Flight following question

proxima3003

proxima3003

Well-Known Member
I'm sorry if this was discussed elsewhere. Is it possible to request flight following from airport A to airport B, without getting radar service terminated as soon as you hit the edge of the controllers screen? From my experience, it seems like there is no pattern, some controllers will hand you off to the next one, while others will dump you. The other night I flew the Chicago coastline VFR (underneath the class B), and going northbound, they passed me sector to sector no problem. Going back south though, I was dumped after the first controller - "radar service terminated, stay outside Bravo, bye". I know flight following is workload permitting, but both trips were flown around the same time of day.

I remember a tower controller telling me that there was a way of filing a VFR flight plan that "forced" the controllers to keep your flight following active all the way to your destination (if radar coverage is available of course). Is this true?

Thanks for any input guys
 
There's no way to force ATC to provide you with flight following. As you state, it is workload permitting that we provide VFR services. Some reasons why flight following might be terminated include:

-Your altitude is too low
-You are flying toward an area of known poor radio/radar reception
-Facility/facility automation problems
-Next sector refuses to accept handoff

Most controllers work VFRs as happily as they do IFRs, but some don't. Just luck of the draw sometimes. Approach is generally busier and more likely to drop you than center, as well.
 
Best you can do is clarify that you want flight following to your destination airport. If it's too busy you may still get dropped.
 
proxima3003 said:
I'm sorry if this was discussed elsewhere. Is it possible to request flight following from airport A to airport B, without getting radar service terminated as soon as you hit the edge of the controllers screen? From my experience, it seems like there is no pattern, some controllers will hand you off to the next one, while others will dump you. The other night I flew the Chicago coastline VFR (underneath the class B), and going northbound, they passed me sector to sector no problem. Going back south though, I was dumped after the first controller - "radar service terminated, stay outside Bravo, bye". I know flight following is workload permitting, but both trips were flown around the same time of day.

I remember a tower controller telling me that there was a way of filing a VFR flight plan that "forced" the controllers to keep your flight following active all the way to your destination (if radar coverage is available of course). Is this true?

Thanks for any input guys
Click to expand...

No there is nothing that can FORCE any controller to keep a VFR/FF, its strictly work load basis. i spent my last 5 years at Chicago Tracon and it happen from time to time that a sector would refuse a VFR/FF due to work load , thats just life in a busy tracon.
 
moxiepilot said:
that's called filing IFR ;)
Click to expand...

No man, on that particular flight, filing would be worse. Those Chicago controllers dislike the little GA guys and route us either far to the west of bravo (like 30nm) or over the lake. No sir, I wont fly a cherokee over the water... at night...
 
As someone whose flown ifr around chicago in a skychicken I don't recommend it unless it +TS CB all over with a 005 ceiling. You'll add an hour to your trip.
 
Happens in the LA Basin all the time, I just switch to the next controller on the chart and give them my VFR request. 99% of the time they pick me up even though the hand off was dropped.
 
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