USA flying... why the fu*** do they have to be so different!
Hey gang,
Im off to California in a week for a student J1 holiday with some college buds for 3 months.
Ive already made 1 or 2 posts regarding my trip which the answers I got were all great help... thanks!
But as with anything there is still a couple of things to do with US flying that Im not fully sure about, so if anybody knows the answers to the following Id really apppreciate your knowledge here. cheers!
This is what Im unsure of.....
1.
What does "Flight Following" really mean, Ive read about it in RT books but they persume you know what it is and how it works... but I dont!
2.
When ATC say to you "radar service terminated... freq change approved"... are you supposed to know what freq to change to or why do ATC not say contact xxx on frex xxx.xx?
3.
As in the UK&EIRE all distance measurments on maps are given in NM and call outs by pilots ..say "8 miles out on the ILS" they mean 8NM in the UK but in the USA when do they use NM and when do they use SM?
4.
Why is there so many frequencies for Center. Example.. I was looking through my brand shiney new US VFR flight guide and there is nearly 20 frequencies for Las Angelas Center?.. how do you know which one to choose, and more to the point when should you be in contact with LAX center?
5.
When filing a flight plan, is there any differences to it than in Europe? also can I persume when landing at a controlled airport they will close your FPL for you? and is it the same that your FPL is automauticlly activated if you depart from a towered airport?
6.
Well Im sure I will have another question or two before Thursday.... so I'LL BE BACK!!
thanks again for the help.