The Ultimate Flight Following Video - MzeroA Flight Training

Check our our newest flight following video here: • Flight Following - Mze...
VFR flight following is such a great service to use yet it's not something us CFI's are required to teach. So in todays video myself and the MzeroA.com team set out a recorded 4 different flight following exchanges to share with you all.

[@epep843]

As a center controller, if I say radar contact with a position, it is helpful if you confirm that position.

[@UAL012]

Awesome tip. Thanks for that suggestion (I'm a student pilot).

[@tymark1]

As a student pilot. I try to. But also, thanks to you guys. My dads a United pilot, brother flies f18s. I fly in vicinity of f 16s and black hawks a lot. I’m doing my night cross countries currently and vfr flight following just gives me I’m not gonna mid air/run into a hill lol. My dad says his job is stressful, but he said he doesn’t get how controllers do it. He’s amazed you guys don’t have heart attacks at 40 from the stress everyday. Y’all are crazy and shears professional

[@epep843]

@@tymark1 I haven't worked a day in thirty years because I loved what I was doing. Unfortunately for me and anyone else that enjoys the job, the union forces us out at age 56.

[@craigboozer3551]

I've had very little issues picking up flight following when flying around Atlanta (even getting clearance through the Bravo to save time). The best tips that I have are: 1. Keep messages concise. No need to say, "VFR Flight Following" just say, "Flight following." Busy controllers are less likely to handle you if they feel that you will hold up their priority traffic. 2. Be flexible, unless circumstances dictate otherwise, do whatever you can to make the controller's life easier such as accepting a heading deviation or breaking off a practice approach. Typically this works out to a help-me-help-you situation especially if you fly in an airspace regularly; controllers do remember voices and call signs. 3. Try to keep the big picture of where planes are and what operations are in effect at nearby large airports so as to not request something the controller cannot give you or would put them in a difficult position. Occasionally, the controller will drop you a gift of a direct routing or information to save you time. Remember, they are people that are there to help and most enjoy assisting you when they can, but don't expect it every time. 4. Not all Class D airports are allowed to offer flight following (take KLZU for example). Just request the frequency change to pick up flight following a little bit after take off. 5. Most of all, always use flight following if available. It has saved me from three mid-air collisions with aircraft that I couldn't see either from sun in the face or them being above or below me where the airframe blocks my sight.

[@rossandrus3663]

If they don't answer. Just ask for a radio check. Then they are required to speak to you. Then ask for flight following.

[@waltsweet2455]

Glider lesson

[@VictoryAviation]

Definitely adding this to the hip pocket. Absolutely hilarious and effective

[@tymark1]

What I love, as a student pilot, from my airport I tell tower before takeoff I’ll want flight following. They basically set it up and then when I reach the end of their airspace, they hand me off to Milwaukee departure and departure is already expecting me. Then I just handle the radio transfers and call-ins.

[@MzeroAFlightTraining]

That's great, Mark! Thanks for watching!

[@gregellis3859]

It did seem like quite a long time for the controller to get back with you, however, remember the primary purpose of the the controller is for separation of IFR aircraft. Flight following and control of VFR aircraft is only if able. Sounded like the controller was busy at the time and he knows you are not IFR because he won't have a strip on you. So flight following may not always be available or may be available in one sector but not available in the next so you don't get carried over to a new controller. In the DFW area we have a few controllers that no matter what gets thrown at them, no matter how many airplanes, they control them all with absolute professionalism. Then there are a couple that God forbid there are more than 4 aircraft in the air they say "unable" when you ask for flight following. You get to know how it is going to work out before you contact them because you recognize their voices. :)

[@xECKSx58]

At my airport (20N), we're right on the border of Albany to the south and NY APCH to the north. It's easy if we're going straight north or south...we call Albany for northbound flights and NY for southbound. But going directly east or west sometimes nobody wants to talk to us! A couple months ago I was headed directly west over the mountains (climbing to 6,500) with my student on her 2nd ever XC. She did everything perfectly by calling up NY and requesting flight following. However they didn't want us and told us to contact Albany...so she does. But Albany doesn't want us either they send us back to NY. So at this point my student is confused and doesn't know what to do (understandably so). I take over the radios and try NY again and tell them what just happened. So their solution was to send us to Boston Center. Called up Boston but guess what...they didn't want us either! They sent us to another freq (still Boston, just a different frequency and controller) and finally that one was the golden ticket. Was a great example of how things don't always go to plan. I actually thought it was pretty funny, but my student certainly didn't expect that!

[@rebeccaness4178]

I’m currently doing my flight training at 20N and came to this video for some clarification before my first solo xc tomorrow. So cool to see an instructor from 20N on here!

[@josephwhite4716]

Just completed a night flight with my instructor, flying from John Wayne (SNA) to Camarillo(CMA). On our way back we requested flight following from point mugu approach through the LAX Class B airspace via the southbound coastal route. We received a squawk code, and eventually were told to contact socal approach on a different frequency. Time passed and about 3 miles out from the Bravo we still did not have clearance, I checked in and inquired about our clearance to enter and the controller was furious, exclaiming I had never requested to enter the bravo. Clearly it was an issue of the controllers not relaying information to each other, but I kept my cool and stayed out of the bravo until he was ready to let us through. Not much you can do in that case I guess except to be careful and check in when you need something.

[@markbrown2450]

That was a great video! Liked to see the different responses from different controllers. Thanks

[@captainirish1016]

Had the same situation as Matt with ATC not responding. Switched radios and confirmed the issue was a faulty radio on my side. Redundancy=Safety!

[@charlesreid8501]

Jason, Thanks for the video. Used Flight Following from KFWN to KBID. Watched a couple of your videos during the planning stages of my flight. Give me the confidence to knowledge to talk to the controller.

[@RJ9mech]

Recently while departing KSUS, I requested flight following on the ground with the tower. They told me that they were not authorized with STL approach to do this, but instead switched me to approach after takeoff less than a mile from the airport. I appreciated the fact that they were willing to accommodate as able by means of an early handoff.

[@JamesDevoy]

Hi Jason. Thanks for the videos on flight following. I’m from the UK over here in Atlanta on business for a few months (we actually met in the summer at Wycombe). We don’t have FF in the UK. Last week I made a trip KPDK-KOLV-KPDK, I’m low hours, just 40 since passing PPL last year. Videos were great help. KPDK ground advised me that I could only initiate FF when in the air on an ATL frequency and as soon as I was airborne in the turnout they switched me onto that frequency. At KOLV they allowed me to initiate from the ramp on the ground frequency. Great service is FF and will miss it when back in the UK

[@colonelpotter]

I was very fortunate and had Atlantic City Approach and always talked to them because they weren't too busy and my CFI was very encouraging to talk to them I did my flight training out of Millville Municipal Airport

[@breddi1]

Nice video. I use FF all the time which is most often initiated out of Memphis center when I depart a non controlled field. Response is generally immediate. I've never had to wait more than a couple minutes.

[@khairulshiddiq9728]

Very interesting video, to pick up the vfr flight following under the class B is quite challenging especially when there is only 1 pilot on the cockpit. Many times, I had to circle around non-busy class G airport under Class B airspace to get a flight following before proceeding to my destination, since I had to fly through 3 class D airports w/in 25 nm along the route.

[@tashuelahnasah6826]

I fly out of DED and usually dont have any issues with either Daytona or Orlando when requesting Flight following. However depending on the time of departure Daytona does get busy and you could be ten miles into your flight before they acknowledge you. So always have a plan and fly the airplane. On my last cross country to SAV I never got the hand off to Jax until I queried the controller ten miles south of CRG.

[@thegamessilva-bn6bh]

I am a student pilot, studying for my PPL and i have a VFR flight today with my instructor deporting ( Tamiami airport)KTMB to ( ( Naples) KAPF i hope everything goes as planed

[@MrAlwaysBlue]

In the UK we call it a Basic or Traffic service. Useful to have. For example they will tell you if you are about to unknowingly bust controlled airspace and avert an incident.

[@Twisted101]

i absolutely love flight following. I dont go cross country ANYWHERE without it

[@GrimshawAviation]

yea, every time I have had to call for flight following it has been okay. I know I was using flight following going from KSAC to KWIL and I was doing my mandatory cross country for my private. During my flight, about 30 miles from KWIL out of nowhere the ATC terminated my flight following without asking if I needed it any further. I thought that was a crappy move. I continued until I landed and went over to KCIC from there. On the way back from KCIC to KSAC I was able to pick up flight following and there were no issues the entire way back...

[@FlyRider]

Had a time where I called up Kansas City Center and got VFR flight following and then shortly after my radios went out for about 5-7 minutes. Had the gopro mic adapter plugged in while running the gopro so i assumed that might have caused something to short. First thing that came to my mind was "fly the airplane" so I immediately set the gopro down and troubleshooted. Never plugged in the adapter after that moment and the radios worked fine for the rest of my 4 hour trip. Fortunately center didn't call me for anything during that moment of time, but I had an airport directly below my position if I needed to divert. Still, in the end it made for a decent video to upload ;)

[@robsvt]

Great vid. I fly through Orlando and Jacksonville's airspace on a regular basis (home is KLEE) and know the challenges of getting VFR flight following. Especially with Orlando in the north sector. They are always crazy busy with Aerosim students in and out of SFB. I have found that I usually get a better response when I call in with "VFR request" tacked onto the end of the initial radio call.

[@alexmelia8873]

awesome idea. I'm north of you in KLCQ and I'll start doing this

[@billyboy9746]

Love this channel.

[@Only1Deltaco]

Me too!

[@jumpinjee]

I'm based at KSSF (Class D), it's standard procedure to ask for and receive a flight following beacon code for a VFR departure. In fact if you don't ask for flight following ground control will usually ask you if you want it when you're getting your clearance. I guess it's just a different tower so the procedures are slightly different.

[@supraise]

I did my first solo and.XC out of KSSF. They gave me a squawk code - even to stay in the pattern.

[@jeffdo9195]

few times in Phoenix the work load was too heavy to get FF. in that case waited until I was in centers airspace

[@joemorrisaviation9691]

Excellent video!

[@wdlong01]

I think this well highlights the issues with FF. Its just a quasi system that gets variable results. I have had the exact same experiences -- only thing not included was getting dropped. Had a controller drop me "cessna 123A radar services terminated squawk VFR." I asked if I should contact him in a few minutes to see if I could re-acqure FF with him. response: "negative - maintain VFR" I just said OK -- what can you do? I was surprised because I was requiring no vectoring or anything from him at all except a track on his radar -- seemed to me that it was in his best interest to maintain FF just as much as for me to allow him to more accurately separate IFR traffic from me. Now that I fly IFR mainly -- I certainly would much prefer to be flying around with VFR pilots that are plugged into the system then those that are not.

[@tonytheflyer]

Using a tip from another KZbin video I once asked Memphis Center for a "beacon code" and the reply I got was "are you gonna give it back?" From that point on I always just say "request flight following" :-)

[@davidaranguren108]

Hey Sir, sorry but what is "beacon code"? Have a good day!

[@alexmelia8873]

squawk code

[@finalapproach]

You key in the beacon code in the box, correct? )

[@TampaBishop]

TPF is my home airport. You have any issues getting FF from TPA departure? It can be a bit busy around here.

[@Airplane_Stuff]

This help a bunch thank you

[@MzeroAFlightTraining]

Hey Alex! Happy to hear it helps!

[@Airplane_Stuff]

@@MzeroAFlightTraining You have helped me in my flight training a lot love MzeroA you all are grate

[@timhoke2]

Very helpful.

[@MzeroAFlightTraining]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching, Tim!

[@lynnkramer1211]

Just like in all businesses, there are days when the approach personnel are busy and some are just lazy, some are competent and some are not. Some were hired for their skill and others just to fill or maintain a quota.

[@kimberlywentworth9160]

Great learning. I am a student pilot. Yep, like ordering a pizza.

[@campbewg56]

Hi Jason, had an experience years back where I departed DAN, va. to RDU, nc. and requested flight follow. Upon initial call, the controller quickly responded that if I were requesting flight follow, not able at this time. Had to fly about 40 nm without it. Did OK, but was disappointed with no assist on the flight.

[@mvfcobra]

william lee Shout out to averett crew. God damn Washington center

[@jeffdo9195]

another thing I have noticed. if you are flying out of a class B environment and your request flight following I noticed they assume that you went to terminate flight following after you are out of tracon"s environment. what I will do for example if I was flying in the Phoenix area to Tucson I would request flight following with a "center hand off" this way they know that I want flight following all the way plus they can give me a center squak code from the get go.

[@weili0207]

I think that really depends on the area and controllers. While I flying out of Chicago, I can get flight following all the way till my destination. But when I fly back to Chicago, flight following was terminated about 10nm before reaching B. The controller told me Chicago approach (or Chicago Center Approach, I can't remember.) don't accept VFR FF hand off. I have to contact Chicago Approach for another FF.

[@nickromanick]

I've had both experiences flying through salt lake bravo. I always say "(tail number) VFR to (destination), request flight following." One controller took that to mean I wanted flight following the whole way, another only gave me following through their space and I had to request the handoff. Controllers are people with different experiences so I just never expect anything to be the same on most flights.

[@JLDoctorWho]

More likely they just don't want to deal with coordinating your hand off. Some controllers will dump you just before you get to the bravo for the same reason.

[@Skylane_Pilot]

In the Memphis B and Little Rock C, I've only gotten the termination call when requesting a transition. Flight following has always been full route.

[@RonMarish]

turn the dimmer down and read back altimeter settings

[@AV8R_Surge]

During One cross-country to Lancaster, PA, Philadelphia Approach ignored my 3 calls. My CFI called in and they responded. I asked WTH? And CFI jokingly said I sound too nice on the radio. I guess that means I need to baritone my calls. :-)

[@Coughtry]

I found a lot of times it's easier to have the airport controller establish radar contact through the grapevine prior to departure.

[@MzeroAFlightTraining]

Thanks for the insight!

[@GSOaviator]

10 minutes for a radar contact call? That's crazy!

[@juicebox2669]

Nice

[@KaisTheFireWarrior]

I asked for flight following, got a squak code and never got a response, so I ended up flying without flight following the whole flight

[@RaspySquares]

idk man. I just love everything about flying. Controllers are great.

[@bigalbbq4597]

Has been 6 yrs since I've flown, we always called it Kansas City Center or Denver Center. Any difference between "approach" and "center"? Talking VFR flight following

[@MzeroAFlightTraining]

Hello! This is a great question! When it comes to flight following services, there is no difference between the 2. A Center Controller is going to provide services en route to your destination while an approach controller is going to be based around busier airspaces such was B and C. An approach controller is going to help you get into an airport. Hope that helps!

[@bigalbbq4597]

@@MzeroAFlightTraining Thank You!

[@scottchurch4222]

Jason. I appreciate all the work you guys put into making great training videos. However with all the changes the FAA is making somehow y'all need to keep up. Back in May 2016 the Pilot/Controller Glossary deleted the user term of "Flight Following" on page F-3 and refers you to page T-6 for the term "Traffic Advisories". As a 1.5 yr old Private Pilot it's tough to un-learn what took hard work to learn Scott C. Barnwell SC

[@SirRawtcha]

I know this is off topic, but cool shades..

[@henri-paulgrandmont4521]

vous devriez ajouyer plus de lumiere pour rendre vos instruments plus visible....You should add more light so the instruments would be more visible while filming..merci de votre attention..

[@rn2811]

Can you request flight following on the ground?

[@pabbip9]

Robert Nessel I'm wounded the same thing

[@syrusjones]

Flying out of class D KAPF I do it regularly. Unusually have a squak code from ground well before reaching run up.

[@matthewallen711]

This question may have been asked. What needs to be said when flying into a airport with a approach control? Do they want the whole script of the 4 w's or is a simple alt and ATIS report enough?

[@matthewallen711]

With flight following.

[@WorldsOkayestPilot]

Close the door @10:15