Report Leaving Assigned Altitude?

Dave Butler wrote:
Bob Gardner wrote:

"Maintain 2200 until established, cleared for the ILS." Do you report
leaving 2200 when the glideslope comes down?


Nope, I don't. The glideslope coming down is not a "newly assigned
altitude".

No, but you are leaving a previously assigned altitude which is your
original point as I recall. And the point is that once cleared for the
approach, you are also cleared to enter and leave all altitudes from
that point until you are on the runway.


OK, I'm grasping at straws to justify my position. I guess (in my mind)
the key thing is that on a visual approach clearance or a discretion to
[altitude] clearance, the controller has no way of anticipating my
actions. I can either start down now, or whenever I feel like it. So (to
me) it seems reasonable that I might be required to report, and I read
the AIM paragraph that way.

Yes, you are grasping for straws. :-)


It still seems to me that the discretion-to-altitude case definitely
requires a report, but, OK, I'll give up on the visual approach since
that is arguably not a newly assigned altitude.

Hopefully, one of the resident ATC folks will chime in with what they
believe is correct.


Matt