PilotEdge Forums

Hi gang,
I was working on my CAT-7 last night. Destination airport is El Monte (KEMT). I asked for permission from SOCAL Approach and all was good.
However I was (quickly) approaching KEMT and I hadn't been handed off yet. So about 2 miles from KEMT I switched over to KEMT tower. And I was scolded because I hadn't been handed off.
My question is what do I do in this scenario? Do I fly around KEMT pattern? Do I request handoff from SOCAL Approach?
Thanks
/Loren

I'm guessing it was fairly busy and you couldn't get a word in. I would recommend being prepared to switch to the tower anywhere between 5-7 miles away from the airport. If you get within 5 miles from the field still without a switch, I would advise you to prompt the controller...something like "We have the airport in sight." Switching frequencies on your own as you did here can cause a lot of confusion on the approach controller's part as they may be trying different ways to get a hold of you. Additionally, there may be a reason that they're holding on to you- could be due to traffic, or even a stuck mic on the tower frequency that they don't want you to make even worse.

Even more of an issue would be if you were to do this at an uncontrolled airport because it could result in a search and rescue situation if ATC doesn't officially terminate you since at an uncontrolled airport situation, there is no tower for approach to ask if you landed safely.

But in your case if you find yourself 2 miles away from the airport and unable to get a word in, I'd have to defer to a pilot as to what you should do. From an ATC perspective, I would imagine holding over the airport wouldn't be the worst idea, but I could be wrong there. Pilots? Thoughts?

Moral of the story- try to be a bit more proactive before it's too late.