Hey, I’ll be happy to answer some of your questions to clear things out:
Typically, once you get a taxi instruction, at the end, they’ll instruct you to hand off to tower once you’re ready. (Taxi to runway xx, contact tower when ready). You don’t need to request frequency change as it can be considered redundant, and ATC can scold you with “you were already instructed to change frequency”.
However, with the use of drag and taxi, they can take you to a holding point of a runway that you may need to cross. Here, the handoff instruction won’t be included. However, you still shoudn’t ask for a frequency change as ATC on ground may have other intentions (for example, a runway crossing on ground).
→ TL;DR: Do not request frequency change. ATC will always instruct you to handoff at some point, either with the taxi instruction, or in special situactions.
That’s correct, but I’d be patient with it before requesting it. ATC is usually aware of their airspace, and they’ll know when they’ll instruct you to hand off.
Airspace limit is 50nm, 18000ft AGL, so if you exceed those limits without being handed off, then It’s valid to request. ATC can forget sometimes, and that’s ok.
- You don’t need to check in; you’ll ask your approach straight away. As a pilot, you can request ILS, GPS, VIS, Radar Vectors, and even Flight Following. However, you should differenciate IFR with VFR.
You may ask VFR or IFR, with the options as follows:
→ Visual Flight Rules (VFR) (Request VIS, Radar Vectors, Flight Following to…)
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On VIS (FPL can be included here) and Radar Vectors, Approach will vector you to approach to your airport, and they’ll hand you off to tower, usually at base. You need to have visual with your airfield in order to have your approach done.
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On flight following, since is all about Visual Flight Rules (VFR), it’s your responsibility as a pilot to maintain visual separation with surrounding aircraft. (3nm, 1000ft). Handoff would be quite the same as with RV and VIS.
→ Instrumental Flight Rules (IFR - ILS/GPS)
- You will simply tune in to approach and request your desired approach and runway. ATC will either let you fly your FPL (FPL is required for IFR approaches), or vector you.
It’s important to remind that ATC can change your approach at their discretion, depending of the airspace and operational needs.
I think that’s it from me. Communicating with ATC can be tricky at first, but once you get the hand of it, this will be easy for you. As always, though, follow ATC instructions.
Let me know if you’ve got any questions.