As preparations continue for modernization of the airspace system, the recently privatized flight service station (FSS) system reached a milestone last week when the switches were flicked at the first of three “hub” FSSs at Dulles Airport near Washington, D.C. The others will be in Prescott, Ariz., and Dallas. The hubs will act as regional command posts that will allow Lockheed Martin to reduce the number of actual field stations from 58 to 16. In fact, with the opening of the Washington hub, a so-called heritage site in Oxford, Ala., was shut down and communications shifted to the Dulles site. Within minutes, according to Lockheed Martin, the 20 flight service specialists in Washington were handling routine requests, including one that would normally have been fielded by the Alabama station.
New FSS Hub Goes Live
Key Takeaways:
- Lockheed Martin has begun modernizing the privatized Flight Service Station (FSS) system by opening the first of three "hub" FSSs at Dulles Airport.
- These new hubs, including future sites in Prescott, Arizona, and Dallas, will serve as regional command posts, enabling a reduction in field stations from 58 to 16.
- The Dulles hub immediately became operational, taking over communications from a closed heritage site in Oxford, Alabama, and handling routine requests within minutes.
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