Recently, Larry Dighera posted:

On Sun, 13 May 2007 22:22:06 -0400, Bob Martin
wrote in :

the briefer kept saying "you can't fly down there."

The way I see it, it is the FSS briefer's role to provide information
and deal with flight plans. The briefer is not a Dispatcher, so it
would seem that the sort of admonish you received is inappropriate.

If they want to start having input about what you can and can't do,
then they can share in the responsibility of the airman's flight
planning for those flights for which they do not tell airmen what they
can't do, otherwise the should limit such statements to professional
opinions or suggestions, after all briefer's have no authority to
approve or deny aircraft operations.

Is that an unreasonable point of view?

I think that is quite reasonable as a standard for professional practice.

However, I don't quite understand what one would have such a discussion in
the first place. When I call WXBrief, I ask only about the conditions that
are of interest to me. I do not disclose any other information regarding
my intentions. Though I have never been asked for the details of the
flight unless I was filing a flight plan, if I was asked and as a result
was given that kind of response, I would tell the briefer that I didn't
ask his/her opinion, and that I just want the weather information. If s/he
chose not to provide that information, I'd ask for his/her supervisor and
carry on from there.

Neil