IO540

The new style AIS briefing system was introduced 22 August 2002

Here we go again.

Almost nobody (outside those who spend their lives on these internet forums) had heard of it back then.

It didn't work properly even by summer 2003. I busted a Frog nuclear power station TRA then, and narrowly escaped having the CAA prosecute me on behalf of the DGAC. I was able to show that a) the info didn't appear in the narrow route briefing and b) I was receiving a Frog radar service at the time and they obviously chose to not tell me (but they did so kindly remember to ask me my full details including my inside leg measurement, so they could fill in the forms). The Frogs were arrogant enough to supply a radar track printout showing the squawk they allocated to me

It works well today, but it's much too late for many pilots, and it will always be too late for the big majority of active PPLs, who fly outside the training system, often flying simple aircraft from nameless farm strips, have better things to do than read the drivel on PPRuNe, drivel on flyer.co.uk, drivel in other pilot forums, and who will probably not discover this for another 10 years.

Got to remember that nearly all those who get a PPL today drop out nearly right away, so even if ab initio training was "fixed" overnight, only a small trickle of people knowing this terrible Masonic secret will find their way into the active PPL community.

rustle

I know Shoreham is a bit backward, what with its quaint buildings and stuff, but surely they had a computer in the clubhouse?

Everyone I spoke to knew about it -- and none of them post(ed <= 2002) here or on FLYER.

Are you sure you're not generalising just a smidgen?

Pudnucker

Agree....

No-one taught me how to use the AIS site..... Seriously, probably best to let a teenage son work it out then show you how to use it

IO540

I know Shoreham is a bit backward, what with its quaint buildings and stuff, but surely they had a computer in the clubhouse

Did I mention Shoreham, Rustle? My recollection of my training (the location is irrelevant) is that notams were not taught at all, internet was not available (except in one school which folded shortly afterwards and where any aircraft owner was banned from using the facilities), and the tower briefing terminal was a PC hacked to work only for MET and flight plan filing.

Talking of Shoreham, my (vague) recollection of the pilot briefing room there is that internet is not available and this is true for most UK GA airfields. That's why I nowadays never bother with what they call "pilot briefing facilities" at any airport - a laptop with GPRS is a far better way to do it.

Yes of course I am generalising. I am using plenty of words like "almost", "nearly", etc. You are just taking it literally/personally. But this is the problem: the general situation is that a lot of pilots out there don't know they should collect their preflight briefings in this way, but the "establishment" assumes that everybody knows about it. As indeed do all the righteous people on here (and flyer.co.uk, and elsewhere) who immediately have a go at somebody, automatically assuming he is an idiot.

My experience from training, and from meeting other pilots, is that while some are right clowns (and will probably end up in the side of a hill) most are completely normal and far from stupid. Their "fault" is that they were trained in another age, and their contact with these new fangled developments is very minimal.

As regards who has or has not posted on flyer.co.uk, this means nothing because most people use nicknames, and far more people read those forums than ever write anything.

englishal

You should have done it in America In 2000, we had DUATs internet access and weather plots, and 1800WXBrief to give us weather briefs and notams before every single flight......

But then again, we are inferior pilots

Fuji Abound

"Everyone I spoke to knew about it"

Everyone I spoke to agreed the world is flat. So true if your sample was drawn from the flat world society .

Unfortunately not the most scientific way of reaching a conclusion other than the one you would prefer.

rustle

About as scientific as

Fuji Abound

The answer surely is if everybody hadnt assumed nobody knew then more people would have known .

rustle

WTF?

surely not

precisely correct Fuji

Fuji Abound

Surely - glad you liked it!

tangovictor

excellent highjacking of a thread !