RT Requirements to "Call Leaving"
 

Could I please ask for an opinion from any willing ATC specialists on the need for an aircraft to "Call Leaving"? I'm having a bit of a battle in my current airline about this and would like some advice. I completely understand the need in a non radar environment or if specifically instructed to do so by the controller, but can I confirm that in a radar controlled environment that there is no need to report leaving a level when given an instruction to either descend now or descend when ready?
Many thanks for any help offered.

Unless you have been asked to "Report leaving FLXXX" then there is no need to make the report. It is helpful for Controllers when you do it though as it brings you back into the forefront of our thinking, e.g. To QSY you shortly or to give you further descent. If you were given a "When ready descend FLXXX" quite a while back then you could have moved down the priority list in our mind (as we know that you are sorted clearance-wise etc) so by giving the report then you refresh things for us.

Perfect. Many thanks for that.

I sometimes ask pilots to 'report leaving' their current level if I have issued them with a 'when ready' descent clearance. This is done for 2 reasons.

1. It gives me a nudge to transfer them.
2. On the sector I do, I have slow(ish) climbing Northbound departures that need to get through the Southbound descenders. The pilot report is useful in gauging if the level change is going to work :hmm: or whether I need to force the descent.



SD

American military seem to do it as standard, they even transmit what level they're passing if given further climb/descent! Seems somewhat pointless to me in a radar environment as standard procedure! Useful tactically, if required, as Spamcan says.

In FAA land...
 

From the AIM 5-3-3:

5-3-3. Additional Reports

a. The following reports should be made to ATC or FSS facilities without a specific ATC request:

1. At all times.

(a) When vacating any previously assigned altitude or flight level for a newly assigned altitude or flight level.

Returning to lurking....

Interesting......it's only the military pilots that do it round here, not the civi crews!