Interesting Figures on Flight Service

AFSS5602 Junior Member

A recent report sent to congress and the secretary of transportation outlines how flight service has been affected by the outsourceing to Lockheed and their downsizing.

Flight Service Traffic

FY2004 = 25,922,000 (Last year before Lockheed began the takeover)
FY2005 = 22,519,000 (Lockheed wins the A-76 contract)
FY2006 = 19,744,000 (Lockheed controls flight service, no closers yet)
FY2007 = 9,747,000 (Lockheed begins large scale downsizing and closers)
FY2008 = 6,055,874 (Lockheed is still getting rid of facilities and specialists)

In summary

Traffic Prior to Lockheed = 25,922,000
Traffic After Lockheed = 6,055,874

There is also a very large correlation between operational deviations (O.D) and Lockheed's downsizing as the figures below will show.

FY2004 = 8 (Last year before Lockheed began the takeover)
FY2005 = 6 (Lockheed wins the A-76 contract)
FY2006 = 3 (Lockheed controls flight service, no closers yet)
FY2007 = 18 (Lockheed begins large scale downsizing and closers)
FY2008 = 25 (Lockheed is still getting rid of facilities and specialists)

As you can see the flight service has lost almost all of their customers and the safety of the system has plummeted. Now Lockheed will be further cutting the system by getting rid of 7 more locations.

Lockheed is implementing insane policies. Lockheed has told flight service specialists that they are to brief anywhere in the country regardless of what area of responsibility they are trained or certified. If you are rated in California and refuse to brief in New York and transfer the call you will face disciplinary action or possible termination. In addition you cannot tell the pilot calling where you are at and what area you are trained and rated in. You also cannot solicit a transfer to a specialist in that pilots area.

Whiskey_Mike Newcomer

Before outsourcing, Blakey loved to say that weather briefings cost $28 a piece. This was an absolutely meaningless number derived by dividing the number of briefs into the FSS operating budget. It did not take into account all the other 2000 services we provided nor did it consider the intangibles.

So now if traffic is less than 25% of what it was, and the operating budget has actually increased, doesn't that mean that a weather brief costs well over $100 a piece now??????

Way to go FAA! stupid fkkrs...

AFSSOS20147 Newcomer Ashburn, VA

On the OD/OE, remember that most of those are due to TFR violations, something that did not exist years ago. And the clearance ODs were often not reported back in the day. I know of at least two major ODs that were swept under the rug in the 90's.

Nevertheless, you point is valid. LMCO services are full of FAA mandated phraseology and useless mandatory procedures. If the rest of ATC were held to the same evaluation standards as the FAA holds us to, Air Traffic would drop to a standstill.

FSS_LULZ Newcomer

porchrat1 Newcomer

Another interesting aspect of the count is the methodoloy used. Pre 2005 FAA method used (IF contacts, intl fp's etc)post 2005 count is basically calls.