Paul,

I agree with you generaly about just getting the numbers from Buffalo, but
coincidentally, I called for a briefing on Sunday evening, for a short
flight from Batavia to Rochester, and got the kind of informative briefing
you mentioned, from Buffalo. The briefer advised me of the ifr conditions,
icing, and suggested that if I got into ice, the weather improves south of
my proposed route.

Maybe it is a training issue that will improve?

Brad
"Paul Tomblin" wrote in message
...
Every time I go outside of our area, I'm struck by how much better the
weather briefers are when I'm not talking to Buffalo AFSS. There are very
few briefers in Buffalo who do more than read you the numbers. One
exception - before I had my instrument rating, there was one briefer who
was famous in the local pilot community for saying "VFR Flight Not
Recommended" whenever there was a single cloud below 5,000 feet anywhere
in the state.

But when I call Gatineau or London FSS or Burlington, or talk to the
in-person briefer at Oshkosh, I get not just the numbers, but an analysis
of my options and what appears to be happening that wasn't in the
forecast. I've had them suggest a better time to make the trip (either
later in the day or the next day) or a better route. I feel like I'm
talking to a knowledgeable partner who is helping me make a decision, not
just a two legged DUATS reader.

I'm almost tempted to get a cell phone in a different state so when I call
800-WX-BRIEF I get a better AFSS.

--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
"and by God I *KNOW* what this network is for, and you can't have it."
- Russ Allbery draws a line in the sand for Usenet.
(http://www.xnet.com/~raven/Sysadmin/Rant.html)