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Back to my
aviation blog
I did not know this before, but now that
I do, I am trying to spread the word. You can get
your flight following squawk code when you request
take-off clearance.
Normally, Clearance will give you a
departure squawk code. Once you leave TRSA, they will
inform you that radar services are terminated and you
are out of the system. If you want flight following, you
have to start over and do all the talking with the
Center.
If, however, you request to "receive
flight following" when you contact Clearance, they will
give you a squawk code that is good all the way to your
destination. Once Departure is done with you, they will
hand you off the to Center, and you are done. This is
what I say when I request clearance:
Tucson Clearance, Skylane 3587F, VFR to
KLAM, initial heading 240, initial altitude 8,500, would
like to receive flight following, with ATIS.
I really love this option, because it's
more convenient for you and ATC, and ties up radios much
less.
NOTE: you will not always get a FF squawk
code, especially if you are taking off from a towered
airport near a Class B airport. Recently, this happened
to me at Front Range airport (KFTD), near Denver
International (KDEN). Even after a repeated request,
Clearance Delivery did not give me a VFR squawk code.
Once I took off, I had to contact the VERY busy Approach
to get one.
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