Requesting Frequency Change From Approach Or Departure
Hello everyone! This was just a friendly reminder to everyone on when to ask for frequency change and how to change frequency when under the control of approach or departure, especially on the Expert Server.
Under the control of approach:
If you are under the control of approach, the approach controller will give you the frequency change to contact the tower or unicom frequency of the airport you are landing at. You do not need to request frequency change.
If you are for the ILS or GPS approach then the controller will hand you off once you have intercepted the localiser and are established. We do this, so in case you don’t established correctly we can help resolve the situation.
If you are for a visual approach we will firstly ask you to report airport in sight. This is usually from when your aircraft is in a position that you would be able to see the airport from the cockpit view of your aircraft. Once you report airport in sight, we will clear you for the visual approach and then ask you to contact the tower or unicom frequency of the airport.
If you are for radar vectors to the certain airport, we will vector you to the pattern altitude of the airport which is typically 1,500 feet AAL. Once we have you on downwind or base and a clear sequence is established, the controller will send you a frequency change to contact the tower or unicom frequency.
Under the control of departure:
Departure is simple. The departure airspace is up until 18,000 feet. Once you reach 18,000 feet the controller will send you a frequency change.
Please don’t request to change frequency earlier, even if you’re flight following as we want to keep you on our frequency until you clear our airspace, so that we can vector you to avoid any conflicts with other arrivals or departing traffic.
I hope this topic helps some of you, and provides further clarification as I’ve seen this a lot recently on the Expert Server.