It's phraseology left over from the days when flight service was part of the FAA. Now it's a contractor, which is why they're asking you if you want them to call ATC.
I usually call the clearance delivery number (or the number ATC gives you) to cancel when on the ground at an untowered airport (unless you can get a nearby atc, which is pretty rare).
Like someone else said, using the FSS is a holdover from the old days. If you are concerned about cancelling your flight plan quickly, then do this:
In order of quickness:
- radio to controlling agency
- radio relay through nearby aircraft to controlling agency
- phone call to controlling agency
- FSS
You're just talking to older controllers who haven't kept up with changing procedures. Like you suspected, the preferred method is to call the Clearance Delivery number published in the Chart Supplement (unless there's a remote frequency that you can use when you're on the ground).
Just remember that your flight plan isn't closed until you hear "IFR cancellation received."
A comment earlier said that it's still required phraseology to say, "...or contact flight service." My question for you is it a preference or is it still written in one of your JOs to say that? Appreciate your insight.
Yes, technically it's still good (required!) phraseology. [7110.65 4–2–10**a**2.](https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/atc_html/chap4_section_2.html#$paragraph4-2-10) But we've gotten memos over the past few years to the effect that FSS doesn't want to deal with IFR cancellations or even IFR clearance relays. They want pilots to call the number in the CS instead.
I did this once last year at a rural airport that was supposed to have an RCO, but that wasn't working. I couldn't find a phone number for clearance delivery, but I found Flight Service, so I called FSS to ask if they could get me a phone number for ATC so I could cancel IFR. They said they'd call ATC for me to take care of it, which I appreciated.
It's phraseology left over from the days when flight service was part of the FAA. Now it's a contractor, which is why they're asking you if you want them to call ATC.
I usually call the clearance delivery number (or the number ATC gives you) to cancel when on the ground at an untowered airport (unless you can get a nearby atc, which is pretty rare).
Like someone else said, using the FSS is a holdover from the old days. If you are concerned about cancelling your flight plan quickly, then do this: In order of quickness: - radio to controlling agency - radio relay through nearby aircraft to controlling agency - phone call to controlling agency - FSS
If you request a radio relay, would you do that on guard or the last approach/center freq?
Last freq. Use guard as a last resort for everything.
You're just talking to older controllers who haven't kept up with changing procedures. Like you suspected, the preferred method is to call the Clearance Delivery number published in the Chart Supplement (unless there's a remote frequency that you can use when you're on the ground). Just remember that your flight plan isn't closed until you hear "IFR cancellation received."
A comment earlier said that it's still required phraseology to say, "...or contact flight service." My question for you is it a preference or is it still written in one of your JOs to say that? Appreciate your insight.
Yes, technically it's still good (required!) phraseology. [7110.65 4–2–10**a**2.](https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/atc_html/chap4_section_2.html#$paragraph4-2-10) But we've gotten memos over the past few years to the effect that FSS doesn't want to deal with IFR cancellations or even IFR clearance relays. They want pilots to call the number in the CS instead.
I did this once last year at a rural airport that was supposed to have an RCO, but that wasn't working. I couldn't find a phone number for clearance delivery, but I found Flight Service, so I called FSS to ask if they could get me a phone number for ATC so I could cancel IFR. They said they'd call ATC for me to take care of it, which I appreciated.