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Best practice for getting your IFR clearance

Kentucky Captain

Kentucky Captain

Instrument Training
Joined
Jun 13, 2014
Messages
1,527
Location
Louisville, KY
I had something happen to me last week that made me think. For the most part, I will file an IFR flight plan and pick it up in the air. It's faster, you don't have to worry about getting a release, and the clearance will tend to be shorter.

Last week we flew from KBRY to KBUY. The AWOS said the ceilings were 3200' broken. Normally I would launch and pick up my IFR in the air but it looked to me that those reported ceilings were significantly lower.

I called for my clearance while on the ground. We are based at an uncontrolled airport 15 miles away from the approach control and there is no remote frequency. I love my Lightspeed Zulu PFX headsets and my PSE PMA450 audio panel. My phone connects via Bluetooth to the panel and I can call the phone line that KSDF has for clearances.

In this case, I decided to call for the clearance on the ground. Good thing. I knew the controller that answered the phone and he said that the center had been looking for me. I told him that wasn't possible since I hadn't launched yet. Apparently, someone had stolen my beacon code and it had activated my flight plan and they were thinking I was overdue.

I have never experienced that as a pilot but have seen it many times as a controller. It's always a mess.

They had to enter a completely new flight plan before they could issue me a clearance. Turns out that the ceiling was somewhat lower than 1500" and if I had launched VFR and tried to get it airborne, it would have proved interesting to try and stay VFR and get on course while they got it back in since we entered IMC conditions shortly after turning crosswind and on course.

My Avidyne AXP340 will automatically return to 1200 after a power down but older ones will probably not. It's really easy to forget to reset your transponder to 1200 when landing at a controlled field or if canceling on the ground at an uncontrolled one. Try to remember that you can be causing all kinds of havoc with the air traffic system if you don't. Even if your transponder doesn't pick up someone else's flight plan, just having a discreet beacon code show up next to an IFR aircraft can give the controller a heart attack thinking that he has two IFR aircraft at less than IFR separation or that one of his aircraft has lost it data tag.
 
I am guilty of having not cleared my transponder before take off, KC. Only happened once, but it cause me to add it to my shutdown and start up checklists.

I flew for about 20 minutes before I caught the mistake. Thankfully I was flying away from busy airspace and hopefully it didn't cause too much of a problem for the controllers.

What would occur at ATC if my beacon code duplicated one already in the controller's airspace?
 
I've been guilty of forgetting to set my parrot, reporting airborne with departure, and getting the old 'verify squawk 1234...?
 
Wayne R" said:
I am guilty of having not cleared my transponder before take off, KC. Only happened once, but it cause me to add it to my shutdown and start up checklists.

I flew for about 20 minutes before I caught the mistake. Thankfully I was flying away from busy airspace and hopefully it didn't cause too much of a problem for the controllers.

What would occur at ATC if my beacon code duplicated one already in the controller's airspace?
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I've been retired 4 years now and can't recall a particular instance in detail, but I do remember it happening. I know they would say "dup Beacon" and I think that it would try to tag both targets with the same data tag.
 
If the weather includes IMC, I prefer to call in to get my clearance. I don't want to be under a low overcast, trying to program the clearance into my GPS, or worse, having to wait for the clearance to come through due to some delay in the system. It is more comfortable to me to be on the ground, taking my time getting everything set up and then depart a couple of minutes later with everything taken care of, as far as ATC is concerned. A phone call is so quick, that I don't feel I save any time by not calling ahead. I don't have an RCO or any radio communication while on the ground at my home base.
 
Coincidence I'm reading this thread....last night was the first flight after returning from the Keeweenaw Peninsula w/an ATC assigned code on the Stratus ES transponder and apparently the code does not automatically clear upon shutdown/restart.
 
C420sailor" said:
I used my first RCO a couple months ago. Very convenient.
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There are lots of airports that don't have an RCO.

Most approach controls do have a phone line that goes to the radar data or departure position. It is a recorded line but not usually a published number. I happen to know the one for SDF since I worked there.

I would be willing to bet that if you called the facility, they would give you the number. Something pretty handy for places you regularly fly into. I keep them in my contacts list on my phone.

It's to their advantage as well as yours. Getting a clearance through FSS is tedious and time-consuming and all FSS is going to do is call ATC on a shared circuit. The problem lies in that there is a relay between the controller, FSS, and pilot and they are not all on the line at the same time. You call FSS to request clearance. FSS calls ATC to get the clearance. FSS calls you back to issue clearance and if you don't get a release at the same time, you have to do it all over again.

One thing that you can do to facilitate a speedier departure is after acknowledging the clearance, telling the controller that you will be ready to go off of Rwy XX in XX minutes. If it's far enough away from any other traffic, chances are you can get your release at the same time as your clearance. A 10-minute window is normal and usually able to be accommodated so try and get everything else out of the way before calling. Anything beyond a 10 minute release time and chances are that you will get a hold for release, call when number one unless you are well removed from the traffic flow.
 
In the case of my home airport, the clearance delivery phone number is published in the Airport Facility Directory. It is easy to find in ForeFlight.

With cellphones these days, it is just as easy to call on the phone as to use a radio. I have a Lightspeed Zulu 3 headset with my phone paired over Bluetooth, so I can even call with the engine running and ready to go.
 
Henry M." said:
In the case of my home airport, the clearance delivery phone number is published in the Airport Facility Directory. It is easy to find in ForeFlight.

With cellphones these days, it is just as easy to call on the phone as to use a radio. I have a Lightspeed Zulu 3 headset with my phone paired over Bluetooth, so I can even call with the engine running and ready to go.
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Interesting. I looked up the AFD for your airport to see exactly what that looked like. Then I went to my airport AFD and ...nothing.

I still have a lot of contacts at the TRACON in my area and am going to see what it takes to get the number published in the AFD for my airports.

With the advent of Bluetooth headsets and audio panels, every satellite airport should have this. Much easier than going through FSS, on the controller end as well as the pilot side.
 
There‘s always the national clearance delivery number at (888) 766-8267. I use my local number but understand the other number should work anywhere. Maybe I’ll try it next time I file to see how it works.
 
Henry M." said:
There‘s always the national clearance delivery number at (888) 766-8267. I use my local number but understand the other number should work anywhere. Maybe I’ll try it next time I file to see how it works.
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I've used that number a number of times. It works well.
 
Henry M." said:
There‘s always the national clearance delivery number at (888) 766-8267. I use my local number but understand the other number should work anywhere. Maybe I’ll try it next time I file to see how it works.
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From what I understand, that number is for FSS. I keep that one as my last resort. Having been on the controller side of a lot of FSS relayed clearances, I think I'll find another way if possible.
 
What were the issues you encountered? Isn’t the clearance in the computer and the person answering the phone just has to read it to you? I don’t really know what goes on behind the scenes.
 
Kentucky Captain" said:
Henry M." said:
There‘s always the national clearance delivery number at (888) 766-8267. I use my local number but understand the other number should work anywhere. Maybe I’ll try it next time I file to see how it works.
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From what I understand, that number is for FSS. I keep that one as my last resort. Having been on the controller side of a lot of FSS relayed clearances, I think I'll find another way if possible.
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You are correct, Captain. It is convenient because it is one number that works everywhere. A direct line to ATC is best.
 
The issue isn't really the clearance (routing, altitude, squawk, etc), it's the IFR release piece. TRACON needs to make a hole for you, and the back and forth between you, FSS, and the controller is clunky and can get messy in busy airspace.
 
C420sailor" said:
The issue isn't really the clearance (routing, altitude, squawk, etc), it's the IFR release piece. TRACON needs to make a hole for you, and the back and forth between you, FSS, and the controller is clunky and can get messy in busy airspace.
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That's what I was getting at. I've never called FSS for a clearance myself but have issued a lot as a controller relayed through FSS. I always hated it, first because you had to use specific phraseology since you weren't actually talking to the pilot and the FSS is not physically on that field.

Lots of extra words..."ATC clears N12345 from KXXX to KXXX via as XXX VXX as filed, maintain 3000, expect 6000 10 minutes after departure, squawk XXXX, hold for release".

After you've corrected FSS a couple of times and finally get off the line, you realize that your traffic has not stopped and waited for you to finish your chat. You quickly learn to get the supervisor, handoff, or data position to answer that line. They still have to get the clearance from you to give to FSS, but at least it is a lot quicker.
 
Well, from my (the pilot's) point of view, without knowing the number or the facility responsible for the little out-of-the way field, that is still better than taking off under a low overcast, hoping to get the clearance in the air and then dealing with getting it into my navigation equipment. I'd rather go through the inconvenience on the ground than end up with a long delay in the air, in marginal weather conditions.
 
Henry M." said:
Well, from my (the pilot's) point of view, without knowing the number or the facility responsible for the little out-of-the way field, that is still better than taking off under a low overcast, hoping to get the clearance in the air and then dealing with getting it into my navigation equipment. I'd rather go through the inconvenience on the ground than end up with a long delay in the air, in marginal weather conditions.
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You bet. I made that mistake last year during the total eclipse. We flew to Perryville MO since the airport was right on the line of totality. We had over 140 airplanes and even though I waited for the frenzy to die down before leaving, there was still a lot of airplanes.

The ceiling was somewhere below 3000 broken so I thought we could get our clearance in the air. We launched with a whole gaggle of other airplanes and tried to call Kansas City Center for our clearance. Couldn't even get a word in. The ceilings ended up being 2500 broken and we picked our way up through to get on top. We finally got our clearance 40 miles later while climbing through 6000'.

It was fortunate that we were able to maintain VFR and still climb until getting a clearance but on that day, I don't know if we could have done any better by trying to get it on the ground. We were getting beat up pretty good down low but when we got to 11000' it was smooth as glass all the way home.

I had a buddy at SDF send me a picture of their radar scope on that day at about the time we were en route back home. That is worse than any Derby traffic that I have worked except that in the case of the Derby traffic, they were all headed to our airport.

 
I once launched from an uncontrolled airport with a ceiling of 2500 thinking I could open the flight plan in the air. Controller came back and told me I had to climb to 3500 before he can issue me a clearance. I told him I was VFR can can't climb to 3500 unless I had a clearance. He said he can't issue me a clearance until I reached 3500. He told me my best bet was land, re-file, and open the plan on the ground. I learned a lesson. Don't expect to open in the air (at my airport, at least) unless I can get up to 3500 VFR.
 
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