What services does Air Traffic Control (ATC) provide to VFR flights?

Air Traffic Control (ATC) offers specific services to Visual Flight Rules (VFR) flights that primarily enhance situational awareness and safety in the airspace system. One of the key services provided to VFR aircraft is traffic advisories. This helps pilots maintain awareness of nearby traffic, reducing the risk of mid-air collisions. Additionally, limited vectoring is available, which means ATC can provide guidance to VFR pilots to ensure safe navigation through busy airspaces or around hazardous weather, although the level of control is less comprehensive compared toInstrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations.

The other choices involve services that are either not typical for VFR flights or are primarily associated with IFR operations. For instance, flight plans and altitude tracking are more relevant to IFR flights, which require stricter adherence to filed routes and altitude assignments. Fuel calculations and landing permissions are not services provided by ATC but are instead the responsibility of the pilot and the individual airport’s policies. Route optimization and weather updates, while beneficial to pilots, are not direct services provided by ATC for VFR flights. Instead, pilots usually obtain weather information through other sources, and route optimization is typically a pilot's responsibility based on personal navigation and pre-flight planning.