Larry Dighera wrote:
On 22 Sep 2005 07:44:24 -0700, wrote in
.com::

If there were no Flight Service Stations, how would you get briefed
about all the pop-up TFRs and military activity?

The issue here is that Weather, TFRs, etc. are information. Information
costs a fixed amount to manufacture, and a variable amount to
distribute. FSS with 2500 employees is a very costly way of
distributing it. My example of the 396 is not meant literally but it
shows just how ridiculous the gap is.

If FSS added significant value through human expertise, it would be
different. It's my understanding that once upon a time, FSS specialists
actually had local expertise and could tell you things that weren't
written in the forecasts. If that's what we had, I'd fight for it too.

The issue you raise, whether or not FSS' are necessary, is not the
issue I mentioned, user fees.

Sorry, I thought you asked, "If there were no Flight Service Stations,
how would you get briefed about all the pop-up TFRs and military
activity?"



As for user fees, they seem pretty much inevitable, and it's been my
position that GA might be better off to play ball on the concept and
make our fight on the magnitude. IIRC a Canadian 172 owner would pay
something like $120 annually, which seems to me like, well, chump
change considering the costs of aviation overall.

But I would agree that FSS could be pretty much replaced by DUATS.
However, I still prefer the luxury of a live preflight briefing.

Then we could have a 1-900 number. Press 1 for redhead, press 2 for
Asian, press 3 to talk to a preflight briefer....

Best,
-cwk.