New User Questions: SoCal App/Dep?

[Salty60]

So I'm a really new user of Pilot Edge for the primary purpose of working on improving ATC communications and Instruments. I'm a new PP with about 85 hours. I live in Northern Utah and all my training has been in the Bravo airspace mostly along the Wasatch front. My question concerns the use of SoCal Approach/Departure and so forth; in the KSLC Bravo, Salt Lake Approach/Departure controls traffic (unless you fly under the floor) so in my mind, SoCal acts like SLC Control but over the whole Southern CA area because of it's size and concentration of airports/fields. So what is the proper use of SoCal in our PilotEdge flying?

[Kyle.Sanders]

Southern California TRACON (SCT) serves most airports in Southern California and guides about 2.2 million planes over roughly 9,000 square miles in a year, making our facility one of the busiest in the world. SCT, or SoCal TRACON as it is nicknamed, provides radar air traffic approach control services to all arriving and departing aircraft for most airports in Southern California. SCT's airspace covers an area from 20 miles north of Burbank to the US/Mexican border and from San Bernardino to Santa Catalina Island. Airports receiving SCT services include Burbank Airport, John Wayne Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Long Beach Airport, March AFB, MCAS Miramar, NAS North Island, Ontario Airport, San Diego International Airport, Van Nuys Airport and many smaller airports that service general aviation.

[Kyle.Sanders]

I found this great PDF brief on the SCT-
http://takeflightsandiego.com/assets/do ... tation.pdf

[Salty60]

Kyle,

Thanks for the response. The question was probably self evident for most people on this forum, but I wanted to know the general circumstances when you should make use of SoCal. Thanks for the link! I've been searching for something like this for an explanation on use.

[Kyle.Sanders]

No problem! I hope it helps. If you have further questions, these forums are a GREAT resource and usually have an answer within a couple hrs. (At these that has been my experience)

[HRutila]

The proper use of SOCAL is the same as the proper use of Salt Lake City Approach and any other radar approach control in the country. To gain access to Class C and Class B airspace that they own, you must be in touch with them. Outside of Class C and B airspace, you may receive basic radar service (or Class C Outer Area Service [see AIM]) from them as well.

What's important for VFR pilots is not to perceive the approach control as some sort of aviation deity, and to recognize that they will provide the same services as everywhere else. Where the controllers are located is, frankly, irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, because all that affects is the name you call them on the radio.

[Salty60]

Harold,

Thanks for further information. So if I'm outside of SCT enroute to some airport inside SCT, I should contact SoCal Approach, request flight following to my destination and they will give a squawk code and traffic advisories to my destination? Do they assign an altitude or heading or do I follow my own plan? As you can see my questions are basically the mechanics of using SoCal. I assume the same for departure.

[Kyle.Sanders]

Harold,

Thanks for further information. So if I'm outside of SCT enroute to some airport inside SCT, I should contact SoCal Approach, request flight following to my destination and they will give a squawk code and traffic advisories to my destination? Do they assign an altitude or heading or do I follow my own plan? As you can see my questions are basically the mechanics of using SoCal. I assume the same for departure.

Same as any where else. Contact the nearest radar facility to you. http://atccommunication.com/how-to-find ... -frequency

Sometimes they will assign a heading or altitude but they try not to unless it is absolutely needed.

[Salty60]

Kyle,

Again thanks. I understand. Appreciate the help and taking time to answer my questions.

[Kyle.Sanders]

Kyle,

Again thanks. I understand. Appreciate the help and taking time to answer my questions.

No worries. That's the entire point of this network in my opinion!