Hello, I was doing some pattern work at an uncontrolled airport, announcing everything on Unicom, just doing normal pattern work. Then, a controller popped online for the surrounding center airspace. As I made downwind, I was on guarded, but it made sense since the controller had no way of knowing I was in the pattern. I requested a visual approach to the runway I was using and complied with all instructions. Then I was cleared for the approach and handed back off to Unicom. But then I was on guarded again turning crosswind. By then it was obvious that I was doing pattern work, and from then on every crosswind I was contacting center and receiving vectors for the visual. It was annoying because I like to test myself with short approaches, etc., when I’m doing pattern work. Since I was stuck with center half the time, I was also missing calls by other pilots on Unicom, including intersecting departures, but luckily there was no conflict with that. The whole experience was very frustrating because I was very fast with my “airport in sight” callouts and read backs, and tried to communicate that I didn’t really need assistance from the controller. I had the airport in sight the entire time. Maybe they were just bored and wanted some practice? It wasn’t very busy.
But anyway, what is the protocol for pattern work in an active center area? Was the controller correct to manage my patterns, or should I have been left alone?
If you are below a certain altitude you shouldn’t even be talking to center typically. Tower is from 0 aal to 5,000 aal. Approach is typically from 5 to 15 thousand and center is higher,
This was expert. Getting the controllers name is gonna take me a couple minutes cause I’m on a cruise so I gotta switch the internet over to my iPad to check the replay.
