Pop-up IFR from Clearance Delivery

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

"John Clonts" wrote in message
...

Indeed. To Andrew it was interesting enough to prompt him to post
a usenet question about it!


I think most of you folks are thinking of this clearance delivery
frequency
as being a separate position in the TRACON. That's extremely unlikely.
Any
airport with enough traffic to justify such a position is an airport
needing
a control tower. This frequency is almost certainly just an RTR located
at
the field because the normal approach control frequency for that area does
not reach aircraft on the ground. It's probably labeled as a clearance
delivery frequency instead of an approach frequency because some other
facility not so far away also uses that frequency and airborne use of it
would interfere.


At my airport it's definitely this way. The guy I talk to at Gray CD is the
same guy I talk to once airborne. That's why I would expect that CD could
give me a clearance just as readily as approach could. And if they told me
"contact FSS or contact approach once airborne", I would wonder about it,
just like Andrew did.

Seems like Roy Smith had a pretty good answer for it, though...

Cheers,
John Clonts
Temple, Texas
N7NZ

...but the A/FD listing for RID includes a frequency for Clearance Delivery,
albeit it says Dayton Clearance Delivery. I can understand Andrew's
confusion, although I agree that he would have been better off to either
file with FSS or take off and pop up.

Bob Gardner

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

"Andrew Sarangan" wrote in message
om...

The frequency I called was the definitely the clearance delivery
frequency for the uncontrolled field, not the approach control
frequency. However, now that you mention it, it seems quite possible
that the approach controller could have been the guy handling the CD
RCO frequency.


Exactly. There's simply no reason to have a dedicated clearance delivery
position at an uncontrolled field.



However, that does not explain the strangeness of this
situation. Had he asked me to call FSS and left it at that, I would
not have considered that strange. But he asked me to call FSS OR call
approach once airborne, which implied that in order to give a
clearance on the ground I would have to file with FSS, but an airborne
clearance could be had without filing with FSS.


If he can work up a clearance for you once you're in the air he can do it
when you're on the ground.

"Bob Gardner" wrote in message
news:t938c.76989$Cb.1010750@attbi_s51...

..but the A/FD listing for RID includes a frequency for
Clearance Delivery, albeit it says Dayton Clearance Delivery.
I can understand Andrew's confusion, although I agree that he
would have been better off to either file with FSS or take off
and pop up.


I do not see your point.

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote:

Although many use RCO, Remote Communications Outlet, to refer to any remote
FAA radio, it's actually a tool of FSS. Terminal ATC facilities use RTRs,
Remote Transmitter/Receivers, and Centers use RCAGs, Remote Communications
Air/Ground facilities.

And a newer service, the GCO, Ground Communication Outlet, maybe used to contact
either FSS or Clearance Delivery. Click your radio transmitter slowly 4 times
to contact Approach Control (Clearance Delivery) or click slowly 6 times to
contact Flight Service. The GCO will connect to the appropriate facility via a
telephone line, and when they answer you may transmit/receive to them via this
phone patch. GCO's are not intended to be used from the air.

They all appear to use the same frequency, 121.75 Mhz nationwide in the USA.
GCOs allow a direct line on the ground in places where it has not been possible
to place a RCO due to their need for an expensive dedicated 24 hour/7 day
landline. The approach control option may not be available at all GCO
locations. After a period of time without receiving a transmission the GCO
will timeout and disconnect the phone patch.

GCOs are listed in U.S. Government flight information publications in their
terminal charts (instrument approach plates) and in the Airport/Facility
Directory.