By Howard Deevers
Many of us that have been flying for a long enough time can remember when there were Flight Service Stations located all over the country. Most were at airports, and you could just walk in, fill out a flight plan, get a briefing in person, and be on your way. Oh, the “good old days.”
I had flown from Pittsburgh to Dallas in a Mooney M20J (the Mooney 201) for a meeting. It was a 2-day event, and my wife was coming along. After the meeting we had planned a couple of days in New Orleans before returning to Pittsburgh. If I remember correctly, I did not have my Instrument Rating yet at that time. The trip was going to be VFR in any case. The weather had been good.
The trip from Dallas to New Orleans was straight and simple, and we landed at the Lake Front airport in New Orleans. After a couple of days, it was time to plan the trip back to Pittsburgh. I went to the Lake Front airport to make sure the plane was serviced, had enough fuel, and was ready to go for the next morning departure. A Flight Service Station was right there at the airport.
I walked into the Station, about the size of a 2-car garage, and went to the counter. There was only one person in there, and he was looking at a computer. Without getting up, he turned around and said, “Can I help you?” I said, “Yes, sir. I'm planning a trip from here to Pittsburgh tomorrow morning and would like to get an outlook on the weather.” He shifted slightly in his chair and said, “Pittsburgh. What are you flying?” I responded, “a Mooney 201.”
He said, “Oh, that's a nice airplane.” I said, “Yes, sir, it is.” Then he asked, “Are you a doctor?” My response, “No, sir.” He asked, “Are you a lawyer?” My response was, “No, sir,” and I was wondering why these questions continued. Then he surprised me, “You might survive.” Now, I really needed to know what this was about. “What do you mean by that?” I asked.
That is when the weather briefing really began. He said, “There are too many doctors and lawyers, flying Mooneys or 'Bananas' won't listen to us and get themselves killed. Come around the counter. I want to show you something.” I walked around the counter and he had turned the computer around so I could see the weather across most of the whole country. Then he started giving me a lesson in weather that I will never forget. He pointed out that the weather from New Orleans to Pittsburgh looked pretty clear, right now. Then he pointed at a cold front that started about South Bend, IN, and arced southwest almost to El Paso, TX. “See that cold front,” he asked, tracing it with his finger? “Yes, I do,” I said. He went on, “Well that cold front is moving east slowly and will be kicking off thunderstorms just ahead of this line all day tomorrow. I think you can get about as far as Nashville, but I don't think you will want to get any further than that.”
After a brief discussion I filed a VFR flight plan to Nashville for departure at 8 AM the next day. The trip was just as he described. As I approached Nashville, I was on top of an overcast layer and found a hole to make a descent to landing. You could see the weather moving in from the northwest, and it would not be VFR in a couple of hours. The Flight Service Specialist was very accurate in his forecast, and I was glad that I had received that briefing.
After two more nights in Nashville, the rest of the VFR trip to Pittsburgh was uneventful.
A month later I passed my Instrument Pilot check ride and started filing IFR flight plans. Flight Service Stations no longer exist at little airports as they did long ago, but I never forgot the personal service that I received that day in New Orleans. I will not fly into a thunderstorm at any time.
Do you want to learn more about weather, flight safety, and aviation? Come to a free safety seminar sponsored by your ARIZONA PILOTS ASSOCIATION, and the FAASTeam. Seminars are presented at airports all over Arizona and will be at the Buckeye Air Fair in Buckeye, AZ February 17 to 19, 2023. And don't forget to “Bring your wingman.”