Report Leaving

In the case of the departure, and from a certain perspective, I could call that report a requirement. The respective approach/center controller is required to verify your altitude anyway to make sure it is what they are seeing on their screens, just like the Tower controller is required to make sure you are squawking the right code before they switch you. As you continue your climb, and as annoying as it can be, the verification requests could continue on every new frequency, and certainly with each new facility. While your initial departure and the climb is where you will report leaving an altitude the most, what about when youre at cruise or even up in the flight levels?

Elim Hawkins

Monday, January 21, 2019 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

The FAA will likely be kept busy responding to an executive order that requires federal agencies to eliminate two regulations for every new regulation. Wikimedia Commons/MBisanz

Key Takeaways:

The report of "leaving an altitude" is often misinterpreted as a universal requirement; while mentioned in AIM 5-3-3.a, its necessity varies, particularly being optional during "pilot's discretion" descents or approach clearances.
Both pilots and air traffic controllers show discretion regarding these reports; while often superfluous in routine situations, some controllers appreciate them for awareness.
Despite not always being a strict mandate, making these brief altitude change reports can significantly enhance situational awareness and serve as a "better safe than sorry" measure, contributing to overall safety for both pilots and ATC.

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W hat if you were somewhere, say a party, and the host asks you to let him know before you leave. Do you do it? Do good manners and social protocol require you to do so? What about when you are on an IFR decent and the Controller asks you to report leaving an altitude. What then?

Climb / Descend

You are cruising along and ATC assigns you a new altitude. You respond with the appropriate phraseology for the climb/descent and on the end, you say “leaving XXX for YYY” per your interpretation of AIM 5-3-3.a, “When vacating any previously assigned altitude or flight level for a newly assigned altitude or flight level.”