Good afternoon.
Using PF3 successfully with MSFS to complete my OnAir contract flights and I will say I am pretty much satisfied with the services provided. I'm doing most of my flights following IFR rules as while I'm getting from point A to point B as one would expect I've consistently encountered a phraseology issue that i wanted to ask about - and if it's done by design - so be it...it's not a game breaker and I don't really care. And it's possible my flight planning might have caused the issue...read on.
Setup - 35 mile IFR flight from Ontario international (KONT) to Long Beach international (KLGB) - route along a few points and then a 10 mile straight leg to the destination and enroute altitude at 4000 MSL. Pretty straight forward. And while the LA basin is pretty much flat - there is a coastal mountain range south of Ontario Intl right at the turn point to head to Long Beach...those mountains top out around 2800-3300 MSL.
After being handed off from departure to LA Center I get a point where I get told to contact Radar for flight following services. This is what seems weird - why would I be handed off to a [VFR] radar facility while on an IFR flight plan?
I did get pushed to Approach a few minutes later and everything else was as expected landing in Long Beach as the ocean marine layer (ie..fog) rolled across the LA basis this AM.
The only thing that I changed from the MSFS flight plan that it generated for me was that I lowered the enroute altitude from 5000 to 4000. And i did get within 1000 feet of some hills at my last turnpoint - is it possible (or expected) that if the flight goes below the lower boundary of normal IFR airspace (ie - if I'd just filed at 5000 rather than 4000) you get pushed to a VFR facility until back "within" IFR airspace?
Thanks in advance.
Cheers, mike