Helicopter IFR Technique: Communications – IFR Clearances 

In the first Helicopter IFR Communications post, I mentioned that some of the “training scripts” I learned during naval flight training did not serve me particularly well in the National Airspace System. 

One of those scripts was the phrase “clearance on request.” 

We were trained to use this phrase after our call sign when requesting an IFR clearance. However, it usually adds little—particularly when calling on a frequency dedicated to clearance delivery. If you are calling Clearance Delivery, the controller already knows why you are calling. 

An initial call for an IFR clearance should tell the controller: 

Who you are: your call sign. 

Where you are: your location on the airport or your position in flight. 

What you have: the current ATIS identifier or, at an airport served by ASOS or AWOS, an indication that you have the weather. 

What you want: “IFR to” followed by your destination. 

That information allows Clearance Delivery, Ground, Approach, or Center to locate your flight plan and issue the clearance. 

Conveying your location to the controller in your initial call is important because, especially at a busy airport, it helps the controller anticipate your runway and taxi routing—or, when weather and traffic permit, accommodate a helicopter present-position departure. 

At a remote airport, transmitting your location becomes even more important because it can help ATC determine how best to communicate with you. 

If you are calling Center for a clearance from a remote airport—or attempting to pick up a clearance in flight at a relatively low altitude—you should know which remote communications facilities and frequencies serve your location. This information can be found in the Chart Supplement, the publication formerly known as the Airport/Facility Directory, and on aeronautical charts. 

When contacting a facility through a remote communications outlet or transmitter, include your location and the frequency on which you are transmitting. That information helps the facility select the appropriate transmitter for its response. Without your location, the controller or specialist may initially transmit through a site that does not cover your remote airport or operating area. 

For example, along the north Oregon coast, I have had much better luck reaching Seattle Center when I include my location in the initial transmission: 

“Five miles west of Astoria.” 

Or: 

“On the ground at Astoria Regional.” 

Some remote airports—usually those with very little IFR traffic—do not have a published radio frequency that can be used to obtain a clearance from the ground. In those cases, a telephone call may be necessary. Tillamook, Oregon (KTMK), is one example. 

ForeFlight displays clearance-delivery telephone numbers in the airport information, but those listings are not always correct. In the Puget Sound area, for example, some airports served by Whidbey Approach have displayed a Seattle Center number. If you do not already have the appropriate number saved, you may need to consult the current Chart Supplement or look at the information for another airport served by the same facility, such as Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. 

Because the former nationwide telephone number for obtaining IFR clearances has been discontinued, it is imperative to identify the appropriate frequency or facility-specific telephone number before departure. 

Once we establish contact, we need to copy and read back the clearance. 

Nearly every experienced IFR pilot I fly with still uses CRAFT: 

Clearance limit. 
Route. 
Altitude. 
Frequency. 
Transponder code. 

To make communication simpler and more concise, one technique I have adopted is to fill in as much of that information as possible before making a call. In many cases, because you already know the likely clearance limit and the frequency you will use to contact Departure, Approach, or Center, having the information already written makes it easier to copy and read back an unexpected route or clearance limit from the controller. 

When departing a non-towered airport, you will also receive a clearance void time. If you are ready for an immediate departure, say so. A shorter release window will allow ATC to reopen the protected airspace sooner for another aircraft. 

If you still have tasks to complete before departure, tell the controlling facility. Giving the controller an accurate assessment of when you will be ready may allow the facility to provide a more useful release window—and prevents you from accepting a clearance void time you cannot reasonably meet. 

En Route IFR Clearances: Efficient Operations Through VFR-to-IFR Transitions  – SPIRAL UP