DUATS & VFR Flight Plans Not Speaking LockMart's Language

[skyflyer8]

My student & I filed a VFR flight plan via www.duat.com. When we opened it, the FSS specialist asked us if we were direct. No, we had a VOR in our filed route. The specialist said that when we we file a DUATS plan they can't see our routing. Then he made us give him a phone number and tell him how many were onboard, even though we had put that info into our flight plan too.

What's up with that?? I don't recall this happening before (FSS missing info that I filed on a VFR plan).

 

[Clark1961]

I had a similar problem with DUATS about a year ago. The FSS specialist explained it as a problem with the vendor in which they get incomplete information. I really don't know any more than that but could speculate to no end about poor software design and testing...

 

[mikea]

I had a similar problem with DUATS about a year ago. The FSS specialist explained it as a problem with the vendor in which they get incomplete information. I really don't know any more than that but could speculate to no end about poor software design and testing...

FSS doesn't get the data from the vendor. The vendor submits the request that updates the FAA mainframe in a batch job that runs an hour before the flight time. Before that FSS and ATC can look and won't see a thing.

If data is being lost, I'd blame the FAA side.

It's not DUATS or DUAT system to blame. It's the FAA running 1960s era systems. I'm sure just setting this capability up in the first place took thousands of man hours and $millions.

You gotta get the dynamics as they have always been: The FAA grudgingly gives a contract to outside vendors to serve the public and grants this limited access to provide data to them, ...and then the FAA employees, now Lockmart, blame the vendor for the lousy system they set up.