Readback: November 2014

Toward the end of his excellent article, Gaming the System in the August issue, Mr. Kramer talks of cancelling IFR when the frequency is busy and you have gone into VFR conditions. I have always tried to do this to relieve ATC of unnecessary responsibilities.However, this may be a little different in Bravo airspace. On a westbound flight through Washingtons Class B, I cancelled IFR after passing Baltimore and many of the buildups. The controller thanked me, replying, Maintain VFR, report any changes in course or altitude. A few minutes later I had more buildups in front of me. I reported it, and worked my way through. I have always wondered under circumstances like this if I had returned to IFR what the proper communications would have been in the Bravo air space.

Key Takeaways:

• Pilots should be cautious when cancelling IFR, especially in complex airspace like Class B, ensuring they won't need it again to avoid increasing ATC workload or requiring pop-up clearances.
• Ultimate responsibility lies with the pilot to verify critical flight information, such as NOTAMs for VOR status or waypoint changes, as official briefings and software may contain omissions or require manual updates.
• Understand ATC clearances like "Cleared direct XYZ, cross XYZ at or above N feet," which grant pilot discretion for descent to the specified fix while ATC maintains obstruction clearance.

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