Narrative:

I filed an IFR flight plan by phone through mcminnville FSS and called for my clearance through oakland FSS. 0q5 has no cell phone reception and ZOA cannot be reached from the ground. The procedure in the past has been to provide a release time and a void time. It takes about 15 mins to walk from the phone in shelter cove to the plane; do the preflight; fire it up; taxi and complete the checklist before departure. On this date oakland FSS informed me that the controller would not give me a clearance until I was ready to go in 5 mins. I explained that this would be difficult; but the sky was overcast and I did not want to leave without a clearance. I told the briefer I would be able to go in 5 mins. I was given the clearance at XA30 with a void time of XA35 and told that if I was unable to make that time I was to inform approach by XA40. I ran to the plane; and prepared to depart within the limits of safety. I'm not sure what time the wheels left the runway; but it was after XA40. A few mins after takeoff I contacted ZOA on 132.2 and the controller asked if I had been advised of my clearance void time. I told him I had and asked him if it was still possible to get a clearance window between release and void. He said yes; but there were times that it was not available. My concern is that many pilots take off from 0q5 without a clearance when the sky is overcast. About a month ago a pilot and his wife did this and something went wrong. They crashed only a few mi from the airport into a mountain and this was not known until over 24 hours later when a hang glider pilot spotted the wreckage. I called ZOA after my flight and had a very pleasant conversation with mr X the manager. I explained the peculiarities of obtaining a clearance from shelter cove and we discussed how we might facilitate getting an IFR clearance there so that pilots would be more likely to do so. It is important that a pilot be given about 15 mins to get to his plane and get set up before his release time. I was able to shorten this time a bit by preflting my plane before I filed my flight plan. Mr X indicated that he was going to refer this issue to a colleague for review and would get back to me regarding a safe procedure for obtaining and executing a clearance for 0q5. I hope we can do this because I would like to post it in one of the newsletters and make it available for the pilots who use this airport in the future. This is the first time I have ever had a problem getting a reasonable clearance void time at shelter cove. If the problem continues it seems reasonable to conclude there will be an increase in the percentage of pilots taking off from there without a clearance when the sky is overcast.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PA28 PLT DEPARTED 0Q5 AFTER CLRNC VOID TIME. THE CTLR ONLY ALLOWED 5 MIN LEAD TIME TO GET AIRBORNE.

Narrative: I FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN BY PHONE THROUGH MCMINNVILLE FSS AND CALLED FOR MY CLRNC THROUGH OAKLAND FSS. 0Q5 HAS NO CELL PHONE RECEPTION AND ZOA CANNOT BE REACHED FROM THE GND. THE PROC IN THE PAST HAS BEEN TO PROVIDE A RELEASE TIME AND A VOID TIME. IT TAKES ABOUT 15 MINS TO WALK FROM THE PHONE IN SHELTER COVE TO THE PLANE; DO THE PREFLT; FIRE IT UP; TAXI AND COMPLETE THE CHKLIST BEFORE DEP. ON THIS DATE OAKLAND FSS INFORMED ME THAT THE CTLR WOULD NOT GIVE ME A CLRNC UNTIL I WAS READY TO GO IN 5 MINS. I EXPLAINED THAT THIS WOULD BE DIFFICULT; BUT THE SKY WAS OVCST AND I DID NOT WANT TO LEAVE WITHOUT A CLRNC. I TOLD THE BRIEFER I WOULD BE ABLE TO GO IN 5 MINS. I WAS GIVEN THE CLRNC AT XA30 WITH A VOID TIME OF XA35 AND TOLD THAT IF I WAS UNABLE TO MAKE THAT TIME I WAS TO INFORM APCH BY XA40. I RAN TO THE PLANE; AND PREPARED TO DEPART WITHIN THE LIMITS OF SAFETY. I'M NOT SURE WHAT TIME THE WHEELS LEFT THE RWY; BUT IT WAS AFTER XA40. A FEW MINS AFTER TKOF I CONTACTED ZOA ON 132.2 AND THE CTLR ASKED IF I HAD BEEN ADVISED OF MY CLRNC VOID TIME. I TOLD HIM I HAD AND ASKED HIM IF IT WAS STILL POSSIBLE TO GET A CLRNC WINDOW BTWN RELEASE AND VOID. HE SAID YES; BUT THERE WERE TIMES THAT IT WAS NOT AVAILABLE. MY CONCERN IS THAT MANY PLTS TAKE OFF FROM 0Q5 WITHOUT A CLRNC WHEN THE SKY IS OVCST. ABOUT A MONTH AGO A PLT AND HIS WIFE DID THIS AND SOMETHING WENT WRONG. THEY CRASHED ONLY A FEW MI FROM THE ARPT INTO A MOUNTAIN AND THIS WAS NOT KNOWN UNTIL OVER 24 HRS LATER WHEN A HANG GLIDER PLT SPOTTED THE WRECKAGE. I CALLED ZOA AFTER MY FLT AND HAD A VERY PLEASANT CONVERSATION WITH MR X THE MGR. I EXPLAINED THE PECULIARITIES OF OBTAINING A CLRNC FROM SHELTER COVE AND WE DISCUSSED HOW WE MIGHT FACILITATE GETTING AN IFR CLRNC THERE SO THAT PLTS WOULD BE MORE LIKELY TO DO SO. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT A PLT BE GIVEN ABOUT 15 MINS TO GET TO HIS PLANE AND GET SET UP BEFORE HIS RELEASE TIME. I WAS ABLE TO SHORTEN THIS TIME A BIT BY PREFLTING MY PLANE BEFORE I FILED MY FLT PLAN. MR X INDICATED THAT HE WAS GOING TO REFER THIS ISSUE TO A COLLEAGUE FOR REVIEW AND WOULD GET BACK TO ME REGARDING A SAFE PROC FOR OBTAINING AND EXECUTING A CLRNC FOR 0Q5. I HOPE WE CAN DO THIS BECAUSE I WOULD LIKE TO POST IT IN ONE OF THE NEWSLETTERS AND MAKE IT AVAILABLE FOR THE PLTS WHO USE THIS ARPT IN THE FUTURE. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE EVER HAD A PROB GETTING A REASONABLE CLRNC VOID TIME AT SHELTER COVE. IF THE PROB CONTINUES IT SEEMS REASONABLE TO CONCLUDE THERE WILL BE AN INCREASE IN THE PERCENTAGE OF PLTS TAKING OFF FROM THERE WITHOUT A CLRNC WHEN THE SKY IS OVCST.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.