IVAO i-Pack

L7 - Flight Service Station

25-11-2005

Additional references: L-1 Facilities  L-1 MetarSpeci  See L-7 TAF

1. Flight Service Stations “Real Life”

Flight Service Stations (FSS) are air traffic facilities which have the responsibilities for providing pilot briefings, en route communications and VFR search and rescue services, assist lost aircraft and aircraft in emergency situations, relay ATC clearances, originate Notices to Airmen, broadcast aviation weather and National Airspace System (NAS) information, receive and process IFR flight plans and monitor NAVAIDS. In addition, at selected locations FSS’s provide En Route Flight Advisory Service (Flight Watch), take weather observations, issue airport advisories and advice Customs and Immigration of trans-border flights.

2. Role and Responsibilities on IVAO

The primary role of a FSS facility on IVAO is to provide assistance to pilots and other ATC facilities when requested. As a FSS facility, they do not provide any radar or procedure control using the ATC client. Likewise, flight plans are not approved by a FSS facility. This is accomplished via the active APP, or if APP is not active, then an active CTR controller in the area of responsibility.

The responsibilities of a FSS facility can be summarized into the following areas:

1. Pre-flight Weather Briefings

   a. Standard Briefing – Adverse conditions, VFR flight not recommended, Synopsis, Current conditions, En-route forecast, Destination forecast, Winds and Temperature Aloft, NOTAMS, ATC Delays, Assistance with Flight Plans, and Other Information that may include specific ATC services and rules.

   b. Abbreviated Briefing – This only requires new and updated weather information and the pilot is expected to previously obtained the weather information through the METAR, TAF, and Short TAF functions on the pilot client or other sources. This is the most common type of briefing and should be used as the first choice by the FSS facility.

   c. Outlook Briefing – This briefing is provided if the pilot’s proposed departure time is six (6) or more hours away and assists the pilot with determining the feasibility of their flight, and should be updated by the pilot to either (a) or (b), above. Although this type of briefing is available, it should only be considered for long flights of six (6) hrs or more.

2. Pilot Assistance

   a. En Route Communications – Provide assistance with active ATC controller frequencies along the route.

   b. VFR Search and Rescue – Provide search and rescue services for VFR flights and coordination with responsible ATC positions.

   c. Lost Aircraft – Provide assistance to pilots who are lost by giving the pilot their current location and headings to requested navaid.

   d. Flight Plan Assistance – Provide assistance to pilots on the information required to file a flight plan. This could be the SquawkBox or the IvAp ICAO type of flight plan.

   e. En Route Weather Advisories – Provide METAR/TAF information for requested ICAO airports.

   f. Airport Advisories – Advise of any delays at requested airports in the FSS sector area.

   g. Other Information – Provide NOTAMS applicable to the route selected, IVAO Event information or ATC practical examines that are in progress in the FSS facility area. Assist in answering other questions by new ATC controllers or pilots on IVAN.

3. FSS Facility Frequencies

FSS facilities can cover large sector areas. Generally, for FSS facilities located within different IVAO Divisions, the Division website will describe the specific facility frequency. Some of the call signs with the FSS facility frequency are as follows:

4. Weather Information

Weather sources from within the ATC client is limited to METAR reports, which are revised hourly, unless a significant weather change has occurred for that airport. Other weather information is available through the internet which includes TAF’s, winds aloft, jet stream information, and a variety of other flight advisories services. For more information on TAF’s, please review Section L-7 TAF, “Decoding TAF and Some Other Weather Messages”.

5. Handling Malfunction Reports (IFR)/Emergencies

When operating as a FSS facility, if a pilot declares an emergency, they should first contact the ATC controller in the airspace that has responsibility of the aircraft. This could be TWR, APP, or CTR.

If the FSS station is the only active facility, then the pilot would contact the FSS station in the area where this station is active. The FSS station should obtain the following information and provide assistance to the nearest airport that is suitable for the aircraft to land:

1. Aircraft Identification, e.g. UAL1000, type Boeing 7Echo7
2. Equipment Affected, e.g. Engine #2 Failure
3. Degree t which the equipment failure will impair the pilot’s ability to operate under IFR, e.g. lost NAV1, can not perform ILS approach.
4. Type of assistance required from ATC, e.g. suitable alternate airport.

Note: Remember, FSS facilities can not provide Radar or Procedure Control.

6. Position Ranking Requirements

As a general rule, FSS facility positions require an in depth knowledge of IVAO procedures and ATC/Pilot client software in order to assist pilots effectively. Generally, the FSS facility should be manned by a C-3 or above. Divisions within IVAO may have more specific requirements and the local Division website should be checked for these requirements.

Morten Hansen

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