Question re Flight Following
For the ATC buffs and or anyone else...
I put in a flight plan on the Internet. VFR, Moorabbin, Lilydale - Narromine direct, 9,500ft. No SAR logged.
Got clearance into CTA and maintened 9,500ft.
About to depart CTA and requested Flight Following. Keep squawk code.
Cruised for many miles with many frequency changes given to me, like IFR.
Passenger decides they need a pee, so call ATC and tell them diverting to Temora and shall call again when airborne in around 25 mins.
Taxiing at Temora when landing, Virgin Jet calls telling me ATC is looking for me. Virgin Jet calls back (relays) to Melb Cent and tells them I'm on the ground safely at Temora (I could hear them call them back).
Quick pee break and look at Museum Tarmac aircraft.
Taxiing out again and aircrat inbound hears my rego and tells me that Melb centre is again looking for me.
I call Melb Centre to tell them I'm departing Temora.
Phone call whilst taxiing out. It's AUSSAR. Wanting to know if I am alive and well as Melb centre told them I had gone over my SAR time.
So how does this work? I never logged a SAR time. Did 'flight following' log a SAR time on my behalf? If so, where did they get my SAR time from? Why did they not cancel it when I said I was diverting, perhaps as I didn't say the words "cancel SAR?" Should I have called with an amended SAR time for a SAR time that I never put into the system????
Airborne again, call Melb Centre and tell them flight following is too complicated for this VFR pilot, I'd like to cancel it and go back to my trusty 1200.
Squarker.