Here is my situation:

i takeoff and contact departure and request flight following. (I’m using msfs built in ATC)

then I come across delta airspace, what do I do?

do I cancel ff and switch to airports tower and request clearance through the delta and once through go back to Dep.?

or does Dep with FF take care of that for me?

thanks.

Flight Following is essentially you asking ATC to help watch for other traffic in your vicinity by monitoring you on their scopes. That's really all it does; it in no way abdicates your responsibility with regard to where you are and are not allowed in the sky. If you need to avoid some airspace or get permission to enter it, then you still have to do this.

Thanks, this is what I was thinking…I just needed to clear this up.

 

3 hours ago, Chock said:

That's really all it does; it in no way abdicates your responsibility with regard to where you are and are not allowed in the sky. If you need to avoid some airspace or get permission to enter it, then you still have to do this

Don't quote me on this.

But it is my understanding that in the US (not sure where  OP is located), Flight Following means that ATC has responsibility of coordinating the transition into class D airspace.

So basically @briansommers is cleared into the Delta airspace, unless the unit responsible for flight following explicit tell him otherwise.

Since Delta extends from GND to 2500ft there is head room to not interfere with arriving/departing traffic. Expect a transition into D at 2000ft or above.

SAS443 is correct. If I depart an airport in New Jersey VFR and fly to an airport in Maine, I will have to avoid those air spaces that I don't have clearance in. If I request flight following and the controller accepts it, he can bus me through the busy New York air space so I don't have to fly around it. Flight following is the, so to speak, poor mans IFR. The controller will reject you if they are too busy to hold your hand in that air space. When I would fly to NH with my buddy privately, we would always request flight following through NY so we wouldn't have to go all the way around that air space. It's a great tool if they will accept it. But, you are a pain for them. I mean, they are watching you anyway if you are on their RADAR. They will call you out to IFR traffic. But if they are busy and have a hand full, they may not want to add the responsibility of holding your hand on top of the pile.

6 hours ago, SAS443 said:

 

Don't quote me on this.

But it is my understanding that in the US (not sure where  OP is located), Flight Following means that ATC has responsibility of coordinating the transition into class D airspace.

So basically @briansommers is cleared into the Delta airspace, unless the unit responsible for flight following explicit tell him otherwise.

Since Delta extends from GND to 2500ft there is head room to not interfere with arriving/departing traffic. Expect a transition into D at 2000ft or above.

Whilst that is true, they can choose to not offer this service if they are busy, so it is not a guarantee, which is why I said that the responsibility on your part as the pilot is not completely abdicated, i.e. if you don't get that service because ATC is busy, you need to know what to do and be ready to do it.

38 minutes ago, Chock said:

Whilst that is true, they can choose to not offer this service if they are busy, so it is not a guarantee, which is why I said that the responsibility on your part as the pilot is not completely abdicated, i.e. if you don't get that service because ATC is busy, you need to know what to do and be ready to do it.

And you certainly make the request well beforehand.  I'd recommend he watch a number of youtube videos posted by 310 Pilot, who also is an ATC

Edited September 18, 20214 yr by fppilot

9 hours ago, briansommers said:

Thanks, this is what I was thinking…I just needed to clear this up.

That’s not entirely correct. It’s true in the most distilled form of flight following but if you are currently under flight following, that means you are under two way radio communication. I have never had a controller tel me to cancel flight following for me to transit a DELTA airspace. They have handed me off to the tower of said delta and then the two were controller handed me back off to the previous controller.

don’t over complicate it. ATC shouldn’t either. 
 

however yes, their only responsibility is to make sure you don’t hit anyone else.