Flight Planning's New Age

Anyone who's picked up the phone to obtain a weather briefing from an FAA Flight Service Station (FSS) in recent weeks has discovered the ongoing consolidation by federal contractor Lockheed Martin (LockMart) isn't going so well.

Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside

Wednesday, June 27, 2007 at 12:00 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

The consolidation of FAA Flight Service Stations (FSS) by Lockheed Martin has severely degraded services, leading to long hold times and the critical loss of human "local knowledge" and weather interpretation for general aviation pilots.
This forces pilots to become self-reliant in interpreting raw weather data, a crucial skill for flight safety that requires active learning through personal observation, discussions with experienced peers, and correlating data with real-world conditions.
While promoting greater pilot responsibility, this shift poses a significant safety challenge for inexperienced pilots who can no longer depend on expert briefers, underscoring the increased need for individual effort in comprehensive weather understanding.

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Anyone whos picked up the phone to obtain a weather briefing from an FAA Flight Service Station (FSS) in recent weeks has discovered the ongoing consolidation by federal contractor Lockheed Martin (LockMart) isnt going so well. Lengthy hold times have been common, if the telephone is answered at all. Once a pilot gets to speak with a briefer, the service has been, shall we say, uneven. Recognizing this, the FAA recently announced a $3 million fine against LockMart for failing to live up to the terms of its contract.