Experiences with the new LockMart FSS?

As someone who believes was taught by my daddy when he taught me to
fly it is my responsibility to fly the airplane, not some schmuck on
the end of a telephone, I don't get caught up in who is working for
who at FSS...
I use DUATS and the nice lady at the Weather Channel... I call the
AWOS/ASOS along my route to spot check that things are what they are
supposed to be nice invention, those... I call the destination
airport to see how it looks on their end...
About the only time I call FSS is to file a flight plan or to clarify
something in the weather that I am not sure about... Basically, I can
get along without FSS, or even the FAA, as long as there is some sort
of ATC for handling IFR traffic... Now there is a thought - how about
we abolish the FAA for 5 years and then see how things are going
betcha they won't even be noticed as missing

denny

How do you fly from a small rural strip with no fixed base operation? Its a
routine mission when using the airplane
to fly friends and family up North. When I visit Southern Indiana I have
no cell phone coverage and am getting
the data from my Grandfathers rotary dial phone. If you have a serious
question with your DUATS briefing
how do you speak directly with the meterologist? You could ask to speak with
a real weatherman during a FSS briefing
(I do not believe FS21 provides this service).

AFSS was sacrificed to reduce costs and stave off user fees and
privatization with a tacit admission that most folks will use the internet
and real time weather. The circumstances I list are a rarity (although they
represent 20% of my personal flying). A cynic might offer that the debacle
has the added payoff of demonstrating a large privatization which failed,
which may prove useful in the future.

Just be very careful when you get a FS21 briefing. I had a fellow
completely miss a TFR on my route of flight and in many cases you can feel
that the specialist doesn't have any mental picture for the synopsis when
they start the
briefing and are simply struggling to call up the textual information and
read it to you.

Todd