Flight following & restricted airspaces?
I'm planning a flight from San Diego area to Las Vegas. I will be requesting flight following. I was wondering if I should plan a direct route through Bravo and restricted areas since I will be requesting flight following or should I plan to go around those airspaces?
Aircraft - 3 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
From a logical standpoint, it would be better to plan to go around and wind up getting cleared through, than to plan to go through and find out that you'll have to go around. Check your sectional to find out when and at which altitudes the areas in question are active, or "hot."
2 :
SoCal and Nevada are a nightmare of special use airspace... Great practice, but frustrating and time consuming to decode their use. Restricted areas have hours of operation posted on the sectional chart (Often weekends are "cold"), and if your flight is outside those hours, no worries... When the restricted areas are listed as "hot" you will have to plan to go around, and a query to ATC will determine if it is in use. If your airplane is equipped for flight in Class B airspace, and you're comfortable with the procedures, plan the flight through the airspace, and request your Class B clearance from the flight following TRACON when you check in with them...
3 :
Flight following is a workload-dependent VFR service. Never plan a flight expecting flight following to reduce your responsibility of navigation. For a VFR flight through Class Bravo airspace, I'd have two routes planed: one through it and one around it. You can never count on being cleared into Class Bravo, so it's always best to have a plan B in case you are denied entry. As for the restricted airspace, get a thorough preflight briefing. Plan around any active restricted airspace. You may not enter active restricted areas, no matter if you have flight following or not. It is up to you to avoid these areas, not rely on VFR ATC services. ATC is a good backup to your careful preflight planning, not a replacement for it.
