"Proceed on course" after vector

[ttudurubau]

Had this situation with a client's IFR training flight out of a Class C airport. Cleared direct to a fix after departure, but ATC vectored them around due to traffic. Then they heard "proceed on course." From that point, should they have gone direct to the fix from where they were, or re-intercepted the original GPS leg from the airport to the fix? This keeps coming up and I want to be sure I'm teaching the right thing.

 

[AmandaNYC]

Had this situation with a client's IFR training flight out of a Class C airport. Cleared direct to a fix after departure, but ATC vectored them around due to traffic. Then they heard "proceed on course." From that point, should they have gone direct to the fix from where they were, or re-intercepted the original GPS leg from the airport to the fix? This keeps coming up and I want to be sure I'm teaching the right thing.

The key is understanding what ATC intends. "Proceed on course" usually means go direct to the fix from your current position unless they specify otherwise. If they wanted you to reintercept the original leg they'd likely give a heading or a more precise instruction. Did ATC give any additional guidance or was it left open-ended?

 

[Traffic.warden]

Technically, once ATC says "proceed on course," unless they specify something direct to fix, your student should rejoin their cleared route, so in this case, that original leg from the airport to the fix that usually means intercepting that leg, not just going direct from wherever they are when they get the call, but you see a lot of pilots assume proceed on course means go direct from your current spot, but that's more of a shortcut ATC would specifically say if that's what they wanted, so yeah you're on the right track if you're teaching to re-intercept unless told otherwise.

 

[mrpotatohead]

Direct. Honestly, the instruction should be "proceed direct to the fix, then continue on course."

 

[Marshal007]

To be honest, if you're still teaching students to re-intercept the original leg instead of going direct from their current position after proceed on course, you're stuck in the past, it's lazy instruction that ignores modern GPS capability and ATC intent