Originally Posted by
Flying Ted
Do the ATC guys and gals have preference as to what I do?
Hi Ted,
What you're doing currently is pretty good practice I'd say. If you're going to entering any CTA whether it be enroute, terminal, tower or military you should definitely have a plan.
If you think you might want to request flight following (SIS) at some point, it's not required but it's certainly easier and if we're busy it might make the difference between getting the service or not. I'd highlight too what the original poster described whereby he needed a clearance to get above smoke - you never really know what you might encounter and what services you might need.
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