EFAS vs FSS

mhcasey

mhcasey

Well-Known Member
Howdy gang,

I'm not sure this is the appropriate category, but I figured you guys would be able to help.

Anyway, my question is what is the difference between calling flight watch on 122.0 and just calling the FSS that serves that area? Can EFAS on 122.0 handle flight plans, or are they exclusively weather? I've never gotten a hold of anyone on 122.0, though the only times I've tried have been after midnight. I always just call up the local FSS for the area, and they are able to give me all the weather info I need. Can an FSS be reached from above 17,500 feet MSL?

Thanks a lot,

Mike
 
mhcasey said:
Can EFAS on 122.0 handle flight plans, or are they exclusively weather? I've never gotten a hold of anyone on 122.0, though the only times I've tried have been after midnight.
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EFAS is exclusively weather. That's what's nice about them though, that they can spend more time with you and answer more questions about the weather, compared to FSS stations. Also, they're only open from something like 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time I think.

Beyond that, I'm a little fuzzy. I'm sure there's a lot of info in the AIM about them if you're ambitious enough to look it up.
 
Ehh...I'm bored enough tonight to look up more info on EFAS...

It's all spelled out in AIM 7-1-5. That's page 785 in the ASA 2007 FAR/AIM book.

What I said in my post above is all correct, but more details are available in the AIM.
 
jrh said:
EFAS is exclusively weather. That's what's nice about them though, that they can spend more time with you and answer more questions about the weather, compared to FSS stations. Also, they're only open from something like 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time I think.

Beyond that, I'm a little fuzzy.
Click to expand...
Your first sentence says it all - a channel dedicated to weather vs a general FSS channel for weather, opening and closing flight plans, time checks, position reports, asking for frequencies you don't have, and other questions.

It's the same reason you call Ground instead of Tower for taxi and 911 instead of the regular police phone number in an emergency.
 
Last summer in Denver I was told to open my flight plan with EFAS on 122.0. He said it real fast after filing the flight plan and by the time I realized what he said the call was over. I even had it on speaker too and a few others in the room heard it and all agreed that was odd.

I got up in the air and tried to open on the freq he told me to open with and got rejected. Ended up going back to 122.2 or whatever.

I knew it was going to happen too but figured I would follow directions... Oops!

Learning experience here is don't always follow the directions when they don't make sense.
 
MidlifeFlyer said:
...asking for frequencies you don't have....
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Haha, FSS is usually the only frequency I don't have. And when I file VFR I and ask for the frequencies to open/close, I'm told to standby, then I hear a bunch of typing/rustling paper noise, then I get series of frequencies to "try" which may or may not be the ones listed in the AF/D. Anyone else have that problem, or is it unique Central Califonia? Come to think of it, I never had that problem when I was in Oakland, but we had an FSS on site. Also while I'm ranting, what the hell is up with not listing the local phone number for each FSS in the AF/D. Every single one of them in the SW AF/D the only number listed is 1-800-WXBRIEF. Well, that dosn't help me when I fly 400 miles away and my cell phone goes to my home FSS rather than the one I need to talk to. Even when I call on the school's commercial land line, sometimes I get Oakland, sometims I get Rancho, and sometimes I get Reno who for some reason can never help me with anything I need. WTF?
 
flyguy, I've never had a problem using 122.2 to contact FSS. Maybe it is an issue in your part of the world.

There is a listing of FSS phone numbers other than WX-BRIEF. You can download it in PDF from various places, but here it is (I have a copy in my PalmPilot):

AFSS toll-free telephone numbers

Albuquerque, NM 866-449-5390
Altoona, PA 866-708-9987
Anderson, SC 866-225-2172
Anniston, AL 866-609-8684
Bangor, ME 866-295-3835
Boise, ID 866-258-9068
Bridgeport, CT 866-293-5149
Buffalo, NY 866-678-2759
Burlington, VT 866-847-1846
Casper, WY 866-227-7498
Cedar City, UT 866-667-3858
Cleveland, OH 866-780-8261
Columbia, MO 866-223-4352
Columbus, NE 866-288-3448
Conroe, TX 866-689-5992
Dayton, OH 866-505-6163
Denver, CO 866-751-7021
Deridder, LA 866-401-5659
Elkins, WV 866-656-2661
Fairbanks, AK 866-248-6516
Fort Dodge, IA 866-300-2858
Ft. Worth, TX 866-272-7915
Gainesville, FL 866-523-7229
Grand Forks, ND 866-306-6931
Great Falls, MT 866-527-7601
Green Bay, WI 866-845-4888
Greenwood, MS 866-245-6109
Hawthorne, CA 866-879-8252
Honolulu, HI 866-766-0820
Huron, SD 866-732-1331
Islip, NT 866-365-5019
Jackson, TN 866-840-1051
Jonesboro, AR 866-520-8890
Juneau, AK 866-297-2236
Kankakee, IL 866-450-6593
Kenai, AK 866-864-1737
Lansing, MI 866-879-4066
Leesburg, VA 866-225-7410
Louisville, KY 866-412-7968
Macon, GA 866-276-0243
McAlester, OK 866-269-0189
McMinnville, OR 866-833-7631
Miami, FL 866-347-0316
Millville, NJ 866-225-7920
Nashville, TN 866-890-1348
Oakland, CA 866-469-7828
Prescott, AZ 866-226-3763
Princeton, MN 866-841-6469
Raleigh, NC 866-663-3354
Rancho Murieta, CA 866-272-7525
Reno, NV 866-281-2737
Riverside, CA 866-838-2250
San Angelo, TX 866-300-3867
San Diego, CA 866-682-2175
San Juan, PR 866-822-8537
Seattle, WA 866-384-7323
St Louis, MO 866-671-6176
St Petersburg, FL 866-295-3983
Terre Haute, IN 866-224-9906
Wichita, KS 866-672-5145
Williamsport, PA 866-655-6434
 
Wow, that's awesome! Thanks!!

So, is 122.2 a standard FSS frequency? Out here they are all on discrete frequencies.
 
flyguy said:
Wow, that's awesome! Thanks!!

So, is 122.2 a standard FSS frequency? Out here they are all on discrete frequencies.
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Yep. 122.2 is the "common" FSS frequency. The discrete frequencies are in additon - I suspect to avoid congestion on just one, although there have been times that I've been unable to reach FSS on the discrete one but able to on the common one.
 
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