On Wed, 3 Mar 2004 07:01:32 -0500, "Dennis O'Connor"
wrote:

That's wonderful...

Well, frankly, yes it is. Let me see if I can address your questions.

Now, how is the average pilot supposed to know that there is such a thing as
an 'Approach Watch Desk'?

You're not expected to, but as a working CFI and Commercial Pilot, I
spent a lot of time bull****ing with fellow instructors and local
pilots, and when waiting for the boss to do his business, the pilots
at every airport I go to. The list of subjects that spins around with
a group of pilots cooling their heals is almost infinite.

The first time I discovered the ease and beauty of this approach was
doing aerial survey work for the Nashville Airport Authority. I had
the contract to do it, but the Airport Authority only owns the ground
stuff that makes up an airport. They don't own the overlying
airspace. I talked to the supervisor and he briefed the controller
that I would be flying race tracks at 2000 AGL. It turned that when I
got up there, they were in the middle of a push. I thought I had died
and gone to heaven to fly back and forth across that airport and watch
the traffic coming and going. The tower would constantly asked me if
I had specific landing aircraft in sight. "Sir, you bet your sweet
ass I do." There is a neat little book called "The Cellular Pilot"
that Sporty's puts in each order. To me, if you want to have a
usable list of tower supervisors, this book is the way to go.
Beware, however, that the TRACON number may just get you the gal at
the front, which is fine during business hours because you simply tell
her "Hello, Cessna 12345. I need to talk to the active TRACON (or
ARTCC) supervisor."

After hours, you'll get an answering machine. Soo, you dial wx-brief.
Put the number they give you got on your PDA, or reverse write it on
your forehead so that whenever you look in a mirror you see it and
memorize it without even trying.

Or, that FSS is the part of the system which has
the phone numbers for 'supervisors' identified by this internal jargon
within ATC?

It's the "Service" part of FSS. Most pilots don't use a lot of what
FSS can do. DUATS is good for most situations, but FSS can add that
extra enhancement that you need.

Where in the AIM is this information contained?

Sadly, nowhere. There are clues in the AFD.

How many CFI
or CFII folks give their students this specific information?


I was going to be flippant and say, "Why should we give out this
information to the un-washed masses. They'll call the supervisor and
ask him, 'How's the weather over there' , or something similar.

Lord, the more I think about it, that's true. And as a CFII, I do
tell my students how to find those numbers. But they forget it as
fast as I mention it. Not many, but still... there are way too many
idiots that would bring the system to its knees, and the poor ATC guys
to brink of insanity. Really, how many old folks do you hear that
sound like they're not understanding anything and talk in an early
1950s flying movie dialect... "Calling Houston! Calling Houston!
Come in Houston, this is the Secret Rocket Ship to Mars! Calling
Houston, without un keying the Mic Calling Houston, Come in
Houston..."

Rhetorical questions to make a point...
denny


And that's fine. I hope this helps.

Mike Weller