OtisWinslow wrote:

I haven't flown around NY. I have dealt with Tampa and Miami .. both of
whom were helpful.

I fly around NY, and have found the controllers typically quite helpful to
VFR traffic. In fact, I once surprised a VFR-only pilot in our club with
how helpful they are. We were departing Caldwell for the NJ shore in an
aircraft w/o a GPS (it has since been upgraded, of course {8^). His plan
was to fly around the class B to the west. I suggested "through", which
surprised him a little.

But a quick request to TRACON got us not only entry, but a vector to Colts
Neck (which we couldn't receive at our current position/altitude).

As I said, they're very helpful.

There have been a few exceptions, but these were all (as far as I can
recall) recognizably high-workload situations for them.

But this raises a question about which I keep forgetting. I was once IFRing
into Linden - an uncontrolled airport right next to Newark - in VMC. ATC
wanted me to cancel as early as possible of course, and I was perfectly
willing to do so. I just wanted to be below the class B first, but - at
least where I was - the floor was below ATC's MVA. So I cancelled, but I
felt a little odd being in class B having never received explicit clearance
into it.

Silly of me?

- Andrew