(Ben Jackson) wrote in message news:SAbjc.42018$_L6.2563007@attbi_s53...
Leaving OAK I called ground and asked for flight following to 7S3
(which I gave by name and spelled phonetically). Later, while I'm
taxiing they come back with "where is that" and I couldn't imagine
how I could help them if the identifier didn't, so I came up with
"near McMinnville", which is both a nearby airport ...
So, "where" IS my destination? Is there anything I could have said
that would have made it clear? Would they be confused if I just asked
for flight following to the Newberg VOR?

Ben,

This is a perennial problem. Believe it or not, I have every airport
in the US in my obsolete, limited-memory Palm VIIX but major TRACONS
and ARTCCs don't even have some pretty major airports outside their
airspace in their database. What's Wrong With This Picture?

If you can find an H-class VOR which is near your destination and
either give it as your destination or give your airport as degree-
distance to that VOR, it seems to work pretty well...though we were
once asked for a VOR *within* the airspace of the ARTCC.

Best,
Sydney