Briefing Dilemma

There are days (like today) where the idea is just to fly the airplane. No
specific destination, but if something looks interesting on the ground, or
if I need a Diet Coke or feel the need to unload one, I may land at any of a
dozen nearby airfields... How do you explain this to a FSS briefer? Here's
the discussion I had with the FSS this morning (more or less):

Me to the Briefer: Good Morning, I'll be flying N46KB an Experimental RV-6
today, VFR. Departing at 9:00 local, returning by 3:00 PM, Flying over
North Georgia and East Alabama. Requesting Standard Briefing...

Briefer: What is your destination and cruise altitude?

Me: I don't really have either one. I'm just going flying.

Briefer: I need an altitude so I can provide winds aloft.

Me: I don't really need winds aloft.

Briefer getting frustrated: But it only takes a second. How about 3 & 6k
ft?

Me: I don't really need the information, but go ahead.

Briefer..... Blah, blah, blah at 3 and 6..

Briefer: Also, I need your destination...

And this continued for the next five minutes....

Is there a way to escape this? What I really needed was "VFR projected over
that area all day long, No TFR's or Notams, surface winds out of the NE 10
knots. Have a nice day."

KB

Kyle Boatright wrote:

Is there a way to escape this?

Well, you could move. I don't have that problem with the NJ briefers. In
addition, there's a recording I can listen to for conditions in the area. Most
times I don't need to talk to a briefer at all.

George Patterson
He who would distinguish what is true from what is false must have an
adequate understanding of truth and falsehood.

In article ,
"Kyle Boatright" wrote:

Is there a way to escape this? What I really needed was "VFR projected over
that area all day long, No TFR's or Notams, surface winds out of the NE 10
knots. Have a nice day."

I've said something like "I'm just going to drill a big long hole in the sky,
but with possible landings at insert list of airports"

Of course, my airplane doesn't have a lot of speed so I wouldn't cover
a lot of area anyway.

--
Bob Noel
looking for a sig the lawyers will like

Is there a way to escape this? What I really needed was "VFR projected over
that area all day long, No TFR's or Notams, surface winds out of the NE 10
knots. Have a nice day."

You could ask for an abbreviated briefing, and then ask for any other
details of interest (any TFRs? Are you sure? What about temporary
flight restrictions?

As for altitude, I would just state the altitudes I'm interested in
boring holes through (3 and 6, or 3, 6, and 9). The winds aloft are
sometimes nice to know and may help pick a direction.

Jose
--
Nothing is more powerful than a commercial interest.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

I just ask for an area briefing for x mile radius from my home airport. 3k &
6k winds aloft are fine. Gimmie any TFRs, closed airports, closed runways,
etc. Of course, I can get that from DUATS, but I like a briefer telling me
about TFRs. Central IL.



"Kyle Boatright" wrote in message
...


There are days (like today) where the idea is just to fly the airplane.
No
specific destination, but if something looks interesting on the ground, or
if I need a Diet Coke or feel the need to unload one, I may land at any of
a
dozen nearby airfields... How do you explain this to a FSS briefer?
Here's
the discussion I had with the FSS this morning (more or less):

Me to the Briefer: Good Morning, I'll be flying N46KB an Experimental
RV-6
today, VFR. Departing at 9:00 local, returning by 3:00 PM, Flying over
North Georgia and East Alabama. Requesting Standard Briefing...

Briefer: What is your destination and cruise altitude?

Me: I don't really have either one. I'm just going flying.

Briefer: I need an altitude so I can provide winds aloft.

Me: I don't really need winds aloft.

Briefer getting frustrated: But it only takes a second. How about 3 &
6k
ft?

Me: I don't really need the information, but go ahead.

Briefer..... Blah, blah, blah at 3 and 6..

Briefer: Also, I need your destination...

And this continued for the next five minutes....

Is there a way to escape this? What I really needed was "VFR projected
over
that area all day long, No TFR's or Notams, surface winds out of the NE
10
knots. Have a nice day."

KB

when i was in training, i would report "manouvers up to 30 miles west
of my ap at 3000ft, 2 hours etc"...went fine. i suppose i could have
said "within (gas range) and returning to same ap.
by the way, can you get flight forwarding just to go vfr sighseing
generally westish? at various altitudes in uncontroled space??

dan

"George Patterson" wrote in message ...


Kyle Boatright wrote:

snip
there's a recording I can listen to for conditions in the area. Most
times I don't need to talk to a briefer at all.

George Patterson
He who would distinguish what is true from what is false must have an
adequate understanding of truth and falsehood.


Well, that is probably what we will all get with the 'privatized' FSS of the near future...

Duats. I fly in the same space. It freaks them out when you call and say I
just want the TFRs...

It was too beautiful today!

Deb

--
1946 Luscombe 8A (His)
1948 Luscombe 8E (Hers)
1954 Cessna 195B, restoring (Ours)
Jasper, Ga. (JZP)
"Kyle Boatright" wrote in message
...


There are days (like today) where the idea is just to fly the airplane.
No specific destination, but if something looks interesting on the ground,
or if I need a Diet Coke or feel the need to unload one, I may land at any
of a dozen nearby airfields... How do you explain this to a FSS briefer?
Here's the discussion I had with the FSS this morning (more or less):

Me to the Briefer: Good Morning, I'll be flying N46KB an Experimental
RV-6 today, VFR. Departing at 9:00 local, returning by 3:00 PM, Flying
over North Georgia and East Alabama. Requesting Standard Briefing...

Briefer: What is your destination and cruise altitude?

Me: I don't really have either one. I'm just going flying.

Briefer: I need an altitude so I can provide winds aloft.

Me: I don't really need winds aloft.

Briefer getting frustrated: But it only takes a second. How about 3 &
6k ft?

Me: I don't really need the information, but go ahead.

Briefer..... Blah, blah, blah at 3 and 6..

Briefer: Also, I need your destination...

And this continued for the next five minutes....

Is there a way to escape this? What I really needed was "VFR projected
over that area all day long, No TFR's or Notams, surface winds out of the
NE 10 knots. Have a nice day."

KB

"Steven Barnes" wrote in message
m...
I just ask for an area briefing for x mile radius from my home airport. 3k
&
6k winds aloft are fine. Gimmie any TFRs, closed airports, closed runways,
etc. Of course, I can get that from DUATS, but I like a briefer telling me
about TFRs. Central IL.

All we get after listening to the briefer for 5 minutes is "VFR not
recommended" even though visibility and ceiling are nearly unlimited.

"Kyle Boatright" wrote in message
...
[...]
Is there a way to escape this? What I really needed was "VFR projected
over that area all day long, No TFR's or Notams, surface winds out of the
NE 10 knots. Have a nice day."

As Steven wrote, ask for an "area briefing". They'll want your point of
departure and radius for the briefing.

IMHO, you are wrong to say that you "don't really need winds aloft". Just
because you are aren't going on a cross-country, that doesn't mean that
information isn't useful. Even in the absence of airmets about wind shear
or turbulence, winds aloft will inform you about possibilities of both, and
they also provide information about movement of air masses, allowing you to
do a reality check on the forecast. You also get temperature information
with the winds aloft.

If you want someone to just tell you "VFR all day long, winds out of the
NE", tune in to the Weather Channel. There's a reason that aviation
briefings contain more detail than that. Ignore that detail at your own
peril. Ninety nine flights out of a hundred, it probably won't matter. But
that hundredth flight will be a real doozy.

Pete