A sad day for aviators...

Closing of Dayton AFSS
Notice Number: NOTC0843

To the Aviation Community, Effective May 7, 2007 Lockheed Martin Dayton
Automated Flight Service will be closing its doors. All functions
performed in the past by the Dayton personnel will be transferred to the
Washington Hub (DCA). Pilots will continue to call 1-800-WX-BRIEF for a
preflight weather briefing.

While in flight pilots will continue to call the responsible Flight
Service Station for their respective location as noted on their
sectionals or other charts, these will not change. The pilot will
continue to call Dayton Radio while in our area but the In-flight call
will be answered by a Dayton area rated specialist located in Leesburg
Virginia.

The number to reach the Terminal Information Broadcast System (TIBS)
will be 1 877 4 TIBS WX (1-877-484-2799) Authorized users will need to
call 1 877 4 US NTMS (1-877-487-6867) when issuing or canceling NOTAM's.

There is a great deal of information on our website at http://afss.com.
It has been a pleasure serving you from Dayton and we look forward to
providing service from the DCA HUB or one of our 18 other sites.

If we can help with questions you may have concerning our transition or
other issues please contact one of following.
Operations - 937-454-4637
Donna Crigler- 937-454-4630
Kevin George- 937-454-4611

Sincerely, Kevin George Dayton AFSS Operations Manager

Today I received a similar notice about the Green Bay FSS.
Jim

On 4/13/2007 6:04:01 PM, "Jim Burns" wrote:

Today I received a similar notice about the Green Bay FSS.

Yep, we just lost Buffalo up in the Northeast US two weeks ago or so.

Now those of us looking for helpful insight about Great Lake-enhanced weather
get to talk to a briefer in Virginia, rather than those who actually lived
under it for the last twenty to thirty years.

--
Peter

In article ,
"Peter R." wrote:

Now those of us looking for helpful insight about Great Lake-enhanced weather
get to talk to a briefer in Virginia, rather than those who actually lived
under it for the last twenty to thirty years.

That's going to be real interesting.
Try getting local knowledge out of the appropriately "rated" briefer
should be amusing.
For those of us who have been flying in the North Coast and are familiar
with the local variations, do we get to ask for a real briefer when we
are given bad information?

Is Lansing, MI on the chopping block also? When GRB is down we usually get
transferred to Lansing.
Jim

"Peter R." wrote in message
...
On 4/13/2007 6:04:01 PM, "Jim Burns" wrote:

Today I received a similar notice about the Green Bay FSS.

Yep, we just lost Buffalo up in the Northeast US two weeks ago or so.

Now those of us looking for helpful insight about Great Lake-enhanced
weather
get to talk to a briefer in Virginia, rather than those who actually lived
under it for the last twenty to thirty years.

--
Peter

In article ,
"Jim Burns" wrote:

Is Lansing, MI on the chopping block also? When GRB is down we usually get
transferred to Lansing.
Jim

Calls to Dayton were being forwarded to Lansing, as well.
I was surprised to hear we would be handled by DC.
That should prove real interesting trying to get a briefing first thing
in the morning during a weekday.
I hope AOPA's complaint line is still working.

I just called GRB FSS- many of the briefers will be going to Leesburg or
Dallas, and some will be retiring. Even though GRB has new equipment, most
of their calls will now go to Leesburg.

Now, if we say Timmerman or Waukesha, they will have no idea what we're
talking about.

It is indeed a sad day. I wished all of them luck in their new endeavors.

On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 18:15:34 -0400, "Peter R."
wrote in :

On 4/13/2007 6:04:01 PM, "Jim Burns" wrote:

Today I received a similar notice about the Green Bay FSS.

Yep, we just lost Buffalo up in the Northeast US two weeks ago or so.

Now those of us looking for helpful insight about Great Lake-enhanced weather
get to talk to a briefer in Virginia, rather than those who actually lived
under it for the last twenty to thirty years.

Hey, a corporation is expected to make a profit for its shareholders;
quality service is secondary to revenue, especially when there is no
competition. :-(

I wonder if the LocMart FSS system is bound by the Freedom Of
Information Act? Or is federal transparency also rapidly becoming a
thing of the past under the Bush regime?

In article ,
Larry Dighera wrote:

I wonder if the LocMart FSS system is bound by the Freedom Of
Information Act?

it's my understanding that the FIOA applies to the federal government.

--
Bob Noel
(goodness, please trim replies!!!)

It is indeed a sad day. I wished all of them luck in their new endeavors.

Sad, but inevitable, in an era when we can get up-to-the-minute
computerized weather, in an easy-to-interpret graphic format, both at
home and in-flight.

When I get FSS briefings now, I almost always have ADDs open on my
computer screen, and I am usually able to glean more information from
my screen than from the briefer's voice. I sometimes ask questions
about a specific thing I'm seeing on radar, or in a METAR, that the
briefer obviously hadn't noticed, or couldn't see.

They used to joke that I had better equipment than they did; now
they're gone. This is not a coincidence.

Consolidating the FSS was as inevitable as the loss of paperboys and
ice men. Times and technology have passed them by. Twas ever thus.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"