Flight Following in an Emergency

Spencer:

“It’s true that VFR Flight Following is optional, and some pilots prefer to avoid the radio altogether so they can enjoy the view in peace and quiet. We savor those moments, cruising along enjoying the freedom of flight, but it’s exactly in those moments—when everything seems perfect—that something can go sideways.

It did for me. Had I not already been on frequency with SoCal Approach getting VFR flight following, the day the propeller departed from my experimental Pitts biplane, I might not be here to tell the story.

I had just departed Santa Paula Airport. My standard procedure was to pick up flight following climbing above the 3000-foot ridgelines surrounding the area, and that day was no exception. I called SoCal Approach and requested VFR flight following en route to Yuma, AZ. Ten minutes later, while cruising eastbound over the San Fernando Valley at 7500 feet, I felt a sudden vibration—and the prop was gone—leaving a smell of burning oil behind it.

Whiteman Airport was just 2.5 miles off my left wing. I shoved the nose down, keyed the mic, and declared the emergency. Two minutes later, I was rolling out on the runway.

But there was no time in those brief moments to fumble with finding a frequency or figuring out who to call. I was already talking to someone who could help, and that may be why no one was injured and the plane only suffered minor damage. Approach cleared the airspace, alerted the tower, and made sure I had a runway waiting. I could focus on managing airspeed, altitude, and energy state to get that plane on the runway and not into the densely populated area around it

That’s why I always recommend using Flight Following. When things go wrong, seconds count and having someone already on the line could make all the difference.”

See this article from AOPA to hear more about Spencer’s emergency in the Pitts and its successful outcome.