Anybody talked to a Lockheed AFSS?

mikea

mikea

Touchdown! Greaser!
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AOPA says that Lockheed took over the AFSS system Monday. Has anybody called? Is anything different?

I was surprised because the last I head the awarding of the contract to Lockheed was being disputed because the current NAATS members had a competitive bid. I guess in the end many of them were hired by Lockheed. I hope it wasn't a truly bad deal for them....It looks like they tried to get an injunction and it was denied. http://naats.org/
 
Yeah, hold times on the phone in LA have been increasing for the last couple months. Possibly a higher percentage of "grumpy voices", but I don't blame them for that.


Jeff
 
As I posted in the Millville thread, I'm worried.

I tried calling for a briefing over the weekend (before Lockheed Martin took over).

My call from NJ was routed to Leesburg. I was given weather information but was told that she was unable to provide NOTAM information for the area. She had me call Islip.

I called Islip, and the briefer had to get out a CHART (I heard the paper being unfolded over the phone) to identify the McGuire AFB Restricted areas.

This is scary - the folks that you call may have NO IDEA what your area is like.

Safety's gonna suffer.
 
I know a Specialists that works at Flight Service. His comments to me in a recent email were discouraging.

Don't know about the transistion yet. I did call out there today and it sounds like the CLUSTER has made it here. Supervisors have no means to communicate with the computers. Guess the department that was supposed to provide that service did not know it till today when 57 flight services called them to ask why it wasent working. Answer, DONT CALL US we will get back to YOU. S O M E D A Y.......and so it begins. Hope Boyer is happy now. I dont think they are going to do anything with MIV. Not sure where the procurement folks come from with the GOV. Everystation got air conditioners that would cool a shoping center, to damn big for the areas that they were to take care of, and they work on HUMIDITY, so it is either hotter than hell, or colder than hell, but DRY ALL TIME. :>) We are also supposed to track our TIME ELECTRONICALLY. Everyday we have to document our time in the computer. Guess what, NO ONE HAS A PIN NUMBER YET. And the computer DON'T WORK. This is going to get really interesting before it is over. I may be flying FULL TIME soonerthan I think.
 
Regarding Mark's post of his call being routed to a distant FSS:

That isn't anything new. The 1-800-WXBRIEF system was set up so that when one station is saturated, calls would automatically be routed to another FSS. Going back more than ten years I've had called answered by an FSS quite a distance away, eg Altoona from NJ.

Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me to rebuild MIV if the plan is to close it in the near future. Western FSSs cover much larger areas than those in the northeast (although not necessarily more pilots). It's not unreasonable that a briefer in NY should be familiar with airspace in NJ.

You would think they would find a way to remote those radio frequencies of Millville's though.

Jon
 
mikea said:
AOPA says that Lockheed took over the AFSS system Monday. Has anybody called? Is anything different?

I was surprised because the last I head the awarding of the contract to Lockheed was being disputed because the current NAATS members had a competitive bid. I guess in the end many of them were hired by Lockheed. I hope it wasn't a truly bad deal for them....It looks like they tried to get an injunction and it was denied. http://naats.org/
Click to expand...

We called them tonight before launching to double check NOTAMS, NSAs and security codes and time of "night" at BFI. The briefer was fast & very efficient as far as I could tell, but not overly friendly, which I'd expect of someone busy at a new and demanding job. No problems so far with FSS anyway.
 
I thought the performance requirments were impressive

"After the 18-month transition is complete, pilots' telephone calls must be answered within 20 seconds and radio calls within 15 seconds. Flight plans must be processed in three minutes, and pireps must be processed within 30 seconds of receipt, 15 seconds if they are urgent."
 
Went for a simulated XC last night, and I got a briefer on the phone in less than 15 seconds, and got the same flight plan/briefing I normally receive.

Once off, they answered the radio call quickly, again less than 15 seconds, and quickly opened my flight plan and gave me a last minute check on TFR's and notams.

Called to close at the end of the flight, and again, a briefer within 15 seconds. Good, polite service. But, we're still talking to Nashville radio, and I don't know if Nashville is one of the sights that will be consolidated.
 
4CornerFlyer said:
That isn't anything new. The 1-800-WXBRIEF system was set up so that when one station is saturated, calls would automatically be routed to another FSS. Going back more than ten years I've had called answered by an FSS quite a distance away, eg Altoona from NJ.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but you'd think that the FSS that took the call would be able to get NOTAMs for the area that they are covering (even temporarily).

Even I can find NOTAMs for any area of the country online in a few minutes. (Of course, if I do that through the FAA website it doesn't log my briefing, which I might need if something goes wrong.)

What bugged me most was routing the calls to a FSS where the briefer stated that she couldn't provide a complete briefing. They could have sent them to Williamsport - I've been calling them directly when flying into PA and they do a great job.
 
Agree that sounds odd...any FSS should be able to pull up any NOTAM's for any point in the country. Wonder if they're talking about local NOTAM's, but if you were asking about Mcguire airspace, that wouldn't fit the definition of NOTAM L.

I wouldn't rely on anything any FSS said about Mcguire's Restircted areas, since they don't have real-time data. Either Mcguire or Atlantic City Approach controllers should be able to tell you whether any area is active, which often changes minute-to-minute.

You can record an independent briefing for posterity by leaving a message on the FSS's fast-file tape or placing a statement in the remarks section of your flight plan to the effect of "NOTAMs checked via FAA web site at 1800Z."

Jon
NJ based 1994-2004
 
Local NOTAMs were not available except by calling the FSS that served the airport even under FAA control.

It remains to be seen if they get the L-notams up on the computer.
 
I called to get a brief for a flight to Dallas. Talked to the one of the briefers I always talk to. Same guy, same location. He said only the name on his check has changed as far as he can tell.
 
mikea said:
AOPA says that Lockheed took over the AFSS system Monday. Has anybody called? Is anything different?
Click to expand...
When I called Columbia FSS this morning to issue a NOTAM I asked the guy if anything was different. He said only the name has changed.
 
BTW, when I called Kansas City ARTCC about activating my aerobatic practice area, the gentleman said "Have a good time". Wasn't that nice! :)
 
Diana said:
When I called Columbia FSS this morning to issue a NOTAM I asked the guy if anything was different. He said only the name has changed.
Click to expand...

When I called FSS this morning to have the NOTAM issued the briefer said "You guys have fun!" FSS has never told me that before. He sounded happy. :) Maybe not too much has changed yet at that facility.
 
FWIW, yesterday I called for a quick briefing, told the briefer something like,"Hope it's going well in the new system," to which the reply was, "so far, it's great."

Hope it stays that way.
 
Some changes. I called Williamsport at the height of the mess Friday (was supposed to fly up to NE this weekend, that sure didn't happen). Got Buffalo. Never talked to them before. We both had a chuckle over the fact that I am likely to get most anyone when I call. He sounded like an old pro and gave a good briefing and wished me a "good flight". Didn't seem to be a clock watcher and was more than happy to try to help me dissect some really complex weather. Unfortunately, 5 minutes after I got off with him the pireps for moderate to severe turbulence started rolling in and we were grounded.

Good briefing tho. An excellent start.

Jim G
 
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