So I am in a Piper Warrior ready for departure initating contact with clearance on a VFR flightplan. Is it common procedure to request startup in such s small aircraft in the US as you need do in VoxATC, or is this just a small limitation in the program given most users probably fly the big irons?

 

Also I see you can fly SID and STARS while IFR, does VoxATC also support GPS approaches with transition names and such or how do you guys set up your IFR GPS flight when using Reality XP GNS units?

 

Thanks for any help! 15 years using Flight Simulators, two days using VoxATC and love it already

 

Mike

So I am in a Piper Warrior ready for departure initating contact with clearance on a VFR flightplan. Is it common procedure to request startup in such s small aircraft in the US

 

VFR must operate a little differently here than there... you file a VFR plan by calling Flight Service (or using the comp)... then when you are airborne and have a moment to switch frequencies (e.g. you are still "talking" to Departure) you switch over to Flight Service and "activate" the flight plan. The VFR Flight Plan is pretty much just an insurance policy (as we talked before) letting "someone" know the details of the flight and when you are to arrive. One needs to cancel within 30 minutes of the ETA or Flight Service begins the search process (they begin making phone calls to see if you arrived).

 

If IFR... that is when you call-up Clear. Del. asking for you clearance. Startup is your discretion. For example, fying out of Oshkosh once (during the EAA Convention) no way was I going to start until getting my clearance. So you sit there patiently for a chance to work your way in the que of pilots asking for their clearance... scribble it down and quickly start / get things going (I have as much as done as possible beforehand (like freqs entered / heading bug & VORs adjusted / ATIS etc.). On the other hand, if you are at an airport and know things are relatively quiet... you might decide to start and then pickup the clearance. Or if there is no Clear. Del. freq... you might start taxi (contacting Ground first). Ground gives you a taxi clearance and at some point will issue you your IFR clearance when you are "ready to copy".

 

Fwiw... you could be departing an uncontrolled field (e.g. Fairchild Intl. KCLM)... if it was IMC, you could call (phone) the appropriate facility... they give you your clearance and a "drop dead" time when you have to be airborne.

 

Back to the original question to restate... there is no "clearance" as such for VFR flight (save for Class B airspace). What might happen tho... and this at larger, "Class C airports" (and quite possibly at busy Class D or TRSAs) you might hear in the ATIS (for VFR Flights) to contact Clearance Delivery, to get departure heading / altitude / and squawk code. There again startup your discretion... the pseudo-clearance isn't likely to be very elaborate.

 

So a number of ways (hope I didn't blather too much).

 

-Rob

Very informative, thanks!

 

Mike