CHIEF'S CORNER ATC. Fortunately for me on that DNR flight, I knew what I needed to ask for and from whom and why. Sure, I could have landed without telling anybody, but that's not the ethical thing to do, is it? I'll leave you with a question to ponder and if you'd care to send in your answer that's great. What about when you need to transition the Class E surface area and aren't landing or even close to where the airport is? What about in less than VFR conditions-are there VFR conditions in the extension or at the airport and how does that apply? What will you do then? John Collins is the AOPA Air Safety Institute's chief flight instructor and manager of aviation safety programs. Before joining ASI, John was AOPA's manager of aviation policy. He earned his flight instructor certificate in 1996 and enjoys seeing students light up when they put it all together and nail a maneuver. Email: john.collins@aopa.org A SPECIAL VFR CLEARANCE MUST BE REQUESTED BY THE PILOT AND CANNOT BE INITIATED BY ATC.