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Cutting You Loose

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Pilots should be wary of ambiguous phraseology like "Proceed on course," which is not official, and always request clarification from ATC to prevent misinterpretation of navigation instructions.
  • Proper ATC phraseology for releasing vectors differs for IFR aircraft (e.g., "Proceed direct [fix]. Resume own navigation," or specific SID/STAR instructions) and VFR aircraft (e.g., "Resume own navigation" for discretionary routing or "Proceed direct [fix]" for a straight line).
  • Altitude restrictions are separate from lateral navigation instructions and remain in effect until ATC explicitly issues "Altitude your discretion" or provides other vertical instructions.
See a mistake? Contact us.

Believe it or not, air traffic controllers don’t issue radar vectors for amusement. I know it might seem like it when you’re getting strung out for a sequence or for traffic, watching the time-equals-money clock ticking away, increasing the costs of your flight.

My goal as a controller is to get you on your own navigation as soon as possible— the less I vector you, the less work I have to do. The obstacle to turning you loose is that there might be traffic conflicts that require me to comply with internal traffic-flow procedures.

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