Bring back Flight Service!

[divingduck]

I had a thought the other day looking at all these threads...

Bring back the FSOs. Then you can have AFIZs, remote AFIZs, Briefing Offices, Aerodrome weather reports etc etc.
You could probably get a pie heated up and a cup of coffe on landing.

Not to mention traffic info, briefing in the air, FullSAR (remeber that) for those that WANT to talk, NOSAR or SARTIMES for those that don't.

ahhh nostalgia.


Back in 't old days, GA was booming, hundreds of flights per day that were
Fullsar, both IFR and VFR...funnily enough, maybe I'm just dumb, but no one was complaining about costs back then, obviously they were enormous, otherwise Flight Service wouldn't have been dismantled....BUT I still don't remember anyone (with one notable exception) complaining aobut the burden to society.
Each unit also brought wealth (and population) to some pretty far flung outposts, many a small town suffered when the units were closed down.

But...time moves on:yuk:

[get_over_it]

I had a thought the other day looking at all these threads...

Bring back the FSOs. Then you can have AFIZs, remote AFIZs, Briefing Offices, Aerodrome weather reports etc etc.
You could probably get a pie heated up and a cup of coffe on landing.

Not to mention traffic info, briefing in the air, FullSAR (remeber that) for those that WANT to talk, NOSAR or SARTIMES for those that don't.

ahhh nostalgia.


yes, of course, FSOs are excellent. but who is to pay for the privilege? who pays for the oven to heat your pie up? who? the people with the oven? thats not you.


Back in 't old days, GA was booming, hundreds of flights per day that were
Fullsar, both IFR and VFR...funnily enough, maybe I'm just dumb, but no one was complaining about costs back then, obviously they were enormous, otherwise Flight Service wouldn't have been dismantled....

but thats pretty much what happened.

[Knackers]

Well, Duck, I've heard that there is a line of thinking in AsA that the controller is too bloody busy to go through amended TAFs, ARFORs, SIGMETs, etc, AND separate traffic, run sequences, call out the refueler, etc, while trying to determine what is a Hazard Alert and what isn't and who should or should not get it. Gone are the days when one could hold up two ARFORs to the window light to see what was amended. Alas. They now think that someone else should sort it all out and let the controller concentrate on the traffic. Come back, boy, and we'll find you a job in Ops!

[surfnsun]

....and let's not forget holding up to the light two flight plans of B52 LJR's to see what the amendment was....

[Ex FSO GRIFFO]

And, let us not forget the old 'Public Service' mentality - which we were eventually getting away from, and the fact that we were cutting costs dramatically by closing those 'remote' units and providing the service from Centres using Sat tech.
Not to mention the 'endless' restructures which streamlined the FS management to a VERY lean level.
And, the VHF / HF facilities which are no longer....
We didn't make the Air Traffic rules - they did evolve over a long period of time in our unique way, to service our vast distances/small population bases,when SAFETY was paramount.
Then along came 'affordable safety'...(Hmm...)
THAT was a HUGE 'restructure'...
So, the 'dinosaurs' were disbanded. Evolution occurred. SOME Air Nav & fuel levy costs were lowered. Then LOTS of OTHER costs were introduced!
Now it seems we are looking at yet another 'restructure', or is it 'still restructuring'?
'DD'... SAFETY was part of our Nation's infrastructure then. What now?
It was fully funded by the taxpayer at one time. Now it isn't funded at all - USER PAYS, but my taxes are still the same!
Knackers....What other info do you really have??
See the other thread on this subject.
Good Luck All...:ok:

[CaptainMidnight]

The old fuel levy (was it only on AVGAS?) financed many things, and I've always wondered that for the piddling amount it added to a tank of fuel vs. what services were provided, it seemed a short-sighted thing for certain parties to fight for it's removal.

And what did they really save by it's removal? Did they see all the extra $$$$ in their pockets?