Altimeter setting in uncontrolled airspace up north

[Isabell Hoffstadt]

Hello from across the pond! 

 

As someone who quite likes flying around in Northern Canada, I stumbled about some stuff I'm not quite sure how it is handled on Vatsim. According to the flightplanning tool I use for my VFR flights there, basically the whole northern Region is uncontrolled up to 18000ft. So I cannot even request flight following, right? 

The second thing is that I somewhere (outside of VATSIM resources) read that in that uncontrolled airspace, pilots are always supposed to use altimeter setting 2992. Is that true? While it kinda makes sense when there are huge distances between weather stations, it still seems kinda odd to me. Unfortunately I cannot remember where I read that. 

 

Sorry if this has been asked before and I simply was too blind to find the post. 

 

Regards from Germany, 

 

Isa

[Tony Koch]

"Flight following" is officially called "radar surveillance". It can be offered subject to workload where radar coverage exists. Practically speaking, there is almost no radar coverage in the standard pressure region for VFR.

Controlled vs. uncontrolled is separate from the altimeter setting region, which is below FL180 in this diagram. Above FL180, standard pressure is used. In this region there is both controlled and uncontrolled airspace. In the Standard Pressure Region, controlled airspace begins at FL230 or FL270 depending on where you are.

(Taken from the Aeronautical Information Manual at https://tc.canada.ca/en/aviation/publications/transport-canada-aeronautical-information-manual-tc-aim-tp-14371)

Edited February 22, 2022 by Tony Koch

[Isabell Hoffstadt]

Thanks for your answer, the clarification, and the link to the material - I've got some reading to do  

 

PS: I don't know how I could overlook this document, this explains everything beautifully. Thanks a bunch!
 

Edited February 24, 2022 by Isabell Hoffstadt

[Liesel Downes]

On 2/22/2022 at 4:37 AM, Isabell Hoffstadt said:

The second thing is that I somewhere (outside of VATSIM resources) read that in that uncontrolled airspace, pilots are always supposed to use altimeter setting 2992. Is that true? While it kinda makes sense when there are huge distances between weather stations, it still seems kinda odd to me. Unfortunately I cannot remember where I read that. 

You set the altimeter as normal but using your own weather sources