PilotEdge Forums

So I'm sitting at my desk stuck here at work and my mind wonders off to the myriad of possibilities of flight management. Up till now most of my focus has been around the socal area and the charts make it really easy to figure out who to call for advisories. Little red boxes all over the place on the maps.

But I've got some flights in mind that will require picking up following mid flight and the charts aren't so obvious there. For example, I'm planning a flight from norcal to a PE controlled airport in socal. Also looking at Happy Valley heading North, to Meadows Field for example, I think it would be Joshua App/Dep I'd call but Bakersfield has an Approach too not to mention the box listing a different Joshua frequency specifically for advisory for the MOA and I can't seem to figure out who has coverage where. Too many choices.

So how does one figure out who to call when it's not as obvious as it is in Socal?

Call someone reasonable, if it's not right, they'll send you over to the right place.

If you find a nearby IFR-certified airport, the APP plates will have the overlying facility frequency (also on the airport homepage on skyvector). Otherwise, look on the IFR charts to find the postage stamps and call those frequencies. If in doubt, as zengei already said, call the nearest APP/CNT control frequency you know (even if its at Lindbergh), and they'll send you off to the right freq. I'm going to assume a guy calling on the wrong freq. for FF isn't high on their "list"

Edit - Though I doubt PE controllers will care, I would only call the MOA frequency if you plan on transitioning the airspace.

Doesn't necessarily even have to be an approach frequency, I've called Center for flight following in the air before when I was in the middle of nowhere.

zengei wrote:Doesn't necessarily even have to be an approach frequency, I've called Center for flight following in the air before when I was in the middle of nowhere.

Yep. Apologies about that - think I didn't elaborate enough. The postage stamps are referring to CNT freqs. Center is virtually the only way to get FF between 46CA and the Golden Eagle Aviation Network

Edited my first post for clarity.

Thanks guys. That brings up another question I keep meaning to ask someone. What exactly is "Center"? For example, the other positions have very specific functions. Ground manages ground traffic. Tower local air traffic. App/Dep traffic coming and going from a given air space. I don't think center has even come up in the flights I've done on PE.

I've contacted center on Vatsim but with the way they nest their functions it never really made sense just what they'd be responsible for under normal conditions.

Center owns all airspace in the United States (bear with me for the obvious flaw in that statement).

The FAA has split the United States (lower 48) into 20 Centers. Between all 20 of them every bit of airspace is covered.



Busier areas need dedicated facilities to handle traffic in and out of that area. So Centers "delegate" some of their airspace to Approach and tower facilities to cover the busier areas.

So simply put Center owns everything else. On a normal flight they cover the enroute portion of the flight.

For example an airliner going from KLAX-KIAH will start with LAX Local, move to SCT TRACON, then work through Los Angeles Center, Albequerque Center, and Houston Center before going to Houston Approach and Houston Local.

Ok I get it. That explains why some states have multiple centers while other centers have multiple states. Interesting.

When I'm looking at the IFR map there are many different frequencies used by center across a given area. I assume this is in part due to the delegation you referred to. When calling one of these frequencies do I still address them as "Oakland Center" for example even if the box says Oakland Priest?

And related to that, if I'm planning a flight originating in NorCal, does PE cover Oakland Center for flight following? I'd assume so only because of IFR flights to KSFO which is covered. If not how are KSFO flights handled as far as that transition?

I assume this is in part due to the delegation you referred to. When calling one of these frequencies do I still address them as "Oakland Center" for example even if the box says Oakland Priest?

No this is something different.

While Centers cover "less busy" airspace, there are still enough aircraft and area that there are multiple sectors within each center (quite a lot actually, over 20 in ZLA for example). Each sector is worked by it's own controller and is worked using a set of transmitters (which you see on the IFR map).

However, all of these controllers are in the same physical building (located in Lancaster, CA for Los Angeles Center). In your Oakland example it's still Oakland Center, it's just the Priest transmitter (all you'll find there is a radio tower and a dedicated line going to the Oakland Center building).

And related to that, if I'm planning a flight originating in NorCal, does PE cover Oakland Center for flight following? I'd assume so only because of IFR flights to KSFO which is covered. If not how are KSFO flights handled as far as that transition?

We will cover your VFR operation to/from KSFO from/to a ZLA airport.

Fascinating stuff. Thanks! Thinking of the complexity of the whole operation nationally and on a broader level internationally is humbling. Always learning.