So I just took off out of Santiago and bound for Edmonton. A 12 hour flight.
And I requested frequency change twice (once at 25,000 ft and again at 38,000 ft) but was told to stay on the frequency despite me not having any reason to hang onto a busy radio channel as I was departing.
How come some Airport Centre Frequencies say to stay on their channel even though you are departing out?
was it a center frequency? if so, the airspace of a center is determined by the white boundaries.
as long as you’re within those boundaries, you should remain in the frequency. Since you technically haven’t left the center’s airspace.
Hello!
Yes, this appeared to be Centre frequency, @Khey.
@Shinkansen_Rail_Line As Khey rightfully said, Centre’s area of operation is outlined with the white boundary lines. Unlike Approach and Departure, which usually serve from the surface up to FL180 and within 50NM from the airport, Centre frequency serves a vast area or region, and you need to stay with this frequency until told to switch out (“Frequency change approved”).
Centre frequencies handle departing, arriving and in-cruise planes for a variety of reasons.
The link below may help you with what the ATC controllers have to do with this frequency:
It’s Centre frequency. As I stated in my post.
That’s where I’m confused. I know ATC rules and all that. But if I’m in cruise and there’s no conflicts or issues and I’m 150 NM out (when I issued my last request I was 200 NM out by then), why tell me to hold onto your frequency? Wouldn’t clearing me from your channel clear up your traffic space on the Centre controllers table? and ATC was very busy with the cluster mess of planes all arriving.
You are still within the controller’s airspace and frequency operational area that they are controlling. If you are within Centre’s airspace, you need to be tuned into them. This is very important if you are climbing or descending too, as the only exception made by the controllers for you not to tune into Centre is if you are away at cruise.
It is not a matter of how far you are or of what phase of the flight you are currently performing. Within boundaries/operational area = planes will be tuned in.
Additionally, the controllers should not send FCAs or handoffs to planes to get rid of them due to having many other planes in their frequency. Nobody forced them to open the hub, hence, when opening, they knew what they were going to face. Trying to have a lighter session, traffic-wise, by not providing service to planes which have to receive it would be incorrect.
So, to make it short: unless it is clear you’ve been forgotten on a frequency, you need to follow ATC instructions and stay with that controller on their frequency until told otherwise 
If you say so then. Thanks for the help.
I was asking cause other Centre frequencies I’ve been on had cleared me out of their channel upon my request. So to be rejected twice is new to me.
That is a possibility, yes. You may be granted a frequency change upon requesting it, at times, by certain controllers, and depending on the situation. Still, you are within the Centre’s boundaries, hence not outside of the Centre’s airspace, so you need to be with them.
Asking for a frequency change, as far as I see while controlling and flying, is requested incorrectly by pilots 99% of the time. I would ask for it only if strictly necessary, which would be if I’m forgotten, for example. Requesting it after being given a taxi clearance that included “Contact Tower when ready”, right after rotating on T/O, immediately after being cleared by Approach, in the case you described, or similar, is not a correct request. ATC controllers know when you should be handed off to another frequency or given a simple frequency change. It can happen they forget sometimes, but in most cases, they are aware of when to do what’s needed.
Over-requesting for something which has not to be given to you just yet, or at all, depending on the case, is unnecessary and that increases the controllers’ workload more, which is particularly important to keep in mind at busy airspace such as the one you were departig from and may eventually lead to violations (not saying it was the case today, I’m talking in general).
Hope this helped clear out some doubts 
Howdy, I was the Center controller earlier. Let me begin by saying thanks for coming down to Santiago and I hope you have a good outbound flight to Edmonton!
Thanks @Jinco for answering above
I’m aware it’s common practice for most Center controllers to allow departing aircraft to tune out of the frequency early (whether it be initiated by the pilot or controller).
However, the entire name of the game as Center lies in upper airspace management. If seperation is lost within an FIR, the responsibility lies in the radar controller.
Keeping departures within my airspace on my frequency allows me to see the altitudes much easier at one glance, helping me to prevent busts and/or recover seperation ASAP if there is one.
With that said, please feel free to enter AP+ or step away from your device once you’ve reached your cruising altitude. A frequency change request is not necessary before doing so. Controllers will be able to see that your flight is in the background, or that you’re away from your device, so they will route other active aircraft around you instead.
As Jinco mentioned, we can be more conservative with our frequency change requests to reduce controller workload. Great to see you clarifying though, feel free to ask anytime if you have further questions.
Yeah, I was just used to having my frequency change request granted upon my request. So yeah, I wasn’t quite used to being told to stay on a frequency longer (at less to me anyway) than I need to. I was thinking that if you remove me from your frequency you’ll have one less plane to think about.
This varies with different frequencies.
You will normally be asked to stay on a frequency for centre until you are just about to leave our airspace.
Local (tower), we will approve your frequency change request basically immediately most of the time.
Departure, we will frequency change approve you whenever you are leaving our airspace or it is clear that there is no conflict up to the point when you leave our airspace.
Lol after the second time he asked for no important reason, you didn’t deservedly hit him wi please follow direction or youll be reported lol very professional of you,
For me, I have learn to stay on frequency over a long period of time, knowing that ATC will tell me to switch frequency most of the time especially with center 
Hi, with reference to irl:
Above FL180: IFR is mandatory.
And, if IFR: Continuous ATC control is mandatory, with Center therefore owning you in the enroute phase.
In contrast to say, VFR, where “see and be seen” is the pilot’s responsibility, with ATC more of an optional advisory function (when workload permits) when away from controlled airspace near airports.
So, when you are on flights that go above FL180, leaving Center frequency is not an option, as far as trying to stay as real as possible.
