EFAS going away...

[bobmrg]

but not until October 1, 2015. The Feds are discontinuing the protected use of 122.0 and the assignment of specific briefers to the Flight Watch position and will simply include 122.0 in the list of FSS frequencies. Pilots will be able to ask weather questions of any briefer on any FSS frequency.

Bob Gardner
SAY AGAIN, PLEASE

 

[tonycondon]

Makes sense

 

[dell30rb]

Last time I used flight watch they were not very helpful.

"Hey there Flight Watch, destination is KRDU. Could you read me the TAF two hours from now?"

"Sure. KRDU is forecast to be overcast 200, visibility 1.5mi with light rain. Thanks for calling Flight Watch. G'day now!"

"Hey flight watch, my alternate is KFAY, could you read me the TAF two hours from now?"

"Sure, KFAY is forecast to be overcast at 300, visibility 1 mile in mist. Thanks for calling flight watch. Good day now!"

 

[NoHeat]

This change will make giving a pirep less pleasant. FlightWatch briefers do it painlessly. The typical FSS radio operator OTOH seems unprepared for it when I've tried it that way. I will miss FlightWatch.

 

[jordane93]

Last time I used flight watch they were not very helpful.

"Hey there Flight Watch, destination is KRDU. Could you read me the TAF two hours from now?"

"Sure. KRDU is forecast to be overcast 200, visibility 1.5mi with light rain. Thanks for calling Flight Watch. G'day now!"

"Hey flight watch, my alternate is KFAY, could you read me the TAF two hours from now?"

"Sure, KFAY is forecast to be overcast at 300, visibility 1 mile in mist. Thanks for calling flight watch. Good day now!"

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

my complaint with efas has always been, when the wx is good, the frequency is dead. Add in any weather at all and you cannot get a hold of them for the radio traffic. So, 'leaving frequency for 3 minutes' rarely works.
Maybe this will be an improvement.

 

[Jeff Oslick]

Last time I used flight watch they were not very helpful.

"Hey there Flight Watch, destination is KRDU. Could you read me the TAF two hours from now?"

"Sure. KRDU is forecast to be overcast 200, visibility 1.5mi with light rain. Thanks for calling Flight Watch. G'day now!"

"Hey flight watch, my alternate is KFAY, could you read me the TAF two hours from now?"

"Sure, KFAY is forecast to be overcast at 300, visibility 1 mile in mist. Thanks for calling flight watch. Good day now!"

That is the opposite of my experience. It sometimes takes a few minutes before they are available, but once on the line it has always been "is there anything else I can get for you?".

 

[steingar]

I've had very good experience with them vectoring me around storm systems. I will miss them as well.

 

[bobmrg]

I've had very good experience with them vectoring me around storm systems. I will miss them as well.

The service will still be available....the only change is that 122.0 will no longer be exclusively for weather, and that instead of one briefer manning one frequency to deliver weather all briefers will perform that function on all freqs at that location.

Bob Gardner

 

[ARFlyer]

The service will still be available....the only change is that 122.0 will no longer be exclusively for weather, and that instead of one briefer manning one frequency to deliver weather all briefers will perform that function on all freqs at that location.

Bob Gardner

The issue is that I've had some downright lazy and dangerous briefers. I had one tell me that the t-storms, that I was seeing, were impossible because the TAF didn't forecast them. When I called to complain, the super was amazed at the level of stupidity shown by the briefer.

 

[flyingron]

90% of the pilots can't figure out when to use 122.0 vs. 122.2 anyhow. Might as well just make it another discrete FSS frequency. I'm not sure there's any difference at the LockMart FSS anyhow, there was only very small differences at the old AFSS stations.

This was another relic of the days when you had lots of standalone FSSs and Flight Watch was a regional facility.

 

[RyanShort1]

I usually get waaay more information than I was asking for, but that's better than too little.