AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - June 2019 - 102

NEWS & NOTES

AOPA AIR SAFETY INSTITUTE

Following the plan

ASI NEWS

BY ALICIA HERRON

ATC saves the day

Why it makes sense to request flight following.

IF YOU'VE FILED A VFR FLIGHT PLAN,

should you also get VFR flight following?
Do you know the key difference between
the two services?
"Filing a flight plan is like telling somebody I'm going hiking in the backwoods.
It's a good thing to do," says ATC specialist Richard Kennington in the AOPA Air
Safety Institute's Ask ATC: Flight Plan vs.
Flight Following video. "Getting flight following is like taking a buddy on that hike
with you." Having your friendly neighborhood air traffic controller keep an eye on
you can make your flights safer.
Flight following goes beyond controllers keeping track of a blip on a screen
and handing pilots off to a new sector.
"If you get VFR flight following, we're
going to watch you in real time," says
ATC specialist Bob Obma. ATC can give
pilots traffic alerts, advise of weather or
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102 | AOPA PILOT June 2019

terrain, as well as help pilots avoid temporary flight restrictions and navigate
congested airspace.
While in radar contact, ATC will also
be available to immediately assist pilots
in case of an issue or emergency during a
flight. After an emergency landing, ATC
can use a pilot's last radar target to help
narrow down the search area and decrease
the time to rescue.
Requesting VFR flight following may
seem daunting at first, but it is a skill
worth developing. The more experience you have talking to ATC, the more
comfortable you will feel flying into busier airports or requesting transitions
through airspace.
EMAIL alicia.herron@aopa.org

airsafetyinstitute.org/askatc/
flightfollowing

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|

POWERLESS OVER PARIS

On the night of Super Bowl Sunday in
February 2017, Peter Edenhoffer, an
instrument-rated commercial pilot, began
the approach into his home airport of
Paris, Texas. Instrument conditions prevailed across the region, and Fort Worth
Center had just terminated his radar
services because of poor reception-
Edenhoffer expected to cancel his IFR
clearance on the ground. A few minutes
into the approach, however, Edenhoffer's
Cessna Cardinal experienced an electrical
failure. Recycling brought the power back
momentarily-long enough to enter an
emergency squawk code-before it went
out again, this time for good.
Alone, in a dark cockpit, and unsure of
his location or fuel remaining, Edenhoffer
thought ATC had forgotten him. What
he didn't know is that controllers at Fort
Worth Center were about to go the extra
mile to guide him safely back to earth.
Edenhoffer's story is a reminder that
ATC looks out for all pilots, even if you
are "only" in a small GA airplane. Hear the
story first hand from the pilot and controllers involved in the AOPA Air Safety
Institute Real Pilot Story: Powerless Over
Paris video.
airsafetyinstitute.org/RPS/powerless
Share lessons learned
with the GA community
If you have a safety-related story like Peter
Edenhoffer's, submit it to the AOPA Air
Safety Institute. Your experience and lessons learned may become part of an
article, podcast, or video- and you'll be
helping the GA community.
airsafetyinstitute.org/
submityourstory

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http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/RPS/powerless http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/askatc/flightfollowing http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/submityourstory https://www.aopa.org/membership/aopa-credit-cards
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - June 2019

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