VFR flight following better in the US than Canada?

[tommywcom]

I recently flew VFR all the way across to Detroit from Vancouver and back. Flew from Vacouver to Seattle and stayed in US airspace the entire way.Have to say I was extremely impressed with The flight following service from ATC there. I was in contact with ATC the whole way in over 25 hrs of air time - despite some odd times when my radar contact was lost due to terrain / line of sight but voice communication was still intact.

A couple other times voice communication was garbled but other commercial flights voluntarily relayed info including a better frequency to use.

Contrast my experience getting flight following in BC or Alberta. There seems to be lots of gaps in between. And ATC in Canada seems a lot more anxious to dump me as soon as I was leaving their airspace - they really didn't seem to care to provide the service.

Anyone with similar experience?

[photofly]

I've actually found it to work the other way around. The joined-up nature of NavCanada's tracking system seems to help controllers hand you off more easily; sometimes when getting a flight following service in the US you get dropped at the interfaces between different centres.

[Rookie50]

In N Ontario there are some radio gaps at 7000, worse if lower. BC has them too Van center was very helpful but can't hear you in valleys.

[Panama Jack]

I agree, tommywcom. My VFR flying in Canada is pretty much limited to Vancouver and the Island. I find that ATC controllers in Canada are less helpful towards GA VFR traffic than their US counterparts. Many VFR colleagues in Canada are unaware of flight following services and hestitant to use it. In the US, flight following has been promoted by the FAA for years as a safety enhancement and all the times I've used it, I feel like I've been provided the same level of quality service that Delta 284 is getting.

[ScottS]

I don't bother in BC, but I would consider using it more if I went east of the rockies. When I fly inland through the Coast Mountains I am not sure how high you need to be to get radar coverage from VR centre, but I am always below the mountain tops.

When flying between the mainland and Vancouver island, I try and get up into terminal airspace for the crossing when it isn't closed to VFR, but given the regular desire to keep VFR traffic out I can't imagine the response to a flight following request if I was outside the class C. I gave a call to terminal Friday as I had just heard them clear a 172 higher for crossing the strait; I didn't even get to issue a request, just shut up and stay clear. So I just started looking for ferries to splash in front of if the noisemaker went silent.

[Rookie50]

I don't bother in BC, but I would consider using it more if I went east of the rockies. When I fly inland through the Coast Mountains I am not sure how high you need to be to get radar coverage from VR centre, but I am always below the mountain tops.

When flying between the mainland and Vancouver island, I try and get up into terminal airspace for the crossing when it isn't closed to VFR, but given the regular desire to keep VFR traffic out I can't imagine the response to a flight following request if I was outside the class C. I gave a call to terminal Friday as I had just heard them clear a 172 higher for crossing the strait; I didn't even get to issue a request, just shut up and stay clear. So I just started looking for ferries to splash in front of if the noisemaker went silent.

Difference with YYZ Terminal is striking. They are happy to provide FF even as they mostly keep you out of the Class C. I've heard to be fair its a staffing issue. No problem here because the TCA is split up into several zoned frequencies.

[cyeg66]

1- there's no obligation (from an ATC perspective) to offer flight following.
2- ATC sectors in Canada are typically larger than those south of the border.
3- radar coverage is typically better south of the border. (You should find a chart with all their radar sites, it's staggering when contrasted with Canadian coverage)
4- strictly VFR aircraft, i.e. not controlled VFR, are (under most circumstances due to airspace classification) restricted 12500' and below and thus radar/frequency range issues are more common than when flying VFR at "up to" 18000' in the U.S. which is permitted.
5- if you want flight following, just ask. We'll tell you why you can or can't have it. Please don't propogate the usual, contrived and overly anecdotal "Americans rock compared to Canadians" bs. There are many more reasons that they're (the bankrupt FAA) so awesome and we're the worst ATS provider (according to a few that inevitably look past the tonsils of the gift horse).
6- we don't (not) do it because we hate you, or are instructed to categorically deny you these services.
7- personally, I offer it up or ask the pilot if he wants it if the aircraft is at a high enough altitude.
8- Happy Canada day, eh?