Required Reports

For this look, well cover about half of the reports other than position reports per 14 CFR 91.183(a) that Fred Simonds briefly mentions in his Radar Service Gotchas on page 14. Well thoroughly cover those later.

Editorial Staff

Wednesday, November 05, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The article details several overlooked IFR reports (the "MARVEL" part of a larger mnemonic), emphasizing that most should be made to ATC or FSS, not necessarily CTAF.
It clarifies specific reporting requirements, such as reporting "reaching" a holding fix or "vacating" an assigned altitude, noting these are mandatory even when in radar contact.
A key distinction is drawn for "ETA Change," which is specifically required only when not in radar contact, differentiating it from other reports that are always necessary.

See a mistake? Contact us.

For this look, we’ll cover about half of the reports other than position reports per 14 CFR 91.183(a) that Fred Simonds briefly mentions in his “Radar Service Gotchas” on page 14. We’ll thoroughly cover those later.

The other reports generally come from three sources: 14 CFR 91.183 (specifically paragraphs b and c), 91.187 and AIM 5-3-3. Section i5-3-1 n the AIM is largely about technique in communicating with ATC, while 5-3-2 goes into detail regarding the position reports required by 91.183(a). AIM 5-3-3 is titled “Additional Reports” and I’ve found it to be badly overlooked by many pilots.