If cell service or internet were available at every airport in the US, then you would have a valid argument. But there are still places in the continental US where cell service is sketchy or nonexistent, where internet is not available. Areas in the low country(coastal South Carolina, Georgia), and in the mountainous areas in the western US. As I understand Alaska is not part of this for the very reasons I point out here, along with the unpredictable weather Alaskans have to deal with. A lot of your smaller GA airports donât even have a computer available for pilot briefings. I would rather see my tax dollars spent on FSS radio network, instead of going to an airport I canât use as a GA pilot (DCA)!
Throwing instrument-rated GA pilots under the bus because the FAA lacks resources, is really offensive to this crowd, Terry. Maybe a few airline pilots think that way, but I bet they are in the minority. The system can handle all users _if_it_is_properly_maintained.
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You have to be trolling. I have been across the entire country and south to several others single engine single pilot IFR. If you know personally are not up to doing this, by all means take the airlines, but donât go telling the rest of us a hard-won rating is really fake.
I do not support this, but you do have a point. I remember when the FSS stations were everywhere and they were staffed by old-timers who knew the terrain and weather like the back of their hand.
The more they got centralized, the worse they got.
Besides for that it can just be easier.
Donât just complain here. Make official comments because theyâre required to address those.
The Federal Register says that this will save a whopping $2.5M/year. Thatâs less than half of the size of the FAA grant to repave the ramp at my home drome a few years ago.
Thanks, Matt. I added a link to the story.
It feels like the elimination of inflight FSS access is a self-fulfilling prophesy for this reason. I havenât called them in years because since the consolidation, I felt really underwhelmed by the service I received.
It is if itâs what you do all the time. If you rarely fly IFR, I could see where it could be daunting. But why get an instrument rating if you arenât going to use it??? Fact is, an argument can be made for instrument being included in the PPL course. But, every guy who flys around their home airport on clear and a million days would have an issue with that. But, it would make for safer skys and more proficient pilots.
IFR is âeasierâ in the sense plenty of airspace issues just melt away and if you see a cloud in the way, you just go through it.
Some pilots have no interest in it and that is fine, but it does have benefits other than weather that are not always obvious until you do it.
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