Clearance Delivery under VFR

[MXMiles]

I am currently a student pilot and the majority of my real world experience is at a non-towered airport. My question is what are the proper procedures for clearance delivery while flying VFR out of a towered airport. Should I contact clearance anytime I'm at a Class C or B airport prior to taxi? Or do I just go straight to the ground control frequency?

[Keith Smith]

I've flown out of two bravos under VFR and have had interactions with Clearance Delivery on both occasions (after all, a clearance is required to operate in Bravo airspace).

Charlies seem to be where there's some variety. You're doing fine if you ask ground for the taxi and include your intentions (direction of flight, type of aircraft, etc) unless the ATIS specifically states that VFR aircraft should contact clearance delivery.

Don't sweat it too much. If the ATIS doesn't give any guidance, I'd start with Ground (at a Charlie). If they send you to delivery, note it for next time for that field and move on. No biggie.

[MXMiles]

Thanks for the quick response! This is one of those those things that has always confused me a bit. So there is no official procedure for Class C airports, huh? Is there an ATIS freq on pilotedge? I thought I remember reading that the weather was entirely up to the pilot so I assumed that ATIS would be unnecessary for all practial purposes since it was my understanding that ATIS is basically weather information. Am I misunderstanding the purpose of ATIS and is it used on pilotedge. Or was your answer refering to real-world flying only?

[Keith Smith]

Sorry about that, the response was for r/w flying. We don't implement ATIS yet on PE. I have plans for it using a text to speech engine, but it's a long way off.

For PE, I would say contact ground at a Charlie, per the default action above.

Peter if you have a different opinion on this, please chime in. I will likely defer to your considerable knowledge of....well....everything

[Peter Grey]

As requested.

2 different bravos then KS here, both require a call to CD.

I default to CD for a class C airport and it seems to be about 50/50 for not getting referred to ground (or it just being the same guy) so what KS is recommending is just fine.

[MXMiles]

Thanks for the answers. My question was for both real-world and simulated flying. Again, thanks for the responses!

[Roger Wigfield]

Hi All, When I fly VFR over to KSBA to do pattern work, the tower will provide a clearance prior to your last "option" (T&G, FS, S&G) Best to inform them that you will be leaving the airport VFR to where ever on your last downwind. They will then give you a clearance.

[Keith Smith]

Roger, if you're in the air, certainly, it's going to be the tower that issues the pattern departure instructions (not a clearance, technically, since it's not Bravo airspace, and it's not an IFR clearance).

Welcome to the forums, btw!

[Roger Wigfield]

Hi Keith, thanks for the welcome. When I tell the tower (KSBA Class "C")I will be departing the pattern VFR to Santa paula (KSZP) they typically respond with "Fly runway heading, climb and maintain 2000, departure on 125.4." After my climbout begins, they hand me off to departure which tells me to "resume own navigation."
If you want to have some fun get in the pattern for runway 15 R or L. Extending the down wind will take you into a mountain.

[Archammer]

I wanted to add in a comment about ATIS. Because you're in a free flight environment, you, the user have ultimate control over the weather you select. However, if you use "Real-World weather"/Jeppeson updates or ASE weather, you will have accurate METAR information from the ATIS freq. for your field

There is a current caveat. Due to some interaction with SqBox, when you are on ATIS freq's and getting the METAR data, every time you listen to the METAR information, and it recycles, it has a new Identifier code (i.e Information Alpha, Bravo, etc). A bit bizarre, but for now I've just been advising ATC that "I have the weather"