Your Ideal Aircraft Belongs on ATC Radar

Routinely talking with controllers makes flying safer, more efficient, and less stressful.

Jonathan Welsh

Monday, April 24, 2023 at 11:57 AM ET

Verified

Getting to Cape May County Airport (KWWD) is easier when you talk to ATC. [Credit: Jonathan Welsh]

Key Takeaways:

The author, initially an ATC-averse private pilot, transitioned to regularly communicating with Air Traffic Control (ATC) as their flying became more ambitious, involving longer distances and a faster aircraft.
This "conversion" to using ATC was driven by the realization that flying through controlled airspace with guidance is faster and less stressful than detouring around it, especially when navigating complex corridors like those near major cities.
Embracing ATC has significantly improved the author's travel experience, opening up new destinations and providing a more direct route, encouraging other radio-shy pilots to overcome apprehension through practice and immersion.

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One of the best things about flying from my home airport in Sussex, New Jersey (KFWN), is that it is a non-towered field with plenty of uncontrolled airspace surrounding it. For a long time, that meant freedom for me, as it does for many VFR-only private pilots.

The airport is near the northern tip of the state, and you can fly into New York and Pennsylvania, and all over New England, without ever having to speak with an air traffic controller. For many years this arrangement suited me well because I rarely traveled long distances, and when I did, avoiding busy airspace around Boston and New York was easy.