I agree that flight following is a valuable service.  However, last time I asked for it in the Southern California area the controller responded: "Unable flight following -- multiple targets, all altitudes, all quadrants -- good luck!"

 

Of course, it was a pleasant Saturday afternoon, I was about ten miles from Torrance, and it seemed like every airplane in the basin was up flying.  When I flew IFR in my Cessna 150 on a Tuesday morning a month later I seemed to have the entire airspace to myself.

 

Flight following in SoCal?  It's great.  Except I can't get it when I really need it...

 

- Rob Wolf