In article ,
Sam Spade wrote:

Terence Wilson wrote:
On a few occasions I have filed a departure procedure to a nearby
intersection just to get on top (comments section reads "IFR to VFR on
top"). After breaking out of the clouds and advising ATC of the bases
and tops, I usually cancel IFR and proceed "own nav" with flight
following. Which brings me to my question, if I cancel inside Bravo
airspace do I have an implicit clearance because I got there under IFR
in the first place, or is it common practice for ATC to give an
explicit clearance?

I ask because I'm a new instrument rated pilot and I'm pretty sure
both scenarios have happened to me recently. Thanks in advance.

You have no idea of what ATC needs to do with you if you cancel on an
IFR climnb to on-top. So, keep it simple, and stay with the IFR
clearance until either above or otherwise clear of the Class B airspace.

Like me, by the sound of things Terence flies out of Oakland (KOAK) in
NorCal Approach territory (in 2BG, no less :-)). On the usual "get out
of Oakland" OTP clearance (e.g. vectors for REBAS or SGD), NorCal makes
it very clear they want you to cancel as soon as possible -- "advise
when clear of clouds" often followed by terse questions about whether
you've broken out on top or not -- and can get quite audibly irritated
if you don't cancel ASAP (as I discovered a while back :-)). Given the
traffic routing into and out of KOAK and KSFO in the vicinity of path
between KOAK and REBAS (for example), I guess I don't blame them -- and
you end up canceling inside the Class B airspace, typically somewhere
abeam Emeryville or Berkeley (or Hayward if you're going the other way).
At which point you typically get told to resume own nav, VFR, with
flight following.

Having said all that, I guess I've always assumed that if they cut me
loose like that deep in the Class B airspace they've at least implicitly
cleared me into that airspace already. But then in the last few years
NorCal has had a lot of trouble with the c word when it comes to KSFO's
Class B. I've approached or departed Oakland VFR many times and been
given an altitude assignment (for traffic or whatever) that puts me into
the Class B without hearing the magic "cleared into the Class B...".
It's been a common complaint 'round here for quite a while; yet NorCal
controllers tend to get irritated if you ask whether you've been cleared
into the Class B airspace...

Hamish