While Holding for a Briefing Today...

"Ash Wyllie" wrote in message
...

How about helping the existing briefers to set up a coop? They are there,
and
know what needs to be done.


They have no time to raise chickens.

In article ,
"Dan Luke" wrote:

"Kyle Boatright" wrote:


Additionally, LockMart may have the FAA over a barrel - "Sure, I understand
that the FAA could terminate our contract. But if you fire us, who is
gonna
take all of those phone calls tomorrow, and what number are they gonna
call?"

Not necessarily. The FAA no doubt has penalty clauses in the contract. They
can stop the money if L-M does not meet performance spec's.

you can bet Lockmart has an army of lawyers ready to pounce on the FAA
(of course, having more briefers would have eliminated the need for
the lawyers...)

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

On Wed, 16 May 2007 20:33:24 -0400, Bob Noel
wrote in
:

(of course, having more briefers would have eliminated the need for
the lawyers...)

But having a larger FSS staff wouldn't have provided the same
"savings" that was the alleged reason for FSS privatization. The
contractor's performance provides a mini-glimpse at the chaos ATC
privatization would cause. I wonder why we don't hear of the Part 121
carriers complaining about FSS delays. Could it be that the airlines
aren't experiencing them?

On May 15, 7:42 pm, "Kyle Boatright" wrote:

Also, didn't LockMart anticipate that flight briefing requests go up in the
summer? Hello, McFly....

I am sure that they did anticipate it and didnt give one fracken
care. I am just old enough to remember when walking into the FSS and
getting a briefing was how it was done. Slowly but surely, and
probably not completly with this last move, what we have done is
retained the worst of the old system while trying to make a new one.

Ie the briefing is centered around "the phone" and two people on the
phone while reducing the number of people at the "call in" end that
can take the phone call. And yet the number of people needing
briefings is either growing or at least staying still.

But the entire concept of "weather briefings" for pilots NOT being in
the national interest means that it is now to whomever can "make a
buck with it". Operators are standing by...they are just talking with
you.

Robert

Larry Dighera wrote in
:

On Wed, 16 May 2007 20:33:24 -0400, Bob Noel
wrote in
:

(of course, having more briefers would have eliminated the need for
the lawyers...)

But having a larger FSS staff wouldn't have provided the same
"savings" that was the alleged reason for FSS privatization. The
contractor's performance provides a mini-glimpse at the chaos ATC
privatization would cause. I wonder why we don't hear of the Part 121
carriers complaining about FSS delays. Could it be that the airlines
aren't experiencing them?



They don't use FSS, so they don't care.

Several years ago, I had a tour of a major airlines maintenance
facility. On this tour, they showed us the trip package the pilots
received prior to their flights. This package contained a weather briefing
prepared by the airline's own certified weather people and if more
information was needed, the pilots could talk directly with the weather
people. For scheduled flights, flight plans were automatically entered into
the FAA's computers each day. Enroute, the pilots contact the company on
dedicated radio channels to get weather updates.

--
Marty Shapiro
Silicon Rallye Inc.

(remove SPAMNOT to email me)

On Thu, 17 May 2007 08:31:06 GMT, Marty Shapiro
wrote in
:


They don't use FSS, so they don't care.

Several years ago, I had a tour of a major airlines maintenance
facility. On this tour, they showed us the trip package the pilots
received prior to their flights. This package contained a weather briefing
prepared by the airline's own certified weather people and if more
information was needed, the pilots could talk directly with the weather
people. For scheduled flights, flight plans were automatically entered into
the FAA's computers each day. Enroute, the pilots contact the company on
dedicated radio channels to get weather updates.

I had a feeling that was the case. It's like the oil companies
reaping carbon offset credits:


http://environment.newscientist.com/...uestioned.html
The market in carbon offsets, which allows companies to invest in
renewable energy as a way of mitigating their own greenhouse gas
emissions - almost doubled in 2006 to $5 billion, the World Bank
said on 2 May. According to a recent report in the London-based
Financial Times, some of that money is going to oil companies that
are simply pumping CO2 into oilfields to extract more oil. They
would have done this anyway, so profits from selling the credits
go straight into company coffers, with no benefit to new
carbon-saving schemes.

FSS Privatization is not in the public interest.

"Bob Noel" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Dan Luke" wrote:

"Kyle Boatright" wrote:


Additionally, LockMart may have the FAA over a barrel - "Sure, I
understand
that the FAA could terminate our contract. But if you fire us, who is
gonna
take all of those phone calls tomorrow, and what number are they gonna
call?"

Not necessarily. The FAA no doubt has penalty clauses in the contract.
They
can stop the money if L-M does not meet performance spec's.

you can bet Lockmart has an army of lawyers ready to pounce on the FAA
(of course, having more briefers would have eliminated the need for
the lawyers...)

And the FAA has legions of lawyers...a veritable endless stream of them.

"Kyle Boatright" wrote in message
. ..
I was on the phone for the now-traditional 15 minute pre-brief hold today
and they had a new voice on the "hold line". Instead of an announcement
every 45 seconds about how busy they are and calls are taken on a first
come first served basis, and we'll take your call ASAP, there was a message
from the LockMart guy in charge of the FSS project.

Essentially "Sorry about the bad service. Increased seasonal volume has
swamped us. We're half way through the transition. It'll be better once
we complete the transition. We have about 3 more months of work to go to
reduce from 58 to 19 FSS's.

Of course, my cynical side thinks.. If we're halfway through the process
now, I guess we'll be really screwed when these guys complete the process.
Also, didn't LockMart anticipate that flight briefing requests go up in
the summer? Hello, McFly....

If it's sooooo important to you, why not suscribe to WxWorx, Jeppesen, or
Meteorix, or any of the similar services?


--
Matt Barrow
Performace Homes, LLC.
Colorado Springs, CO

"Matt Barrow" wrote in message
...

"Kyle Boatright" wrote in message
. ..
I was on the phone for the now-traditional 15 minute pre-brief hold today
and they had a new voice on the "hold line". Instead of an announcement
every 45 seconds about how busy they are and calls are taken on a first
come first served basis, and we'll take your call ASAP, there was a
message from the LockMart guy in charge of the FSS project.

Essentially "Sorry about the bad service. Increased seasonal volume has
swamped us. We're half way through the transition. It'll be better once
we complete the transition. We have about 3 more months of work to go to
reduce from 58 to 19 FSS's.

Of course, my cynical side thinks.. If we're halfway through the process
now, I guess we'll be really screwed when these guys complete the
process. Also, didn't LockMart anticipate that flight briefing requests
go up in the summer? Hello, McFly....

If it's sooooo important to you, why not suscribe to WxWorx, Jeppesen, or
Meteorix, or any of the similar services?

Do all of those services have a trained person on the line who looks at
weather several hours a day and can relate the trends they are seeing?
That's the big thing that a briefer offers.... "The forecast calls for "X",
but we're seeing rapid improvement (or worsening), and based on that, I
think the forecast may be pessimistic (or optimistic)...

Also, do all of those services record the briefing, just in case I need a
witness that I got a briefing? Say I get a full FSS briefing and no TFR's
are mentioned, despite my request for that info. Then, due to whatever
circumstance, I bust a TFR and get a F-16 escort. My opinion is that having
a bona fide record of an FSS briefing would be a very good piece of evidence
on my behalf...


--
Matt Barrow
Performace Homes, LLC.
Colorado Springs, CO

On May 17, 3:27 am, Larry Dighera wrote:
On Thu, 17 May 2007 08:31:06 GMT, Marty Shapiro
wrote in
:



They don't use FSS, so they don't care.

Several years ago, I had a tour of a major airlines maintenance
facility. On this tour, they showed us the trip package the pilots
received prior to their flights. This package contained a weather briefing
prepared by the airline's own certified weather people and if more
information was needed, the pilots could talk directly with the weather
people. For scheduled flights, flight plans were automatically entered into
the FAA's computers each day. Enroute, the pilots contact the company on
dedicated radio channels to get weather updates.

I had a feeling that was the case. It's like the oil companies
reaping carbon offset credits:

http://environment.newscientist.com/...35-carbon-offs...
The market in carbon offsets, which allows companies to invest in
renewable energy as a way of mitigating their own greenhouse gas
emissions - almost doubled in 2006 to $5 billion, the World Bank
said on 2 May. According to a recent report in the London-based
Financial Times, some of that money is going to oil companies that
are simply pumping CO2 into oilfields to extract more oil. They
would have done this anyway, so profits from selling the credits
go straight into company coffers, with no benefit to new
carbon-saving schemes.

FSS Privatization is not in the public interest.

As if reducing CO2 has any real benefit... NOT!