Pilot's tip of the week

Contacting Departure

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Subscriber question:

"When departing from a towered field (Class C or D) on an IFR flight plan, do you wait for the tower to tell you to contact departure frequency or do it after you are airborne without instruction from the tower?" - Andrew

John:

Contacting Departure“Always wait for the tower to issue instructions to contact departure. The controller may be keeping you on the tower frequency to resolve a conflict in the local traffic area.

If you have flown a reasonable distance – a mile or two – and still not have been transferred to departure, ask the tower. The controller’s first transmission may have been blocked or just simply forgotten.”

(NEW) VFR Mastery scenario #82 “A Stand-Up Emergency” is now available. It’s the beginning of a long flight when the engine informs you it has other plans. Now the windscreen is covered with oil and you must act fast. Do you have time to return to your departure airport? If so, how will you approach and land given your forward visibility just dropped to zero? Watch the Intro video.

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