Flight Following and Class D Airspace

psdoft

WHY YOU SHOULD ALWAYS USE FLIGHT FOLLOWING

Posted by Joel Turpin | May 24, 2022 | Become a Better Pilot, Joel Turpin Tips and Tales

Mr. Turpin states that if you are on flight following you have clearance into Class C and Class D airspace. While that is true for the Class D airspace at your destination airport, I don't think that its true of other nearby Class D areas. With flight following from the east into KMYF in San Diego, the pilot still needs to avoid the Class D airspace at KSEE - or get a clearance from the KSEE control tower.

Scott Sherer

Thanks for your comments. I will forward them to Joel for his thoughts. Please stand by.

Joel Turpin

If you are receiving flight following, the controller you are working with will never allow you to violate any any airspace (except Class B, which was mentioned in my article) without being informed of the restriction ahead and handing you off to the next controller or suggesting an alternate course. Also, the controller you are working with, in this case SOCAL, would hand you off to the Class D KSEE controller prior to you violating their airspace. I recently made a VFR flight from the uncontrolled Mount Pocono PA (KMPO) to Caroll County, MD (KDMW), which is just north of the DCA SFAR. After taking off from KMPO, I contacted the Wilkes-Barre, PA, approach controller, KAVP which is one of the last remaining TRSAs, and requested flight following. After turning south, he then handed me off to the Class C Allentown approach controller who later handed me off to the Class D Harrisburg approach controller. This controller then handed me off to the Class B Potomac approach controller. Since Carrol County is not in Class B airspace, I was not required to request a Class B clearance, but would have had my route taken me through the DCA Class B. So, on that flight, I worked with the controllers in every possible airspace except a TFR and was handed off every time prior to entering the next airspace. As mentioned above, the controller you are getting flight following from will never watch you violate an airspace, excluding Class B, without either handing you off to the next controller or advising you of the approaching danger.

Scott Sherer

Thanks very much, Joel!