AFSS downsizing affecting ATC

AFSS5602 Junior Member

I am writing to bring up an issue that is becoming more and more of a problem. Lockheed has been downsizing flight service significantly every year trying to squeeze more profit out of a free service. Along with this downsizing the service has been dropping fast for pilots, operational errors/deviations are massively increasing, and traffic is dropping as frustrated customers go elsewhere.

I have been hearing from controllers that they are getting frustrated with the increasing number of VFR to IFR pop-up traffic into busy sectors. In ideal situations pilots will call flight service to get a clearance off an airport where they can't reach ATC. If the sector is busy controllers can tell flight service to tell the pilot to wait. The problem is that a single flight service specilaist is working the radios for 3-4 states which amounts to well over 150 radio frequencies for 1 person. Specialists are now on a daily basis getting multiple clearance requests at the same time and they can only get one clearance at a time. I have had up to 6 pilots call around the same time wanting clearances from multiple states. Specialists will usually get 1-2 clearances before the other pilots get frustrated with waiting and take off VFR into busy airspace causing more stress and workload for controllers.

I am getting fed up with watching 150 radio frequencies, having people stepping on each other all the time due to all the frequencies I watch, and having to regularly say things like "stand-by your number 7".

We need controllers and NATCA's help in addressing this issue.

DCATC Rookie

first learn what your talking about
LockMart is still LOSING money on this contract, they have yet to be in the green ONCE!

secondif you look at traffic numbers to specialists then you can downsize more. alot of times people are not doing anything. sorry you actually have to sit there AND WORK compared to times in the past.

btw its a machinists union, not NATCA that can do anything for LockMart

otterstrom Trusted Member of NATCA

first learn what you're talking about.

NATCA is already helping. i just got their email about all this a few weeks ago... not that theres anything can really stop FSS downsizing though.

DCATC Rookie

how? NATCA does not have any representation in the AFSS world.

this would be new to me if so

mklatval Rookie Burlington VT

LockMart has ruined flight service and it has upped my work load in the tower as well...

And Natca can help flight service with political support etc...

otterstrom Trusted Member of NATCA

yeah... political support. the email i got from NATCA urged us all to send a pre written letter of theirs to our congressmen. i did.

the NATCA name is well known on capital hill.