"Dave S" wrote in message
link.net...
I have tried to do such a thing down here in the Houston terminal
airspace to try and circumvent a common practice by the TRACON. It didnt
work for me.

What I did, which I garnered from usenet, was file an IFR plan under
DUATS with VFR in the altitude block, and VFR flight following in the
remarks section.

The rationale was based on the fact that when you are placed in the
system from a flight following standpoint, you have to submit nearly the
same info that you would to get an IFR plan (pop up or pre-filed). You
are assigned a data block just like any other IFR plan, the only diff is
that unless in Class B, separation isnt the controllers "fault".

Well.. it may work elsewhere, but it does NOT work in Houston. The
standard practice in Houston is NO HANDOFFS for VFR's at all. Cant even
get a "center" code, rather than a "local" code if you call up early on
clearance delivery. If its night, and slow, sometimes I can get Houston
to take the handoff coming back IN from the Center's territory but never
on the outbound leg.


VFR handoffs are procedurally suppressed in many parts of the country
because the local controllers have convinced themselves that they are too
busy and too important to bother themselves with trivial matters like VFR
flight following. Houston suffers from that corporate attitude, as do other
facilities. In most locations, like in Houston, this controller attitude is
pathetically laughable.

Chip, ZTL