FSS Consolidation

Rgbeard

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rgbeard
While at the Phx TRACON last week, I learned from a staffer that Prescott FSS got consolidated to Ft. Worth, Texas.

I remember when you could walk into Prescott FSS and chat with the guys there.

Before you know it, it'll be a handful of guys, and eventually outsourced to India.

Sigh.......
 
I don’t know about the out sourcing, but I suspect in the next ten years you will charged to talk to a briefer.
 
While at the Phx TRACON last week, I learned from a staffer that Prescott FSS got consolidated to Ft. Worth, Texas.

I remember when you could walk into Prescott FSS and chat with the guys there.

Before you know it, it'll be a handful of guys, and eventually outsourced to India.

Sigh.......

Not just FSS. In June they consolidated Muskegon, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Flint, and Saginaw into Great Lakes Approach. AFAIK, it's all in one building now.
 
I don’t know about the out sourcing, but I suspect in the next ten years you will charged to talk to a briefer.
Honestly, I’m surprised they don’t charge now.
 
Not just FSS. In June they consolidated Muskegon, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Flint, and Saginaw into Great Lakes Approach. AFAIK, it's all in one building now.
Wow!! That is one huge region to be a single TRACON, basically the southern half of the LP... (except for Detroit... and probably Selfridge)
 
Not just FSS. In June they consolidated Muskegon, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Flint, and Saginaw into Great Lakes Approach. AFAIK, it's all in one building now.

They built the approach at AZO to be a consolidated TRACON for the region. It is not a bad thing.

Wow!! That is one huge region to be a single TRACON, basically the southern half of the LP... (except for Detroit... and probably Selfridge)

Basically, the intent is for everything that isn't controlled by D90 to be controlled by AZO. I'm slightly surprised they didn't consolidate TOL into D90 though.
 
They built the approach at AZO to be a consolidated TRACON for the region. It is not a bad thing.



Basically, the intent is for everything that isn't controlled by D90 to be controlled by AZO. I'm slightly surprised they didn't consolidate TOL into D90 though.


Except the controllers are no longer local and have no idea where The Pyramid or 5th 3rd or any other number of landmarks are now when you're giving an air tour. Also noticed they are having trouble bringing 121 into GRR at correct spots. LOTS of go arounds from leaving them to high. Also takes forever to get hold of someone now.
 
Except the controllers are no longer local and have no idea where The Pyramid or 5th 3rd or any other number of landmarks are now when you're giving an air tour. Also noticed they are having trouble bringing 121 into GRR at correct spots. LOTS of go arounds from leaving them to high. Also takes forever to get hold of someone now.

SoCal and NorCal TRACONs have no problem with local landmarks or other such knowledge, despite often being hundreds of miles away.
 
If it is required for a safe flight, charging for a briefer encourages people to do unsafe things. Doesn’t seem like something the FAA should tolerate.
 
SoCal and NorCal TRACONs have no problem with local landmarks or other such knowledge, despite often being hundreds of miles away.

Tthe issue is, these controllers aren't local, so I wouldn't expect them to know where things that aren't marked on the chart are. (The pyramid is charted though, ballpark is not.) When they lived local, I could tell them I was going to "fly the length of 28th st" or up the Beltline " or "over Rivertown" - that isn't on a chart, but if you lived in town you knew exactly where it was. They no longer live in town, so now it's "uhhhhhh..."
 
Tthe issue is, these controllers aren't local, so I wouldn't expect them to know where things that aren't marked on the chart are. (The pyramid is charted though, ballpark is not.) When they lived local, I could tell them I was going to "fly the length of 28th st" or up the Beltline " or "over Rivertown" - that isn't on a chart, but if you lived in town you knew exactly where it was. They no longer live in town, so now it's "uhhhhhh..."

I think you underestimate the training they get, and you assume the TRACON controllers aren't coming from the local facilities (more money). Remember, their primary function is to serve IFR aircraft and to serve VFR aircraft getting Class C services, which relies on known reporting points.
 
I think you underestimate the training they get, and you assume the TRACON controllers aren't coming from the local facilities (more money). Remember, their primary function is to serve IFR aircraft and to serve VFR aircraft getting Class C services, which relies on known reporting points.

All I know is that it's been a (relative) **** show here after the consolidation. GRR used to be outstanding, and now that it's Great Lakes it's like the controllers are overloaded or something if there's more than 1 plane on frequency. And that's not just coming from me, it's coming from the 121 pilots as well.
 
If it's problematic for the airlines, then there are other issues
 
While at the Phx TRACON last week, I learned from a staffer that Prescott FSS got consolidated to Ft. Worth, Texas.

I remember when you could walk into Prescott FSS and chat with the guys there.

Before you know it, it'll be a handful of guys, and eventually outsourced to India.

Sigh.......

Well that's straight out of my nightmare journal.

"Please to be warning you, kind sahr, of a convectimation front in your countree and also some skies that are appearing broken. Please to be advised that your phone has a virus, press 1 to be connected to the microsofts technical support hotlines immediately."
 
While at the Phx TRACON last week, I learned from a staffer that Prescott FSS got consolidated to Ft. Worth, Texas.

I remember when you could walk into Prescott FSS and chat with the guys there.

Before you know it, it'll be a handful of guys, and eventually outsourced to India.

Sigh.......

I purposely went to the Green Bay AFSS the day before they closed so that I could get my one and only in-person briefing.

Once something gets privatized, expect it to go to ****. LM got a giant contract and maximized profits by providing **** service so nobody used them any more and they could get away with far fewer employees. The final consolidation was probably in the plan all along. And they changed the name to "Leidos" so that when it finally tanks, it won't have LockMart's name tied to it. It's a heckuva plan.

Not just FSS. In June they consolidated Muskegon, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Flint, and Saginaw into Great Lakes Approach. AFAIK, it's all in one building now.

Yep, they're all in the 'zoo. Happened in June. Still a lot of the same controllers - Some stayed back to work the towers, the rest moved to become Great Lakes Approach.

There's been talk of building a new tower at MSN and consolidating the TRACON with Milwaukee. All I've got to say is, they'd better call it "Cheesehead Approach". I do rather enjoy the Bears fans in Chicago Center purposely mispronouncing GOPAC2 "goppick" because they don't want to have to say "Go Pack". :D
 
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