ATCinWI Senior Member Illinois

1) In practice, I am to treat the airplane as a standard IFR aircraft until he reports on top, so 3 miles/1000 feet are required? That's what I do, but I just want to confirm that's the case.

Whenever the pilot reports reaching VFR conditions on top, you can stop using IFR separation; you would provide it with traffic advisories like any other VFR aircraft.

2) Just so I'm clear, once the pilot reports reaching VFR/OTP, I'm not required to continue providing 3 miles/1000 feet - even if the pilot has not cancelled IFR? After all, that's what VFR is supposed to be and what I understand Paragraph 1 to mean.

Correct.

3) Are pilots required to cancel their IFR clearance once they reach VFR/OTP?

No, but like the poster above me said, I ask them to report cancelling IFR. Usually, a pilot intends to cancel IFR reaching VFR conditions, but may not understand that he has to say the magic words "cancel IFR", or might just not remember.

4) If an aircraft is A) cleared only to a local fix, B) has reported VFR-On-Top, c) has not cancelled IFR, and D) wants to leave my airspace, can I simply terminate radar services as if he was a regular VFR flight following aircraft? I don't think I can, since he's technically an IFR flight plan, but just wanted to hear someone else's thoughts on this.

Again, correct . . . he's still on an IFR flight plan. I would advise the pilot that he has to either cancel IFR, or you can try to work something out with the next facility. I have seen 2 different VFR-on-top situations. In the first one, the pilot just wants to get above a layer, then go VFR . . . that is the most common. In the other, the pilot is actually going somewhere on an IFR flight plan, so there will be a strip generated to the next facility. You will have to coordinate the VFR on top with them . . . if they say no, you will have to instruct the pilot to return to his flight planned route and assigned altitude.

5) How do you guys handle VFR/OTP overflights, and what separation do you apply with them? I don't think I've ever seen one.

They have to be IFR, say "N12345, climb and maintain 6000, report reaching VFR conditions on top (and canceling IFR (if you wish)). If not on top at 6000, maintain 6000 and advise." At that point, if he is not on top, you can keep trying different altitudes . . . but the pilot will have to hold upon reaching his clearance limit unless you vector him around or give him a new one. If he's enroute, it's the same thing, except his clearance limit is the destination airport, and again, if he's going to leave your airspace, you will have to coordinate it with the next facility.