Recipe for disaster...

Due to staffing shortfalls, Flight Service stations across the nation are being forced to work with one flight service specialist on the midnight shift (and possible evening shifts also in the near future). For sake of argument, lets say 34 "closing" facilities are short staffed.(Its most likely more than that, but I'll assume 34 for now) Follow along for this recipe for a "Soup Sandwich":

Take 34 flight service specialists working the midnight shift solo, add 2 (minimum) short three minute bio breaks, mix in a few small mandatory HIWAS updates, (Convective SIGMETs, a UUA pilot report), fold in the occasional equipment outage where the specialist has to go in the communications room for a reset, and finally top it off with a snow storm event. Let simmer for eight hours, serve hot...

Viola'.......disaster.

Depending on how long the HIWAS broadcasts are and how long the "Bio" breaks are, this recipe adds up to well over 200 minutes of a vacant operations floor. Thats about THREE AND ONE HALF HOURS of unmanned Inflight radios.

I wonder how Phil Boyer from AOPA would react to this "equal or better service"? I wonder if the FAA even realizes its happening??? I wonder if it was in the original presentation provided to Mr. Boyer?

So pilots....next time you call XXX Flight service between the hours of, say...10PM and 5AM, and you get silence......hello?!......hello?!.....


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