Flight Service Changes

Saying it is responding to a shift in users preferences for automated services, the FAA in August announced it will discontinue the so-called Flight Watch radio service, also known as En Route Flight Advisory Service, or EFAS, available nationwide on 122.0 MHz. Flight Watch will be discontinued about the time you read this, on September 24, 2015, although the frequency will be monitored for an additional six months, presumably to tell pilots trying to use it to do a better job of preflight planning.

Friday, September 25, 2015 at 12:00 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

The FAA is implementing significant changes to Flight Service, including discontinuing Flight Watch (EFAS) and Remote Airport Advisory Service (outside Alaska), and mandating the use of the ICAO flight plan form for all domestic and international flights by October 1, 2015, citing efficiency and automation.
The AOPA's latest Nall Report indicates a slight increase in general aviation accident rates, attributed to consistent accident numbers despite a decrease in non-commercial airplane operations.
A software upgrade issue with the ERAM system caused an outage at the Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center (ZDC) on August 15, 2015, resulting in hundreds of flight delays and cancellations.

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Saying it is responding to “a shift in users’ preferences for automated services,” the FAA in August announced it will discontinue the so-called Flight Watch radio service, also known as En Route Flight Advisory Service, or EFAS, available nationwide on 122.0 MHz. Flight Watch will be discontinued about the time you read this, on September 24, 2015, although the frequency will be monitored for an additional six months, presumably to tell pilots trying to use it to do a better job of preflight planning.

The FAA says the change is designed to make Flight Service more efficient and reduce its cost, and that safety will not be compromised. “None of these changes will affect core flight service safety functions such as search and rescue, emergency services, Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) entry and dissemination, and pilot weather reports,” said Steven Villanueva, Deputy Director Flight Service, in the ATO’s System Operations Service Unit.