I'm just flying to Toronto, was under London Control, he first gave me climb to FL130. So I did set that. Also was flying selected HDG as instructed.After that, he said "Speedbird 645, resume own navigation."I set climb to FL410 (my CRZ FL) and directed CPT.As I was passing FL170, he yelled at me that he gave me FL130. So I replied "You told me to resume my own navigation". After that, he said "leaving my airspace, freq change approved".So, don't want to be rude, but who is right here?I mean, if I'm right, then I'm "expecting" little more competency from someone handling London Radar. And if I'm wrong... well, then I'm truly sorry and won't happen again.Anyone enlighten me on this one please!?

ATC is right. "Resume own navigation" means follow you flight plan.

My flightplan says FL410. Meaning, climb?

Meaning flightpath in the horizontal plane - all changes of altitude under IFR are controlled by ATC. You can ask for another altitude, but you won't neccessarily get it. In your case, as outlined, the controller would have cleared you to climb to another altitude as soon as you reached the one given on takeoff, or shortly after.DJ

Thanks guys. My bad then...

Sorry. My first response should have been more concise.

Word Not Allowed, I'm going to disagree with the other gentlemen. The AIM manual says the following:"RESUME OWN NAVIGATION- Used by ATC to advise a pilot to resume his/her own navigational responsibility. It is issued after completion of a radar vector or when radar contact is lost while the aircraft is being radar vectored."If you were indeed leaving his airspace he should have given you the standard "Your leaving my airspace... etc" then Resume own Navigation.I can see why you were confused when he chastised you for leaving FL130. Resume Own Navigation is not issued when ATC will still be in radar contact.

"RESUME OWN NAVIGATION- Used by ATC to advise a pilot to resume his/her own navigational responsibility. It is issued after completion of a radar vector or when radar contact is lost while the aircraft is being radar vectored."I think the word "vector" is the key. Should mean heading, butnot altitude..That means you resume the heading of your plannedflight plan, but you use your last altitude instruction, until further notified. They will bump you up in stages. You will almostnever be cleared to your final cruise altitude, that soon after takeoff.Sooooooo....You blew it....:/ They wuz right...You were cleared to FL13, and you should have stopped the climb at that point, if you heardno further instruction. But of course, usually you will, by that time...In FS2004, when you get to 200 ft of your last instructed altitude, expect a call, if you still have more climbing to do...Of course, sometimes someone else is talking at that time, and they may be lategetting to you.. DO NOT bust altitude...Hold at the last instructed altitude, until further instructed. If you keep climbing, and go too far, they will tell you to get back down where you belong, before they will clear you back up to your final cruise alt...Anyway, to me, the word vector does not include altitude when used in aircraft or ATC terms..Vector means heading, which is the flight plan that is loadedinto the GPS as far as the pilots point of view. MK

<>With respect, that is incorrect as your quotation from the AIM indicates. Under IFR, you cannot leave an altitude unless instructed or permitted to do so by ATC. But "Resume own navigation" means what the AIM says it means. Once ATC stops issuing VECTORS, then you are instructed to resume flying your filed flight plan ROUTE but cannot exceed any assigned altitude. Remember, your initial clearance will state "Climb and MAINTAIN" X altutude. Every altitude clearance up to your flight plan altitude (or any other altitude that ATC imposes on you) will be given to you as an intruction."Navigation" is presumed to be in the horizontal context...i.e. "steering a course." When you are climbing and descending, you are not "navigating." Once approved to Resume Own Navigation, you can reposition to your flight plan route any reasonable way you want.For example, if after departure, you are vectored, say 5 miles off of a filed Victor Airway, you can either adopt a shallow angle to intercept the Airway or you can make a 90 degree turn to intercept it...your choice. You just can't leave an altitude until you are specifically approved to do so...unless you lose radio contact and then you are permitted...and expected...to climb to the higher of your last assinged or last EXPECTED altitude assignment or the MEA for that area, at the time you were given to expect that altitude.In other words, if ATC says "Climb and maintain FL 220. Expect FL 250 in 15 minutes, then radio contact or not, you MUST NOT exceed FL220 until 10 minutes have elapsed and then you are cleard and are expected to climb up to 250 and to fly your flight plan route.If you are in solid IMC, you are legal to contine to fly your flight plan, all the way to the runway, even if you are NORDO (no radio) all the way...after at least attempting the proper TXPDR codes.IF you are NORDO in good VFR, you would be expected to depart from your flight plan and land "as soon as practicable" to solve your radio problems. When ATC sees you descending, they will figure that is exactly what you are doing and will steer all other IFR traffic well out of your path. Some think that having declared an emergency, (even by squawking 7700) you can do any #### thing you please but that is not so. Failure to take advantage of good VFR and instead, staying NORDO on an IFR flight plan will likely get you busted under the "careless and reckless" catch-all rule.Regars,Jim

"Resume own navigation"Simply put, "navigation" in this case refers to "lateral" navigation (LNAV)and not "Vertical" (VNAV)You cannot change your current flight level in controlled airspace without a specific request or instruction from ATC to that effect regardless of your flight planned level. If you are not presently at your FP lavel then be assured you will at some stage be cleared there by ATC, just wait for the instruction to climb.Simple eh? :-)CheersTimhttp://members.chello.nl/t.westnutt/realair1.gif

In the real world the term "resume own navigation" is also used in conjunction with some kind of direct tracking instruction.IE "Resume own navigation track direct biggin hill".As someone above described it is a temr which is used in reference to LNAV not Vnav.To simply say "resume own navigation" with no tracking information is poor controlling as it does not specify your clearance from your present position.The resume instruction does not give you a clearance to climb at any stage.HTHDarren

one can also arguethe atc can say resume own navigation only,as a pilot needs to know where he is,no?i've flown vatsim for years now,but i have neverbeen instructed to "resume own navigation track dct xxx".i have been instructed to "fly departure as filed/published"but that is all.now,iirc you (Darren) are a pilot(so inevitably you know more about it as i do :D ),is it normal practice in the real world then?tataJP.

<

><used in conjunction with some kind of direct tracking>instruction.>IE "Resume own navigation track direct biggin hill"."">>I've never heard such an instruction from atc ITRW and it>seems to me to be contradictory.>>"Resume own navigation" means what it says and to follow that>with an instruction to fly a particular track effectively>cancels the resume own navigation clearance.>>But I can only comment on U.S. operations. I've never flown>outside of America...except to the Bahamas.>>Regards,>Jim>I would assume that if you were cleared to 'resume own navgation' then followed by a destination/waypoint, then you would be expected to await further instruction upon reaching said point, having flown your own navigation path to it...I don't see that as contradicting the 'own navigation' instruction...it happens in FS9 all the time if you fly IFR and use the simple ATC/GPS mode and allow LNAV/GPS to steer the aircraft to the destination airport. Once you arrive at a specific point within the controllers' airspace you then receive new vectors to the ILS, along with new altitude instructions. No contradictions there... :)

<>But as I stated, ITRW, I have never received a Resume Own Navigation instruction accompanied by any waypoint limitation. Such a combination might exist...I've just never hear it and it would be contradictory.If you were going to be given a "clearance limit" up to but not beyond a given waypoint, the controller would say something like..."Cessna 123, proceed direct DUMBO. Maintain one five thousand." But that is a VECTOR...by definition. When ATC wants to STOP vectoring you they tell you to Resume Own Navigation.:)>>While you can file to the IAF most IFR traffic is almost always vectored onto the ILS course. That is because not ALL traffic can be allowed to converge upon one single point in space...i.e. over the IAF. So, once you get into the general vicinity of the IAF you almost always get vectored for traffic and then, in your turn, onto the ILS course.But once those vectors begin, you have STOPPED flying by your own navigation so yes, "Resume Own Navigation" with instructions to fly to a specified point would be contradictory.To reduce this concept to its most basic terms VECTORS means ATC is telling you what course to fly. OWN NAVIGATION means that ATC has stopped giving you headings and you are clearled to fly your flight plan route without any further clearances being necessary...unless, of course, ATC decides that that have to assign you a different heading (mostly for traffic) in which case your Own Navigation has been suspended and you again are on Vectors.Here is the definition right from the AIM Pilot/Controller GlosseryRESUME OWN NAVIGATION- Used by ATC to advise a pilot to resume his/her own navigational responsibility. It is issued after completion of a radar vector or when radar contact is lost while the aircraft is being radar vectored. So, by definition you CAN'T be on Vectors AND on Own Navigation at the same time. Relatedly, if radar contact is lost you CAN'T be on Vectors because ATC can't see you anymore to tell you what heading to fly and so you MUST resume your own navigation.You may hear otherwise in FS9 but not ITRW, at least from my 1,000+ hours of experience.Hope this clears things up.Regards,Jim