Handover from Tower to DEP / CENTER

Hello!

Whenever you are handed off from Tower to Departure/Centre, and if you’re doing an IFR flight, a Check In is more than enough. Any other request is not needed. In fact, requesting FF would be requesting a VFR service (hence why if you Check In and then ask for FF, you’ll be given a “Flight Following request not required after Check In” command); requesting an altitude change isn’t very useful too since, as the ATC Manual says (Section 6.4.4), with the Check In, controllers accept the filed flight plan and give clearance to their initial cruising altitude. Finally, requesting RV to the arrival airport is wrong and another unnecessary request. The frequency serving as Departure has no ability to vector you for your arrival airport if that is very far away (or in general too). As you said, imagine if the airport isn’t in the area (i.e. taking off from EGLL > contacting Departure > asking for RV to KJFK).


What you do is correct! Check In and leave it at that. Obviously, you need to pay attention to your flight throughout the whole climb since you are considered active and if you’re not, you may receive violations. During cruise, you can be away and won’t get violations.


If you’d like, you (or anyone else reading my reply!) can check this topic, Section 6.


Hope this helped, thanks!

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