# Attn: Pilots - What's a "Heavy"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-pilots-whats-a-heavy/296597>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 28, 2005, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-pilots-whats-a-heavy/296597 "2005-03-28T12:45:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2005, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-pilots-whats-a-heavy/296597/21 "2005-03-29T02:06:25Z")

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> [@Broomstick](#):
>
> One of the big iron pilots can correct me if I’m wrong on this, but over North America a passenger jet with passengers is always in contract with air traffic control, either US, Canadian, or Mexican. You wouldn’t get out of contact with the controllers until you go pretty far out over the Atlantic or Pacific.

I doubt that US rules would be different, in Australia you must have two way communications with ATC or a Flight Information Service at all stages of flight. Once out of VHF radio range (a little more than “line of sight”) then you switch to HF which has very long ranges. There are also satelite communication options.

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**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2005, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-pilots-whats-a-heavy/296597/22 "2005-03-29T02:10:08Z")

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But there’s a difference between “radio contact” and “radar servcies”. Sure, you can always call someone, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be giving you flight clearances. I don’t know where, exactly “radar services” terminate but I’m pretty darn sure they don’t extend across the whole of the Atlantic, much less the Pacific.

But that’s quite nitpicky.

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**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2005, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-pilots-whats-a-heavy/296597/23 "2005-03-29T02:24:12Z")

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Well radar services doesn’t equal controlled airspace either. You can get a clearance to enter controlled airspace without having to talk to the actual controller, and you get controlled airspace without radar, sometimes you need to get a clearance relayed through a flight service dude on HF.

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**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2005, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-pilots-whats-a-heavy/296597/24 "2005-03-29T02:25:44Z")

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Of course Australia is very differenct than the US in that most of it does not have low/mid level radar coverage.

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**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2005, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-pilots-whats-a-heavy/296597/25 "2005-03-29T02:58:12Z")

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[You can listen to ATC from several parts of the country on the web now too.](http://www.liveatc.net/) I tune in sometimes and it never ceases to amaze me how air traffic controllers can do that job when air traffic is busy. That is one very difficult, high stakes video game that never ends.

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