got a call from BDR FSS

I'll try to make this long story brief.

On 7/29 I filed via DUATS an IFR departure from KFIT to KBHB via ENE.
This was at 1200Z. My proposed time off was 1500z. My morning went
quicker so when I got to the airport I called BDR FSS on the RCO 118.025
and amended my time off for 1300Z and filed for an alternate KBGR.

They had no record of my flight plan and called into Boston to get the
info, which I thought was strange. After my runup I called BDR for my
clearance and the controller said, you want to leave now? I wanted the
clearance before I went wheels up because there was SCT at 020. I didn't
want to play dodge-ums, while copying the clearance and programming the
GNS. He said he couldn't get a clearance and would I depart VFR and
pickup my clearance with BOS APPCH on 118.125 (or some such freq). he
commented that that was a good frequency to use. Which I thought was
strange terminology. Normally in this area out of Fitchburg we dial up
BOS on 124.4. But wanting to get underway I departed VFR, dialed up BOS
for the clearance. They seemed surprised I was airborne and had to
scramble to get me the clearance. I got vectored south-east (hdg 160)
which is unusual for a departure out of KFIT but eventually got my
clearance and was turned on course direct ENE.

All along the route as I got transferred from controller to controller
they kept asking "where are you going?". So something was lost and not
in the system. If you check out flightaware.com (N15892) I apparently
diverted to Portland on this flight. Which I did not, it was 5000' below
me. :-) The whole thing was very strange.

The flight was uneventful (I shot a much better ILS through actual this
time into KBHB). I called up the comment line that was posted in this
newsgroup recently and reported my experience, plus some other FSS
weirdness that I experienced the next day trying to get a standard
briefing. Did you guys realize they can't give you a briefing for a
local flight? You have to go somewhere. BHB-BHB doesn't count as a
flight. At least that was what I was told. But I digress.

Anyway, yesterday the Ops Mgr from BDR called me as a followup and went
thru all this with me. He was very helpful and wanted to get things
right, which I thought was great. He commented that asking me to depart
VFR was a big no-no and that the frequency they gave me for BOS was also
wrong. Anyway, I'm waiting to hear the resolution but wanted to share
that the system of follow thru anyway is working and some of the folks
there are trying to make this FSS debacle right.

KC

Anyway, yesterday the Ops Mgr from BDR called me as a followup and went
thru all this with me. He was very helpful and wanted to get things
right, which I thought was great. He commented that asking me to depart
VFR was a big no-no and that the frequency they gave me for BOS was also
wrong. Anyway, I'm waiting to hear the resolution but wanted to share
that the system of follow thru anyway is working and some of the folks
there are trying to make this FSS debacle right.

I suspect they'll get this worked out soon enough. Every person I
talk to now at FSS is helpful, friendly, and knowledgable (if not,
perhaps, about the local Iowa area), and apparently interested in
doing a good job -- which was not always the case before Lock-Mart.

Anyone who has ever lived through massive management changes in an
organization knows that there are always a subset of disgruntled
employees who can do JUST enough harm to screw up everything in the
short term. (I know this because I was one of the "disgruntled", way
back in my early corporate career.) It takes a while for management
to weed them out, or wall them off, (or, if we're talking REALLY big
companies, promote them), but once done, everything works itself out.

I'm sure there will be major tweaking to come. In any change of this
scale, there always is. Once they've got the right staffing levels,
and their computer systems working together properly, I think we're
gonna like what we see -- but in the near term it'll suck for you IFR
guys.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

On Thu, 16 Aug 2007 06:57:41 -0700, Jay Honeck
wrote in m:

Once they've got the right staffing levels,
and their computer systems working together properly, I think we're
gonna like what we see

With the exception of briefers with local metrological knowledge as we
had before the FSS privatization, what do you think we're going to
like about the new FSS?

Larry Dighera wrote:
On Thu, 16 Aug 2007 06:57:41 -0700, Jay Honeck
wrote in m:


Once they've got the right staffing levels,
and their computer systems working together properly, I think we're
gonna like what we see


With the exception of briefers with local metrological knowledge as we
had before the FSS privatization, what do you think we're going to
like about the new FSS?

Being from Australia, where Flight Service was abolished about 20 years
ago, the fact the we still have Flight Service is good. I have noticed
that they are getting better. I can get a briefing at the flying club
now quicker that I can get the information up on DUAT.The phone at the
club is right in front of the computer. I'd rather have a bit of
change, than no Flight Serice. I did experience some not so helpful
briefers with the old flight service. There was one guy who should have
been a race caller, he talked so fast.


James.

On Thu, 16 Aug 2007 22:07:15 -0400, James
wrote in :

I'd rather have a bit of change, than no Flight Serice.

Of course. But why should we have to make that choice?

The issue with privatizing FSS is that it opens the way for
privatizing ATC. I don't believe that would be appropriate nor
beneficial to safety nor security. Further, it is the airline
manufacturers who have ATC solutions on the shelf ready for
deployment. Can there be any doubt of the bias toward air carriers,
their customers, that would be exhibited by Boeing and LockMart should
the acquire the power to operate the NAS? Beware the camel's nose ...

Once they've got the right staffing levels,
and their computer systems working together properly, I think we're
gonna like what we see

With the exception of briefers with local metrological knowledge as we
had before the FSS privatization, what do you think we're going to
like about the new FSS?

I've already noticed that the new briefers are treating me like the
CUSTOMER, not an annoyance, as some of the gummint FSS guys would
occasionally do. It's a matter of attitude and tone which makes
calling them much more pleasant.

They also clearly have access to superior computer equipment, and are
being encouraged to use every tool at their disposal to help us,
including websites like ADDs. This was NOT the case with the old FSS
guys, whom I often found were using less-capable weather forecasting
tools than I was.

Finally, the fact that many of the new guys are real pilots sure gives
me a sense of confidence that I'm talking to someone who actually
walks the walk. I rarely had the impression with old FSS.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

On Thu, 16 Aug 2007 20:30:46 -0700, Jay Honeck
wrote in .com:

Once they've got the right staffing levels,
and their computer systems working together properly, I think we're
gonna like what we see

With the exception of briefers with local metrological knowledge as we
had before the FSS privatization, what do you think we're going to
like about the new FSS?

I've already noticed that the new briefers are treating me like the
CUSTOMER, not an annoyance, as some of the gummint FSS guys would
occasionally do. It's a matter of attitude and tone which makes
calling them much more pleasant.

Personally, I would prefer not trade a briefer with local metrological
knowledge for one adept at shmoozing.

They also clearly have access to superior computer equipment, and are
being encouraged to use every tool at their disposal to help us,
including websites like ADDs. This was NOT the case with the old FSS
guys, whom I often found were using less-capable weather forecasting
tools than I was.

Aviation Digital Data Service was an experimental service, and as
such, it wasn't accepted by FAA for use in complying with preflight
regulations. I guess that has evolved now.

Finally, the fact that many of the new guys are real pilots sure gives
me a sense of confidence that I'm talking to someone who actually
walks the walk. I rarely had the impression with old FSS.

How do you fell about FSS privatization paving the way for ATC user
fees?

How do you fell about FSS privatization paving the way for ATC user
fees?

I don't see the issues as related at all, despite what the FAA may
wish, or AOPA may imply.

User's fees are a dumb, inefficient way to collect taxes, whether the
people working the tower are gummint or private employees.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

On Sun, 19 Aug 2007 19:52:17 GMT, Larry Dighera
wrote:

Personally, I would prefer not trade a briefer with local metrological
knowledge for one adept at shmoozing.

You always mention "local knowledge".

Do you ever leave the area of the FSS that you've called? Personally,
I'm much more interested in the arrival conditions vs. my departure
conditions. The FSS briefer that I talk to in person were always on
the departure end.

On Thu, 16 Aug 2007 20:30:46 -0700, Jay Honeck wrote:

I've already noticed that the new briefers are treating me like the
CUSTOMER, not an annoyance, as some of the gummint FSS guys would
occasionally do. It's a matter of attitude and tone which makes calling
them much more pleasant.

You've mentioned this before. As I think I've also written, I experienced
nothing like this from the FSS staffers with whom I dealt prior to the
corporate takeover.


They also clearly have access to superior computer equipment, and are
being encouraged to use every tool at their disposal to help us,
including websites like ADDs. This was NOT the case with the old FSS
guys, whom I often found were using less-capable weather forecasting
tools than I was.

That may be true (though I remember seeing modern Internet-based tools in
use when I visited Millville FSS, once upon a time). But it's not like
this would have been difficult/expensive to achieve w/o the takeover.

If we do assume that you're correct that this was somehow unavailable
before the takeover, then this was likely an artificial condition held
precisely for the purpose of making the takeover look better.


Finally, the fact that many of the new guys are real pilots sure gives
me a sense of confidence that I'm talking to someone who actually walks
the walk. I rarely had the impression with old FSS.

Perhaps. But I'd prefer an aviation-ignorant weather expert to the
reverse. Admittedly, though, I'd prefer dual experts. Again, though, I'm
not sure why hiring aviators had to wait for the takeover. Perhaps
because it was ditching the weather experts that made room for the
aviators?

- Andrew