Old school - 29 years ago

[MikeD]

Moving an old box in a closet in the house, came across these in my old civilian flight bag from back in the day hauling boxes for UPS and Airborne Express. The PHX cargo operation had recently been acquired by Skywest Airlines under the Scenic Air Cargo banner, with our former company known as P.M. Air having had the FedEx feeder contract for the AZ area, but losing it to Empire Airlines a few years after two fatal accidents in two months with the 208As…one at LXV and one at DEN, a third fatal accident of a 208A the year before at ASE, and a Chieftain on the UPS contract lost in a fatal accident a year before those at FLG. Eventually, the Scenic Air Cargo section at PHX was sold off, and the UPS contract picked up by Ameriflight, and the Airborne Express contract disappearing once that airline ceased operations after being acquired by DHL.

No GPS at all, many of the small airports had an NDB approach, which was fun to fly to mins during snowstorms in northern AZ, including breaking out of the Wx once and landing, only to start immediately sliding on ice and being unable to slow down, cobbing the power back in and turning it into a touch and go, climbing back into the low Wx and icing, and calling Center to tell them “hey, I’m back! How about vectors for another one?” to try for the other runway this time. One of the Chiefs even had a VLF/OMEGA in it, and another with a LORAN-C

 

[ahw01]

Where's the Jepp binder?

Hope they're still flying

 

[ahw01]

Amazon Express: Reincarnation of the Old Airborne Express?

Amazon found an almost move-in ready facility to process its shipments for next-day delivery to U.S. customers

www.sdcexec.com

Dont know why they're using @Cherokee_Cruiser mugshot

 

[DE727UPS]

29 years ago would have been 95. I would have just upgraded to the right seat of the 72. If you remember seeing Brown 727's at PHX the year before it was likely me some of the time. I camped on this sweet trip that just went between LAS and PHX. One leg to the hotel. Each way once a day, week on, week off. It was and early am departure out of PHX and spend the day in LAS. Then back to PHX early evening.

 

[MikeD]

29 years ago would have been 95. I would have just upgraded to the right seat of the 72. If you remember seeing Brown 727's at PHX the year before it was likely me some of the time. I camped on this sweet trip that just went between LAS and PHX. One leg to the hotel. Each way once a day, week on, week off. It was and early am departure out of PHX and spend the day in LAS. Then back to PHX early evening.

Absolutely! This was back when PHX only had two runways, and the only air cargo ramp was the now- “old” cargo ramp that was on the far west side of the field near RW 8R. The jets would park on the west side, and we’d on the east side of the cargo ramp next to the ramp of the old Terminal 1, after taxiing over from the far north ramp where our office was.

 

[Richman]

1995? That was still pretty late in the game. At that point, NDBs for sure, but you may possibly have had LORAN and maybe a cell phone. Flight service was still a legitimate resource, but ATC was starting to get newer gear which was better at depicting weather. Some podunks were getting hand-me-down ASR units from other places.

You really don't get into the old school wild west until back in the 80s. Those rules had been unchanged since just after the 50's. Biggest bump in that road was when 135 was put into place, but most places that just meant writing down what was supposed to happen and getting some preprinted forms.

 

[ahw01]

1995? That was still pretty late in the game. At that point, NDBs for sure, but you may possibly have had LORAN and maybe a cell phone. Flight service was still a legitimate resource, but ATC was starting to get newer gear which was better at depicting weather. Some podunks were getting hand-me-down ASR units from other places.

You really don't get into the old school wild west until back in the 80s. Those rules had been unchanged since just after the 50's. Biggest bump in that road was when 135 was put into place, but most places that just meant writing down what was supposed to happen and getting some preprinted forms.

Duats. 1-800-WX-BRIEF

 

[Richman]

Duats. 1-800-WX-BRIEF

Doood. I was the king of DUATS. 1200 baud on dialup...smokin'! Printed out on my cherry Epson FX-80. I remember when they turned on flight plan filling. Dang, that was the new hotness. Old timers were all like "you have to talk to get the weather!! You young bucks and your computer machines!".

In all seriousness, they turned on 1-800-WX-BRIEF right before I started flying. They had it pretty ironed out by the time I started using it, but folks were saying before the common number that there were some unholy wait times, and during the transition, you'd get ported over to some station in Oregon for a briefing in Louisiana.

Before DUAT, they did have a pretty neat system where you could use your touch tone phone to get some weather. IVRS or something like that, and they had some pre-recorded stuff you could listen to (TIBS and TEL-TWEB) essentially between heavily traveled points. I'd use the IVRS to get the weather before wasting the time to head out to the airport, and some there thought it was dark magic.

 

[ahw01]

Doood. I was the king of DUATS. 1200 baud on dialup...smokin'! Printed out on my cherry Epson FX-80. I remember when they turned on flight plan filling. Dang, that was the new hotness. Old timers were all like "you have to talk to get the weather!! You young bucks and your computer machines!".

In all seriousness, they turned on 1-800-WX-BRIEF right before I started flying. They had it pretty ironed out by the time I started using it, but folks were saying before the common number that there were some unholy wait times, and during the transition, you'd get ported over to some station in Oregon for a briefing in Louisiana.

Before DUAT, they did have a pretty neat system where you could use your touch tone phone to get some weather. IVRS or something like that, and they had some pre-recorded stuff you could listen to (TIBS and TEL-TWEB) essentially between heavily traveled points. I'd use the IVRS to get the weather before wasting the time to head out to the airport, and some there thought it was dark magic.

I remember the days. so much fun. now foreflight just package it up and sell it to you. Went downhill a bit when LMCO Flight Services took it on...

 

[MikeD]

Doood. I was the king of DUATS. 1200 baud on dialup...smokin'! Printed out on my cherry Epson FX-80. I remember when they turned on flight plan filling. Dang, that was the new hotness. Old timers were all like "you have to talk to get the weather!! You young bucks and your computer machines!".

In all seriousness, they turned on 1-800-WX-BRIEF right before I started flying. They had it pretty ironed out by the time I started using it, but folks were saying before the common number that there were some unholy wait times, and during the transition, you'd get ported over to some station in Oregon for a briefing in Louisiana.

Before DUAT, they did have a pretty neat system where you could use your touch tone phone to get some weather. IVRS or something like that, and they had some pre-recorded stuff you could listen to (TIBS and TEL-TWEB) essentially between heavily traveled points. I'd use the IVRS to get the weather before wasting the time to head out to the airport, and some there thought it was dark magic.

I used to like to walk into the FSS, with a real specialist, who would print out the various charts, mark them up with colored markers, and place them over the superseded chart on the wall, so you could flip back and see the Wx trend data. And, if the airport the FSS was at was uncontrolled, they provided airport advisories too.

 

[ahw01]

I used to like to walk into the FSS, with a real specialist, who would print out the various charts, mark them up with colored markers, and place them over the superseded chart on the wall, so you could flip back and see the Wx trend data. And, if the airport the FSS was at was uncontrolled, they provided airport advisories too.

dialling into an FSS via an RCO. brilliant (or should that be GCO, yvmv)

 

[CFI A&P]

I used to like to walk into the FSS, with a real specialist, who would print out the various charts, mark them up with colored markers, and place them over the superseded chart on the wall, so you could flip back and see the Wx trend data. And, if the airport the FSS was at was uncontrolled, they provided airport advisories too.

While giving dual on a cross country I would always have the student communicate with the FSS for something. Give a pirep, ask for weather at the destination... anything to solidify the concept of help outside the cockpit. Always fun explaining the two frequency setup, "Why am I listening to the VOR?" Not too long ago I raised a FSS while in cruise and had them call an FBO on the landline for me.

 

[Richman]

I used to like to walk into the FSS, with a real specialist, who would print out the various charts, mark them up with colored markers, and place them over the superseded chart on the wall, so you could flip back and see the Wx trend data. And, if the airport the FSS was at was uncontrolled, they provided airport advisories too.

Strangely enough, I was based consecutively in not one, not two, but three different places that had a Flight Service Station. Two were the AFSS type, and the other was one of the last few non-FSS stations left in the continental US (which, ironically, was the last place, mid-90s-ish).

One of the AFSSes was in a busy area, and what you would expect. Briefers briefing, people getting clearances, reasonable tech in that C64 "look, block graphics way are cooler than ASCII" kind of way. In person briefings were done, but it wasn't on their priority list, and the local airport had a tower.

The next one was in the upper mid-west. Same setup, but a LOT fewer callers. They'd love it when you stopped by. They had donuts. Never waited for them, and never once received anything other than grade-AAA, first world, rockstar stellar service from them, and since our field was uncontrolled, we talked to them every day not just for that airport, but for 2 others.

Last place looked exactly like what you would see in a vintage airport photo. Block building. Lots of antennas. Been a station since 1947. Walk in and see furniture and desks that were installed then and still doing their job. Dedicated "in person briefing" location. Lots of metal racks with empty spots as equipment was removed and replaced with smaller gear. Actually had windows overlooking the field. They still had rolls of paper with weather info hanging from clips. Briefers were also in the mold you'd expect. Knew everything about everything, and had forgotten more about local weather than I could learn in 10 lifetimes. They were also super nice and professional, but had an air of "phew, I get to retire locally because coastal stations were given a reprieve".

Not for nothing, but all of these places you'd just walk in, and there was always ample parking. These days they'd be 30 miles from the airport in some business plaza, triple barricaded behind razor wire, triple locked adamantium gates and you'd need to make an appointment 21 business days (not including holidays) to get a briefing, at which they'd say "why don't you use the internet?".

 

[killbilly]

While giving dual on a cross country I would always have the student communicate with the FSS for something. Give a pirep, ask for weather at the destination... anything to solidify the concept of help outside the cockpit. Always fun explaining the two frequency setup, "Why am I listening to the VOR?" Not too long ago I raised a FSS while in cruise and had them call an FBO on the landline for me.

I used to have students call FSS to file SFRA flight plans both to teach them how to do it and to understand how excruciating it could be to talk to FSS on the radio. They were always super helpful but sometimes they would NOT let go of the conversation.

 

[knot4u]

While giving dual on a cross country I would always have the student communicate with the FSS for something. Give a pirep, ask for weather at the destination... anything to solidify the concept of help outside the cockpit. Always fun explaining the two frequency setup, "Why am I listening to the VOR?" Not too long ago I raised a FSS while in cruise and had them call an FBO on the landline for me.

The CFI that finally helped a knuckledragger like me get a PPL was adamant about utilizing and communicating with FSS. I can recall flying back from somewhere up north and our heads were getting bumped against the cabin roof in a mighty 152 at about 8500' and he insisted I call flight service and report the ride as mild. I did as I was told, cooperate and graduate. But I also never had any anxiety communicating with them since I had to do it even on a benign flight when every thing was smooth as silk, I think he just loved talking on the radio and wanted to make sure his students were at the very least capable. The radio still doesn't scare me, but I also learned to fly at KBUR so...

 

[arkflyr]

Here is a good time suck if your feeling nostalgic, ABC’s Wide World of Aviation was uploaded to YouTube.

He is a guided tour of the new Automated Flight Service Station

View: https://youtu.be/kSpsSKgJXIk?si=SiohPI1jo8iT96p3


Last time I used Flight Service was flying cargo in MT back in 2010.

 

[Roger Roger]

In 1995, the very first Navajo ever built was over 10 years newer than the very last Navajo ever built is today.

 

[Richman]

Here is a good time suck if your feeling nostalgic, ABC’s Wide World of Aviation was uploaded to YouTube.

He is a guided tour of the new Automated Flight Service Station

View: https://youtu.be/kSpsSKgJXIk?si=SiohPI1jo8iT96p3


Last time I used Flight Service was flying cargo in MT back in 2010.

I met Phil Boyer in person once. He was as nice in person as he seemed to be on TV. He was an outstanding spokesman for GA.

 

[arkflyr]

I met Phil Boyer in person once. He was as nice in person as he seemed to be on TV. He was an outstanding spokesman for GA.

In college a bunch of us went to see him speak in KC following the reopening of airspace in the fall of 2001. Totally agree with you, I remember the whole room cheering when he walked in the first thing he said was he had flown himself there VFR, and we will keep working to get the rest of the country open.

 

[MikeD]

I guess my FIH is out of date…