Two Newbie Questions
Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2020 4:50 pm
First Question: Flying a Cessna 172 VFR southeast from Santa Barbara to Camarillo with flight following. When I'm about two or three miles northwest of the Oxnard Delta airspace at 1,500 feet, the Point Mugu Controller terminated radar services and told me to contact the Camarillo tower. Since I only had a minute or two before entering the Oxnard Delta airspace, I contacted the Oxnard tower and requested and received permission to transition the Oxnard airspace to Camarillo, then contacted the Camarillo tower. The Oxnard controller seemed annoyed with me (same person was handling Oxnard tower, Pt. Mugu Approach, Santa Barbara Approach, and Camarillo tower). Did I handle this incorrectly? If the Point Mugu controller had told me to transition the Oxnard airspace or had waited another minute or two for me to enter the Oxnard airspace before terminating radar services, I would have contacted the Camarillo tower and continued on my way through the Oxnard airspace to Camarillo. However, since radar services were terminated prior to entering the Oxnard airspace, I was not comfortable entering the airspace without requesting the transition. What would be the correct procedure here?
Second Question: This may be the real reason the controller was annoyed with me. He asked me if I could hear other aircraft on the radio because I had stepped on other aircraft three times. The answer is yes of course I can hear lots of other aircraft, but I can't hear all of the aircraft that the controller is handling. If the aircraft are too far away I can't hear them. Also, I'm flying southeast along the coast below 3,000 feet and there are mountains to the northeast that may be blocking some transmissions. I don't want to step on others, but I can't avoid stepping on an aircraft I can't hear. If some aircraft I can't hear is communicating with ATC, I can hear the controller (but not the other aircraft) and will wait until their conversation is completed, but if the aircraft is not currently communicating with ATC, I have no way of knowing when they are talking and cannot avoid stepping on them. Is there some setting in the PilotEdge plugin I can use to allow me to hear aircraft that are farther away so I can avoid this issue? If not, any other suggestions? I'm using X-Plane 11.50 and the stock Cessna 172.
Second Question: This may be the real reason the controller was annoyed with me. He asked me if I could hear other aircraft on the radio because I had stepped on other aircraft three times. The answer is yes of course I can hear lots of other aircraft, but I can't hear all of the aircraft that the controller is handling. If the aircraft are too far away I can't hear them. Also, I'm flying southeast along the coast below 3,000 feet and there are mountains to the northeast that may be blocking some transmissions. I don't want to step on others, but I can't avoid stepping on an aircraft I can't hear. If some aircraft I can't hear is communicating with ATC, I can hear the controller (but not the other aircraft) and will wait until their conversation is completed, but if the aircraft is not currently communicating with ATC, I have no way of knowing when they are talking and cannot avoid stepping on them. Is there some setting in the PilotEdge plugin I can use to allow me to hear aircraft that are farther away so I can avoid this issue? If not, any other suggestions? I'm using X-Plane 11.50 and the stock Cessna 172.