New FSS Policy

"Jay Beckman" wrote in message
news:U6daf.590$bo.370@fed1read01...
"Newps" wrote in message
. ..


Jay Beckman wrote:



So, welcome to the new Lockheed/Martin world order...

You are complaining about this? You're a moron.


All I meant is that there is a new sheriff in town. (And I really don't
apprecieate the insult because the last thing I am is a moron....I can
assure you of that...)

But...

In all seriousness, tell me how you handle this knowing that FSS is going
to
be "standing on the porch" waiting:

My home base is under the Phoenix Sky Harbor Class Bravo. To fly to
Prescott, Sedona or other points north, the usual drill is to take off and
get a little space to the south, contact FSS on the Phoenix RCO when clear
of the immediate home airport environs, then turn west to the usual
reporting point to request a transition of the Class Bravo from south to
north.

Now I've had instances where the Phoenix controlers are busy and I've had
to
do a couple of 360s before I get a squawk and I'm cleared in. The rest is
fairly simple: Fly the assigned transition at the assigned altitidue,
climb
when instructed/allowed and then contact ZAB center when handed off. Not
a
big deal, but not really your run of the mill take off, turn immediately
on
course and just proceed as planned.

Under this new scenario, I'm late before I've even started so I'm going to
have FBOs everywhere north of Phoenix telling me that FSS is looking for
me?
Even if it's only a couple of minutes? Today I might have been all of one
minute over ETE coming home.

So should I now always request a momentary frequency change from center to
call FSS and amend my ETE / ETA or should I just pad my ETE right from the
start?

Or, should I just risk it and fly without filing a flight plan at all?

Any of the three options you presented will work.

Please enlighten me...

Jay Beckman
PP-ASEL
Chandler, AZ

Please tell me you aren't idiot enough to not snip a hundred lines of
message for a insipid one line answer.

Jim



"Dave Stadt" wrote in message
...



Any of the three options you presented will work.

Add 15 minutes to your flight
"Gig 601XL Builder" wr.giacona@coxDOTnet wrote in message
news:ly9af.2056$5N1.1831@dukeread08...
This is not a good thing. If the contact number is your home number I can
just here the phone call.

MY WIFE: Hello
FSS: Yes has Mr Giacona arrived yet?
MY WIFE: No
FSS: OK Thanks

My wife then begins to think I've crashed & burned, meanwhile I'm taxiing
into my hanger 5 minutes behind schedule.



"Jay Beckman" wrote in message
newsU8af.564$bo.388@fed1read01...
FSS has a new trick, calling the contact number on your flightplan at or
BEFORE your ETA...

Landed at Sedona this morning, called 800-WX-Brief to close VFR flight
plan, walked into the terminal building and the guy behind the FBO desk
says Prescott FSS just called looking for me. Huh!?!?! I filed for
0730MST departure with an ETE of 50 minutes. Opened the flight plan with
a wheels up time of 0755MST and landed at 0850MST...five minutes off
(probably because we stayed under the PHX Class Bravo longer than usual
so my buddy could see his house.)

So, I called Precott and the gentleman to whom I spoke said he had no
idea why they called looking for me so quick. Excused himself for a
moment to ask around, then came back on the line to explain that this is
now their policy and they will be calling pilots instead of waiting for
pilots to call them. They will be calling At or BEFORE your ETA (his
words...)

Same thing on the return trip. Filed for an ETE of 1H05M and landed at
1H06M ... as I'm on the phone with ABQ (phone system shunted me there) my
call waiting beeps and it's Prescott calling me to check and see if I'm
on the ground.

So, welcome to the new Lockheed/Martin world order...

Jay Beckman
PP-ASEL
AZ Cloudbusters
Chandler, AZ
(Now adding 10 minutes to all ETE calculations!)

A personal ELT-esque device would probably be a very wise addition. Thank
you for the suggestion.

Jay

Jay, these are not ELTs. They are 406 MHz beacons. They can be picked
up by GEO satellites and if GPS equipped like mine is ( I fly in the
Rockies) they can know your exact location in a few minutes instead of
many square miles in hours with a 121.5 Mhz ELT.

Mine is McMurdo Fastfind Plus.

Ron Lee

George Patterson wrote:

Judah wrote:
What about pilots who have no friends or family?

Then who cares if you crash? :-)

My dog would.

Ron Lee

In all other cases, I rationalized that flying with flight following in
radar coverage negated the value of a VFR flight plan.
--
Peter


I concur. In 800 hours of VFR flying in three years I have filed one
flight plan. But I use flight following on cross country flights.

Ron Lee

In article ,
(Ron Lee) wrote:

George Patterson wrote:

Judah wrote:
What about pilots who have no friends or family?

Then who cares if you crash? :-)

My dog would.

So give 'em your dog's cell phone number.

;-)

rg

"Ron Lee" wrote in message
...
A personal ELT-esque device would probably be a very wise addition.
Thank
you for the suggestion.

Jay

Jay, these are not ELTs. They are 406 MHz beacons. They can be picked
up by GEO satellites and if GPS equipped like mine is ( I fly in the
Rockies) they can know your exact location in a few minutes instead of
many square miles in hours with a 121.5 Mhz ELT.

Mine is McMurdo Fastfind Plus.

Ron Lee

Ron,

Thanks for the clarification.

Jay

Ron Lee wrote:

Mine is McMurdo Fastfind Plus.

Mine also. I purchased it in early May for my flight across the US. I
think I paid about $550 from a reputable Internet site.

The price most likely has come down even more since then.

--
Peter
























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Let's not turn this into a flame war; I simply want to get a discussion
going on this. Also note that I am not yet a pilot, and I'm hoping to learn
something out of this. You stated:

"After a few calls from FSS when I forgot to close my VFR flight plan..."

By this reasoning, it would be appropriate for one to just make ALL of their
landings "wheels up" because they from time to time forgot to verify that
check list item.

Over the years, I have read many statements where pilots stopped filing
flight plans because they kept forgetting to close them. IMHO, this
indicates a somewhat lackadaisical attitude. If they forget to close their
flight plan, what else are they forgetting to do?

I have often heard that "the flight ain't over 'til the wheels are on the
ground and the prop's stopped turning." A CFI friend of mind always added
"and the flight plan is closed".

Would it perhaps be better, instead of simply abandoning a safety measure
because one forgets to properly use it, to develop the routine required to
properly use the safety measure?

TIA for your opinions...





"Peter R." wrote in message
...
Jay Beckman wrote:

That's my take on this too. IMO, it's "uber efficient" when dealing
with a
bug-smashing C172 just out for a breakfast run like I was this morning.

Do you file a VFR flight plan for all of your VFR flights (excluding
pattern work, of course)?

After a few calls from FSS when I forgot to close my VFR flight plan, I
sided with many in this group who advocated only filing a VFR FP when
flying out of radar coverage which, in my case, only applied when I was
flying up to the Adirondack mountains of NY state.

In all other cases, I rationalized that flying with flight following in
radar coverage negated the value of a VFR flight plan.

--
Peter
























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