Local Knowledge. Ask a pilot how much local knowledge the briefer he gets has because his call is bounced all around the country. Ask a pilot what happened to flight service quality and availability. And the government expert could have been describing the outcome of the fight service fiasco. Look at flight service now to see the future if the meteorologists are consolidated.

Let's take a look at flight service. Why do you think it is all screwed up? LM, with the FAA's blessing, implemented their "new" computer system, called FS21,before it was ready. LM and the FAA knew it didn't, and wouldn't, work the day they turned it on and closed Annistin AFSS, in February 2007. But the FAA let LM go ahead with consolidation and the fiasco of 2007 resulted. It is 2009 and FS21 still doesn't work correctly. LM is working on a replacement for FS21 because it is so bad. Anyway, there is no backup except for AISR, which the FAA pays for and runs. In 2007, when FS21 would crash (and it happened often), there was no backup. What a fiasco. There are people in the FAA, LM and WCG associated with the AFSS program that should have gone to jail for fraud.

Lets look at notams. Do the center and tower guys ever wonder why they are so messed up? LM uses a program called OPUS for notams. It doesn't play nice with NFDC (National Flight Data Center) computers. They are like oil and water, they don't mix. Back in the FAA days of flight service, when a notam was entered, the NFDC computer would check the notam for accuracy, and would kick it out if it was wrong. The good people at the NFDC would then send a message back to the issuing AFSS telling them the notam was wrong and to please fix it. Now, with OPUS and NDC not playing nice, the NFDC accepts the notam without checking it (something to do with OPUS being incompatable with the NAS). The only way to catch bad notams at the NFDC id for them specialist to physically check every notam in the country and they don't have the bodies for that gigantic job everyday. So,a notam could be entered under SEA saying "The FAA follies is the greatest" and it would probably come out with a number and everything. There are also a bunch of other reasons that contribute.

Back to today's post. NATCA and all controllers need to hold the FAA's feet to the fire abut this. If ERAM goes like FS21, with the FAA going along even though they know it is screwed up, disaster is in the air, big time. Call your congressional reps or Chairman Oberstar. You can make a difference.