Anybody have briefers giving wrong info?

[kf4amu]

I've had 2 major problems with FSS briefers since I began flying 6 years ago.

1. Got a briefing to fly from CLT to Reagan National (forget what identifier, te one in DC). I specifically asked if it was open for GA traffic due to 9/11 restrictions. The briefer even put me on hold for a minute to double check on his end, came back and said yes it was open for GA traffic, I would be able to land there. 20 miles from my destination a curtly annoyed controller told me in no uncertain terms would I be landing at Reagan as if I should have known. Diverted to Dulles.

2. Today got a briefing to fly to MCO. Presidential TFR in effect from 2:55 to 3:55pm local, and the airport would be shut down, I was told. No problem, we went somewhere else first to run an errand then headed to MCO. 20 miles out, get the same deal, MCO is closed until tomorrow due to the TFR. Landed at ORL (Executive). Find out from the FBO that ORL was closed from 2:55 to 3:55, not MCO. Briefer gave us the info for the wrong airport.

There could have been no confusion on the airport name, I used airport identifiers instead of city/airport names, or used both.

Anybody else have these problems? In no way do I think this is common, 2 problems in 6 years is excellent results, but I cant think of anything else I can do to make it more clear to the briefers where I'm going and what I'm doing.

 

[txpilot1974]

I have had some of the same problems in the past with briefers in the Ft. Worth FSS. I used to fly out of Waco where there were numerous presidential TFR's. There were several occasions where you could walk outside and look out at the ramp and see the Secret Service and the military gearing up for the president's arrival and the FSS had no info on a TFR. It seemed to me that the FSS is not very well informed about the TFR's. Wether it is a breakdown of the system or they are kept out of the loop is anyone's guess. Most of the time we knew there would be a TFR before the FSS did.

 

[threegreen]

Duats!

 

[coloneldan]

My biggest problem with FSS has been either they file for the wrong time, or they drop the flight plan entirely. I have tried telling them local time and they file it as Zulu, or I give them Zulu time and they add however many hours anyway. At first I thought is was me, but I started making it clear which time I was using and kept getting filed for the wrong time.

The only real omission I can remember occured about a week after Loc-Mart took over. They failed to mention the NOTAM that closed the ARPT I was going to in the NOTAM part of the briefing.

I agree, DUATS. If you want it done right, do it yourself.

 

[erj-145mech]

A Presidential TFR is for 30 miles, so if the center were at MCO, wouldn't that also effect ORL? As the PIC, aren't you responsible for knowing that? Aren't you still responsible for reading and understanding the TFR? A pre-flight briefing doesn't count. There are TFR's at major sporting events, and the FSS won't have the information on these, but you are still responsible for avoiding these areas. Are you going to blame the briefer for not telling you of this?

Have you been living under a rock? DCA has been closed to GA since 9-11-01. Have you taken the AOPA course on the Washington ADIZ? You sound like a good candidate for a future ADIZ violation.

 

[Propnose]

www.fltplan.com

 

[kf4amu]

A Presidential TFR is for 30 miles, so if the center were at MCO, wouldn't that also effect ORL? As the PIC, aren't you responsible for knowing that? Aren't you still responsible for reading and understanding the TFR? A pre-flight briefing doesn't count. There are TFR's at major sporting events, and the FSS won't have the information on these, but you are still responsible for avoiding these areas. Are you going to blame the briefer for not telling you of this?

Have you been living under a rock? DCA has been closed to GA since 9-11-01. Have you taken the AOPA course on the Washington ADIZ? You sound like a good candidate for a future ADIZ violation.

Where else to find out about TFR's besides an official sourch...a briefer? That was my understanding during private training. Since then I've used DUATS alot (mostly), and various other private weather/NOTAM dissemination companies, but the FSS briefers were the final authority, or so I thought. If the controlling agency knows about a TFR, the briefer should. No?

As far as the rock, no I dont, but I dont care about Reagan or Dulles or any airport I have no plans to fly to. I dont even know where they are on map of the city. I've flown to Washington once, and I thought the briefer would know what he was talking about.

If a briefer tells you wrong information, how do you expect a pilot to know the correct information? Do we just assume the briefer is wrong and go with what we get from some private company's website?

As far as ORL and the 30 mile ring, I thought the same thing. It just so happend enroute to MCO the controller told us we could land at ORL and we took it. Kissimmee was closed I know as well

 

[pilotguy143]

ditto to the FSS not giving me ANY info about TFRs....


its interesting if this pattern changes now that it is a private company, because now instead of being SOL and being violated and or shot down... we can be SOL be violated and shot down.. but our estate will have one hell of a big chunk change due to easier access to lawsuits

 

[erj-145mech]

Where else to find out about TFR's besides an official sourch...a briefer? That was my understanding during private training. Since then I've used DUATS alot (mostly), and various other private weather/NOTAM dissemination companies, but the FSS briefers were the final authority, or so I thought. If the controlling agency knows about a TFR, the briefer should. No?

As far as the rock, no I dont, but I dont care about Reagan or Dulles or any airport I have no plans to fly to. I dont even know where they are on map of the city. I've flown to Washington once, and I thought the briefer would know what he was talking about.

If a briefer tells you wrong information, how do you expect a pilot to know the correct information? Do we just assume the briefer is wrong and go with what we get from some private company's website?

As far as ORL and the 30 mile ring, I thought the same thing. It just so happend enroute to MCO the controller told us we could land at ORL and we took it. Kissimmee was closed I know as well

You obviously have internet access, because you can cruise sites like these, so do you get the daily aviation news briefs from sites like www.aero-news.net, or www.avflash.com? Have you ever used www.airnav.com? Lots of valuable information there. As the PIC, you are responsible to have all available information to your route of flight and destination. Ignorance is not an excuse.

Your profile says that you have a commercial licence. Your comments and demeanor indicate otherwise. Do me a favor, and don't do turns about a point using a cooling tower at a nuclear power plant as your reference point.

If you are not a member of AOPA, I strongly encourage you to invest the $39/year to join. If you don't learn anything, maybe the staff of lawyers can keep you out of jail with airspace violations.

If your instructor told you that all you need to do is contact FSS for pre-flight briefings, he's deficient in his teaching methods and needs to refund your ground school money.

 

[txpilot1974]

Man, these boards get tougher by the day. At least the guy is trying to get information about the subject. Give em a break.