On Fri, 18 Jul 2003 01:00:03 GMT, "Bob Gardner"
wrote in Message-Id: nEHRa.76573$OZ2.13686@rwcrnsc54:

There is no such thing as "proper" phraseology for pilots in the same sense
that controllers must conform to the ATCH. Say whatever you have to say in
an understandable manner.



At Orange County/Santa Ana Airport (KSNA; Class C) all departing VFR
flights are assumed to desire Radar Traffic Information Service; the
Los Angeles basin airspace is usually quite congested.

KSNA Tower personnel have published VFR Departure Procedures with
various names: El Toro, Mesa, Newport, Orange, ... They have also
implemented a one-word convention for alerting ATC when Radar Traffic
Information Service is _not_ desired by the pilot; the word "local" is
appended to the desired departure name when contacting Clearance
Delivery:

Departing Flight: "Orange County Clearance, Cherokee 1234 request
Mesa _local_ departure."

A flight on a _local_ departure clearance receives radar advisories
from the tower until clear of the Class C airspace, and then, "radar
service terminated; squawk VFR." Flights not on a _local_ departure
clearance are handed off to SoCal Departure (TRACON) for enroute Radar
Traffic Information Service.

The Aeronautical Information Manual contains this note*:

NOTE-
Participation by VFR pilots in formal programs implemented at
certain terminal locations constitutes pilot request. This also
applies to participating pilots at those locations where arriving
VFR flights are encouraged to make their first contact with the
tower on the approach control frequency.

Perhaps the practice I described above is a result of such a formal
program.

*Ref:
Chapter 4. Air Traffic Control
Section 1. Services Available to Pilots
4-1-14. Radar Traffic Information Service
http://www.faa.gov/atpubs/aim/Chap4/aim0401.html#4-1-14