Creamy
You remind me a bit of a young teenager who just never gives up on an issue and keeps trying to twist everything so they can get a win.
If I remember correctly, the biscuits were put on the chart so pilots could call up to arrange a radar flight following service. This is as per the US NAS. Of course, in the US it is mainly Flight Service outlets that you call and they will then give you the frequency of the correct air traffic control centre. Because we did not have enough flight service/Flightwatch outlets, at some places we showed the ATC outlet and simply said, “call the nearest VHF outlet if you want to request a service”. In fact, I will quote directly from page 22 of the same document.
How to use the New Charts
To identify where a Radar Information Service is available in a terminal area and to find the appropriate frequency, look for a data block (Figure A). This data block depicts the service provider, the location of the transmitter and the frequency.
Elsewhere it says,
While operating under visual flight rules, pilots must ensure they maintain constant visual surveillance and refrain from broadcasting their position on an ATC frequency.
So the answer is yes, we always intended to include area frequency biscuits on charts where they were necessary so a pilot could call up and get a radar information service or even simply request weather information.
This is totally consistent with, to use your words, “
banning VFR aircraft from broadcasting on these frequencies”.
You say,
But it doesn’t make sense to me.
Creamy, why don’t you give me a phone call? I’m sure you have my number. Or if you email me at
[email protected] I will send it to you.