"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote in message
ink.net...

"DL" wrote in message
nk.net...

Last week, both Ft. Worth and Houston centers said "radar contact lost,
report X miles from Y" while I was cleared direct (not on airways) with
/G
equipment - in Texas, going west into large headwinds at 4000.


Cleared direct to where and how far from it were you when radar contact
was lost?

Cleared direct to an AIRPORT (with NDB as only navaid there). Radar contact
lost 196 miles out. Was requested to report 175 miles from K---. Was asked
distance out a couple of times before reaching 175 miles. Then handed to
next Center. Was asked to report 125 miles from K--- and asked a time or
two range a time or two before reaching that. Then before reaching 125
miles, Center reported "radar contact".


I'm sure YMMV in other parts of the country, but from this I learned: 1)
file that way and 2) even if radar contact lost, sometimes they won't
send
you directly to an airway.


You don't necessarily have to be on an airway, but if you aren't you have
to be proceeding direct to a navaid and be within the usable distance.

I also had a similar experience with only one of these two Centers, several
years ago and with /A equipment then. When they reported "radar contact
lost" I proactively asked if I needed to proceed to the nearest airway and
they said no - to continue. I e-mailed a controller in another Center (who
frequently posted to this newsgroup) about that experience and was told it
"was done".

Steven, you may be able to speak to the "letter and verse" of the rules, but
you may not know every practice in every center, as seems to be suggested
here.