You can't always get there from here

Unless you routinely fly VFR through the open skies of the West, or IFR above Flight Level 450 or during the wee hours, going anywhere without chasing the cat's cradle of the Victor airway system is usually a flight of fancy-especially around populated areas with their attendant aggregation of air traffic. Flying the airways, we try to minimize any increases beyond great-circle distances, while being mindful of the terrain over which we will be flying and the airspace through which we expect to fly.

And air traffic control routings can be circuitous, sometimes well beyond even those doglegs. When a pilot on an instrument flight plan asks for a shortcut, the answer is frequently "unable." Similarly, pilots flying under visual flight rules may not be able to fly directly to their desired destination, especially in the vicinity of busy terminal airspace. Why is that? Is there anything we can do about it? While there is never a guaranteed solution, a little background information can help to stack the deck in your favor.

Aside from impromptu temporary flight restrictions (TFRs), there are hidden but established agendas in the national airspace system. In the IFR en route world, for example, you can file whatever route you choose, but often the Host computer-just its name, not a description or an acronym-at one of the air route traffic control centers (ARTCC, or just Center) that control airspace between terminal areas, will have other plans. As a pilot you receive the same privileges as those conferred to an airline captain, and ATC is there for your convenience and protection. Of course, the very system of VOR facilities that covers the country begets the familiar web of airways interconnecting them. But then, the relatively high speeds of aircraft, the inherent uncertainties caused by a mosaic of networked radar sites, and the existing ATC procedures-combined with a healthy respect for built-in safety factors-all dictate separation standards that can change during your flight, depending on the airspace in which you're flying at the time.

In addition, one air traffic controller can manage only so much airspace, called a sector, at a time. And working traffic takes time: Until only recently, the most time-consuming task for a controller has been calling another controller downstream to coordinate a hand-off to the next sector; that controller could be an arm's length away, across a large room, or in another facility hundreds of miles away. When an altitude or route change is involved, even more coordination becomes necessary.

To see one of the ways in which the "system" evolved to help save time (for ATC), you've only to look in the back of the Airport/Facility Directory at the section for Preferred IFR Routes (and if you're in the northeast corridor or Southern California beehives, the section for Tower En route Control) to see what I mean. Someone figured out a long time ago that it's easier to herd cattle when they're not roaming all over the Ponderosa, and the same thing is true with aircraft. There might be an active military operations area, deviations being requested around weather, or sudden changes from a local Traffic Management Unit. There are also radio frequency and computer capacity issues. All it takes is one trip to the radar room to appreciate what goes on behind the scenes.

In addition to having a pre-established route structure, ATC facilities have procedures that simplify coordination efforts. These might include Center-to-Center, terminal radar approach control (tracon)-to-Center, and those between adjacent ap- proach control facilities. Sometimes procedures exist for the handoff of airplanes from one sector to another within the same ATC facility.

You can't look these up in the green books, but controllers use them; they are known as letters of agreement, or LOAs. An old LOA between Philadelphia International Airport's air traffic control tower and the New York Tracon stipulated, for example, that the transfer of control point for all aircraft between the two agencies was to be at least two and one-half miles from their common border. Philadelphia also has LOAs with the surrounding towers at Baltimore-Washington International; Atlantic City, New Jersey; Reading and Allentown, Pennsylvania; the Dover, Delaware, Rapcon, etc.

The result is that even on a local scale-and Philadelphia is just one example-there may be only certain ways you can usually get in or out. To make things even more complex, arrivals and departures will change with the weather. When aircraft are taking off and landing to the west, procedures will be different from the less frequently used "east flow" configuration.

The simple summation is that there are different arrival and departure "corridors" for different directions. At busier airports, these procedures likely will be more structured and less flexible. Imagine the boundary between air traffic control sectors as invisible, impenetrable walls with a few specifically defined holes or "windows" through which airplanes may pass, and you may better understand how this sometimes works in practice. If you're listening to an ATC frequency and hear a string of aircraft issued the same instruction, say to cross a certain point at a specific altitude (and perhaps even at a specific airspeed, for jets and other high-performance aircraft), this probably is what's happening.

The bottom line is that what we pilots consider to be a simple request is actually not so simple. Controllers know that we value our time and money, and that many of our airplanes have satellite-based navigation systems that would allow us to break from the Victor airway structure and fly direct. Perhaps there is someone slower up ahead, and your request for "direct" would compromise a "miles in trail" restriction, or it would lead to a potential conflict with another aircraft, or maybe you're on a busy airline route and instead of being just another blip, today you're the fly in ATC's ointment. Perhaps the direct routing would send you though the middle of a busy arrival corridor. Can't get a direct routing today when you got one last week? Could be that the controller is too busy to take on the additional coordination that a nonstandard handoff would require, or she knows that the other controller involved is swamped at the moment.

The first step for IFR pilots should be savvy flight planning. If you submit an IFR flight plan via the Internet, for example, there are several ways to improve your chances of hearing "cleared as filed" (as opposed to the full route clearance, or FRC) and get a more direct routing:

• Define any off-airway segments by degree/distance waypoints.
• Remain in a radar environment (although this isn't absolutely required).
• Remain within navaid service volume limits, as defined in Paragraph 5-1-7 of the Aeronautical Information Manual (although ATC can sometimes initiate direct routes beyond these).
• Adhere to obstruction clearance requirements.
• Avoid regulatory special-use airspace by at least three nautical miles.
• File published arrival and departure transition fixes and preferred transition routes.
• File a flight plan with the proper aircraft equipment suffix.
• File at least one waypoint (less than 200 nautical miles from the previous Center's borders) for each ARTCC through which you plan to fly. (The Center's computer won't take direct flight plans with a destination outside the originating Center's airspace if you don't do this.)

A recent enhancement will automatically add a latitude and longitude for any destination when the user doesn't specify a route. It adds an additional comment in the "Remarks" section to the effect that the route of flight has been modified for Center acceptance, according to Leon Thomas, Computer Science Corporation DUATS program manager. The FAA is working on a long-term project to update the airspace structure and modernize ATC procedures, especially in en route airspace, but until the "Free Flight" program is fully implemented years from now, we should not plan to utilize our direct-to navigation capability on every flight, especially when flying IFR.

Even if you don't insist on going direct, one way to avoid the full route clearance is to use the preferred routes listed in the A/FD. There's also the easily searched route management tool at the ATC System Command Center Web site, which allows you to selectively query the database for any point of origin, destination airport, and/or route type (including preferred routes, directional, and tower en route control). Another approach is simply to use the "check for preferred routes" option when filing a flight plan using CSC DUATS (or "decode" if you enter two three-character city pairs, not separated by a space). Cirrus also supplies preferred routes, and so does DTC DUAT (using the "Get Route" button).

Actually, there may be times when the most direct route might not work for you, even when it's offered. If it means bucking a headwind at a higher altitude, or an offshore airway like Victor 44-that's the infamous "shark route" between the southern New Jersey coast and New York's Long Island-then you might actually prefer a slightly longer alternative.

Once we're at the controls, another less-rigid set of rules comes into play. If you're tongue-tied, or you sound like you are under self-imposed duress, ATC will smell the fear and keep you in the outfield. If you are prepared, and you sound confident, you are more likely to get in the game. Being prepared means being mindful of some other things. Have a good headset; know your avionics and audio panel "knobology"; know your airspace; and have command of the proper phraseology. Staying prepared is equally important. It involves things such as remembering to double-check your frequencies or listening before you transmit. However, it involves bigger things, too. As Rod Machado advises, learn how to be an "information harvester," and know how to negotiate.

Remember, it never hurts to ask for what you want. There is an implicit give-and-take involved; it's not all "take." Controllers can't read our minds, and you cannot expect good service from ATC unless you ask for what you need. Here are several thoughts to keep in mind:

• Ask: Fortune favors the audacious. That doesn't imply impudence or disrespect-just don't be shy. Exercise a little affability with crisp professionalism and politeness, and make your needs known. Remember the golden triad: who you are, where you are, and what you want.
• Probe: Any given ATC clearance is often just one workable means out of several for getting you on your way. If it's not exactly what you wanted (and especially if it is the last thing you wanted), ask for better.
• Inform: Giving the controller the reason for your request can be effective, because people are often more obliging when they can understand or relate to what is going on.
• Deal: If you would prefer not doing what they want you to, offer another solution. "Center, I'd prefer vectors instead of a climb to avoid that traffic, if that would work." Note: If the controller uses the word "expedite" or "immediately," this is not the time to deal. If ever you believe any ATC instruction might compromise your safety, don't hesitate to say "unable." Controllers appreciate someone willing to meet them halfway.
• Persevere: If ATC denies your request, don't roll over and play dead. The next sector controller might be able to accommodate it, but only if you ask.
• Lead: Never renounce your pilot-in-command authority, and don't be intimidated. If safety is the issue, invoke your authority. You can always sort it out later, when you're safely on the ground. Leaders don't lead blindly, either. If something isn't clear, never hesitate to say, "say again."
• Confront: If you conclude that the controller is being unfair or irrational, asking for operating initials and the telephone number of the watch supervisor cuts to the chase in a hurry. This is a pretty heavy stick to swing, however, so make sure it's warranted.
• Apply: Learning your way around the system will bring its rewards. For example, remembering that your request for a route into busy airspace will more easily get accepted when made in less busy outlying airspace means you might spend less time, next time, cooling your heels and running up the Hobbs meter. Very savvy pilots sometimes file to an airport that gets them a better route, and then change their destination to the airport they really wanted once they're en route.

Sure, diversions can be annoying, and no one takes kindly to neglect. Knowing how to work the system, whether you're flying IFR or VFR, will work to your advantage.

Jeff Pardo is an aviation writer in Maryland with a commercial private pilot certificate for airplanes, and instrument, helicopter, and glider ratings. He has logged about 1,100 hours in 12 years of flying. He has flown for Angel Flight America and the Civil Air Patrol.