our VFR clearance so he doesn't have to make a strip for us. Is that true? should I do that, or just call clearance up...

would be easiest if I could just get IFR, but I'm like only 1 flight away from the examination flight to get the ticket urgh.
Click to expand...
The IFR flight plan/VFR activation is an old trick that you hear about from time to time. The theory is that (1) there's nothing wrong with filing an IFR flight plan if you're a VFR pilot, just actually flying it and (2) it tricks the system into accounting for your flight so that once you open the flight plan but say you're VFR, what the heck, they've already made room for you.

I haven't heard enough about to know whether it's really viable and, frankly, I don't see the need. If you go VFR from Boca to MCO with VFR flight following, they have more than enough time to fit you in. Trick the system so that once you are airborne, you are VFR anyway and, if things are busy at MCO, I think we can accurately guess who will be the first one to get the delay.

Departure, tricking the system is completely unnecessary. From your standpoint, treat is like any Class C where you would call CD for departure instructions. The only real difference is that you'll probably hear the magic word "cleared" somewhere along the way. I doubt that an IFR 172 gets any better priority than a VFR 172 heading out of a Class B primary. In fact, if the DEN Class B is any indication, going VFR can be an advantage.

BTW, you can answer a question for me - given the Disney TFR and MCO's Class B, what would you suggest for a route between KLEE and KBCT?
 
BTW, you can answer a question for me - given the Disney TFR and MCO's Class B, what would you suggest for a route between KLEE and KBCT?
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The Disney TFR is no big because you can fly thru it while on flight following. Orlando approach is pretty good about letting folks go through their airspace. If you're just going east to west they will probably vector you over the center of the airport. If it's north to south they will keep you below incoming commercial traffic.

I did my training in Orlando and MCO during rush hours is VERY difficult to get into VFR. Not saying it won't happen, just saying to expect delays.
 
taseal said:
I wanna do a flight into a B airport :) plus ORL is to the north of MCO, I don't wanna have to go around B, or stay under it if they don't let me in for any reason.

I just hope I won't get vectored around for 30 mins to land...

ok, I'll just get VFR clerance
Click to expand...

They will let you in. I used to work at ISM. ORL approach is very accomodating. MCO really isn't all that busy. They'll probably land you on the western most runway near all of the hangars. As a side note, if you park they'll charge you.
 
TheOneMarine said:
The Disney TFR is no big because you can fly thru it while on flight following. Orlando approach is pretty good about letting folks go through their airspace. If you're just going east to west they will probably vector you over the center of the airport. If it's north to south they will keep you below incoming commercial traffic.

I did my training in Orlando and MCO during rush hours is VERY difficult to get into VFR. Not saying it won't happen, just saying to expect delays.
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Correct!.....I took a buddy and his girlfriend flying a while back and they wanted to see the fireworks at Disney at night. Orlando approach vectored me through there to see it, no problem.
 
Yeah those MCO and Orlando Approch controllers are the bomb!:nana2: I've done many a VFR flight in and out of MCO, Just get flight following and they'll get you into Orlando Class B and into MCO.
 
H46Bubba said:
Yeah those MCO and Orlando Approch controllers are the bomb!:nana2: I've done many a VFR flight in and out of MCO, Just get flight following and they'll get you into Orlando Class B and into MCO.
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I agree, they're pretty good, and try to help you out as much as they can. Even if they are really busy.

.....it must be the..... "Magic of Disney!".........:D....
 
Yes, it works. It will generate a strip for you, so you'll have less to talk to the controller. You need to put VFR in the altitude filed, not in remarks. You can put just VFR or something like 65/VFR. Both duat and duats have it described in their help section on how to file a flight plan.
 
flight was great! they sent us close to disney TFR, and when I started getting worried, she steered me away from it. flight following all the way, landed behind a 737, was awesome. but we got vectored around in and out of the airport which probably added .5 to the hobbs, which kind of sucked :)

we were real close to disney, and that was kinda cool my friend said he saw a shamu supposedly haha. it was an awesome flight :D I felt like a pro haha.

oh and I didn't do the IFR/VFR clearanace, I just called them up, was easy enough, got a CRAFT, but it was 'cleared through MCO airspace, via RV' etc etc.

again, did I say how awesome the flight was? :D
 
MidlifeFlyer said:
The IFR flight plan/VFR activation is an old trick that you hear about from time to time. The theory is that (1) there's nothing wrong with filing an IFR flight plan if you're a VFR pilot, just actually flying it and (2) it tricks the system into accounting for your flight so that once you open the flight plan but say you're VFR, what the heck, they've already made room for you.

I haven't heard enough about to know whether it's really viable and, frankly, I don't see the need. If you go VFR from Boca to MCO with VFR flight following, they have more than enough time to fit you in. Trick the system so that once you are airborne, you are VFR anyway and, if things are busy at MCO, I think we can accurately guess who will be the first one to get the delay.

Departure, tricking the system is completely unnecessary. From your standpoint, treat is like any Class C where you would call CD for departure instructions. The only real difference is that you'll probably hear the magic word "cleared" somewhere along the way. I doubt that an IFR 172 gets any better priority than a VFR 172 heading out of a Class B primary. In fact, if the DEN Class B is any indication, going VFR can be an advantage.

BTW, you can answer a question for me - given the Disney TFR and MCO's Class B, what would you suggest for a route between KLEE and KBCT?
Click to expand...

Interesting idea - this trick. Never heard of it... but I know it sure as heck doesn't work in the NY class B.

I fly out of TEB every morning and a canned IFR flight plan is always filed for me. If the weather is good, I just blast off VFR, which indeed does have huge advantages.

When I call clearance, 9 out of 10 times they asked my aircraft type, and double checked where I was going (even though I told them.) They didn't even look for my IFR plan - and why should they after I told them I was VFR?
 
Ian, as I understand it part of the "trick" is to open the flight plan. I guess you say you have a IFR flight plan on file but will depart VFR or open the flight plan with FSS but say you're changing it to VFR.

Whenever I've heard it described, my uninformed reaction (to myself, for a change) has been, "Yeah sure. It will work if you would've gottne flight following anyway. And you'll be dropped just as fast as any other VFR flight."
 
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