Two Guys In A Learjet

After the usual say again your callsign back and forth, the controller determined there was no flight plan on file. A new voice from the Learjet, probably the captain, asked if he could air-file over the ATC frequency. The controller instead suggested the Lear could file its flight plan over the radio by talking to Flight Service. This is when it got interesting: The Learjet then asked for the Flight Service frequency and a clearance to 17,500 feet. It got even more interesting when ATC suggested calling Flight Service on 122.1 MHz. All of a sudden, here were three blatant examples of poor airmanship and incomplete knowledge.

Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside

Monday, October 29, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A Learjet crew demonstrated poor airmanship by failing to file an IFR flight plan, not knowing the universal Flight Service frequency (122.2 MHz), and incorrectly requesting an ATC clearance for a VFR climb to 17,500 feet.
Air Traffic Control also exhibited a knowledge gap by advising the Learjet to use 122.1 MHz for Flight Service, a frequency that requires specific VOR monitoring and communication, instead of the standard 122.2 MHz.
The incident revealed a concerning lack of fundamental aviation knowledge among both the Learjet crew and the ATC controller regarding flight plan procedures, VFR altitude rules, and Flight Service communication protocols.

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I was letting down for a landing at Class B International in good VFR. The flight had been rather dull—my favorite—until a Learjet 60 reported airborne off a nearby nontowered airport. They were looking for their IFR clearance to a destination in the next state north.

After the usual “say again your callsign” back and forth, the controller determined there was no flight plan on file. A new voice from the Learjet, probably the captain, asked if he could air-file over the ATC frequency. The controller instead suggested the Lear could file its flight plan over the radio by talking to Flight Service. This is when it got interesting: The Learjet then asked for the Flight Service frequency and a clearance to 17,500 feet. It got even more interesting when ATC suggested calling Flight Service on 122.1 MHz. All of a sudden, here were three blatant examples of poor airmanship and incomplete knowledge.