We got our day to grill Lockheed Martin about Flight Service. The takeaway is to expect some new preflight services in the future, but no relief on some common gripes.
Flight Service Responds
For those of you who havent been following our little IFR soap opera with Lockheed Martin over Flight Service, heres the nutshell summary: We visited the under-construction Virginia hub of LMs Flight Service in 2006. It looked promising. We looked again in 2008 after the program fell on its face and was working to resurrect itself.
Key Takeaways:
- Lockheed Martin's Flight Service is expected to introduce new preflight services in the future, but common pilot frustrations, such as tedious readbacks and the limited utility of standard briefings for experienced users, are unlikely to be resolved soon.
- A significant disconnect exists between Lockheed Martin's positive perception of Flight Service performance (based on FAA metrics and general pilot surveys) and the dissatisfaction and lower usage reported by IFR Magazine's audience, particularly experienced pilots.
- Previous promises, such as an interactive online briefing portal, have been canceled, fostering skepticism about the actual implementation and value of any new services LM hints at, especially given their primary focus on FAA contractual obligations.
Key takeaways sponsored by Aviator Pro | Start Your Training ->
See a mistake? Contact us.
