Pleased with current FSS

I took a long trip from Colorado to TN to GA, Kitty Hawk, NC, MO and
back home and used FSS multiple times. Wait time was essentially ZERO
and the briefings were complete, useful and professional. I have
heard of horror stories but I did not encounter any.

Ron Lee

"Ron Lee" wrote in message
...
I took a long trip from Colorado to TN to GA, Kitty Hawk, NC, MO and
back home and used FSS multiple times. Wait time was essentially ZERO
and the briefings were complete, useful and professional. I have
heard of horror stories but I did not encounter any.

I'm guessing that so many people have given up on them, that there are now
enough people manning the lines to make wait times reasonable, and the
briefers have now learned enough that at least some of them are not useless.
--
Jim in NC

"Ron Lee" wrote in message
...
I took a long trip from Colorado to TN to GA, Kitty Hawk, NC, MO and
back home and used FSS multiple times. Wait time was essentially ZERO
and the briefings were complete, useful and professional. I have
heard of horror stories but I did not encounter any.

Ron Lee

Same story here recently. Earlier this year, the wait time was frustrating,
but it has been months since I've waited than a minute or so. Also, the
quality of the briefings is getting much better.

Morgans wrote:
"Ron Lee" wrote in message
...

I took a long trip from Colorado to TN to GA, Kitty Hawk, NC, MO and
back home and used FSS multiple times. Wait time was essentially ZERO
and the briefings were complete, useful and professional. I have
heard of horror stories but I did not encounter any.


I'm guessing that so many people have given up on them, that there are now
enough people manning the lines to make wait times reasonable, and the
briefers have now learned enough that at least some of them are not useless.

A self tuning system. It's plausible. My experience after this summer
has improved, though I still find the briefers in Leesburg, VA. have
little idea about airports, routes etc in the Northeast.

There are all kinds of metrics they are keeping on the FSS response
times, #of calls etc now. I wonder if the metrics will bear that out.
This is the web site the FSS keeps on themselves. I haven't found the
historical stats yet.

http://www.afss.com/pm/

KC

On Oct 31, 6:03 pm, (Ron Lee) wrote:
I took a long trip from Colorado to TN to GA, Kitty Hawk, NC, MO and
back home and used FSS multiple times. Wait time was essentially ZERO
and the briefings were complete, useful and professional. I have
heard of horror stories but I did not encounter any.

Ron Lee

Hopefully its getting better. I spent 20 minutes on hold in my plane
trying to get an IFR clearance through FSS on my cell phone.

-Robert

"Morgans" wrote:

I'm guessing that so many people have given up on them, that there are now
enough people manning the lines to make wait times reasonable

I bet you're right.

After multiple frustrating experiences, I gave up on them. I now make it
part of my trip planning to make sure I won't have to call FSS.

Some people are saying that FSS is a dinosaur that has waited too long to go
extinct. Lockmart may have given it the final push.

--
Dan
T-182T at BFM

"Robert M. Gary" wrote:

On Oct 31, 6:03 pm, (Ron Lee) wrote:
I took a long trip from Colorado to TN to GA, Kitty Hawk, NC, MO and
back home and used FSS multiple times. Wait time was essentially ZERO
and the briefings were complete, useful and professional. I have
heard of horror stories but I did not encounter any.

Ron Lee

Hopefully its getting better. I spent 20 minutes on hold in my plane
trying to get an IFR clearance through FSS on my cell phone.

-Robert

Seems like I heard some ATC facility encourage a pilot to NOT use FSS
to get a clearance on the same trip. I did not use FSS during the
initial takeover by LockMart so my point of reference is only this
past week.

Ron Lee

We've done that here. Hell, we couldn't get a hold of FSS on our dial
line. So we'll offer to just file the IFR flight plan for you if you're
reduced to having to try and get them on the radio.




Ron Lee wrote:


Seems like I heard some ATC facility encourage a pilot to NOT use FSS
to get a clearance on the same trip. I did not use FSS during the
initial takeover by LockMart so my point of reference is only this
past week.

Ron Lee

Bill Watson wrote:
Ron Lee wrote:
"Robert M. Gary" wrote:

On Oct 31, 6:03 pm, (Ron Lee) wrote:
I took a long trip from Colorado to TN to GA, Kitty Hawk, NC, MO and
back home and used FSS multiple times. Wait time was essentially ZERO
and the briefings were complete, useful and professional. I have
heard of horror stories but I did not encounter any.

Ron Lee
Hopefully its getting better. I spent 20 minutes on hold in my plane
trying to get an IFR clearance through FSS on my cell phone.

-Robert

Seems like I heard some ATC facility encourage a pilot to NOT use FSS
to get a clearance on the same trip. I did not use FSS during the
initial takeover by LockMart so my point of reference is only this
past week.

Ron Lee
Sounds like 2 different things here - my working understanding of the
system is I get briefings and file plans with FSS. I get clearances
from ATC. Getting a clearance from FSS is an exercise in relayed
messages I think.

At uncontrolled airports without local radio outlets, in the past you
needed to call an ATC number to get a void time clearance. Sometimes
that number was hard to find or identify. I think the very latest
issue of AOPA mag mentions that there is now an 800 number for such
clearances. That sounds like it could be a good thing for those of us
going to unfamiliar small airports.
*IFR clearance delivery:*
888/766-8267

KC