Dumb Question

[skykid11]

What do Air Traffic Assistants actually do on the job? Is it any different from Flight Service?

 

[ClearanceClarence]

It’s just a Flight Data Specialist: Air Traffic Assistant

That position is mostly filled by washouts at my facility.

 

[rhombus]

At towers they certify on CD/FD. Ours has been the primary CD/FD trainer for 20+ years

 

[J-one-s]

Air Traffic Assistants work in centers, doing flight data. I don't know everything that they do. Amend incorrect IFR flight plans? along with some other stuff.

Flight Service, depending on where you're at, mostly deals with VFR aircraft. filing/activating/closing VFR FPs, initiating Search and Rescue when pilots go overdue, giving preflight weather briefings, inflight weather briefings over the frequency, relaying information from Center to IFR pilots that are too low for Centers radios, and airport Advisories for uncontrolled airports. From my experience in southeast Alaska, FSS here is quite a bit more involved with pilots(IFR and VRF) and center controllers, due to terrain and radio coverage.

 

[skykid11]

Air Traffic Assistants work in centers, doing flight data. I don't know everything that they do. Amend incorrect IFR flight plans? along with some other stuff.

Flight Service, depending on where you're at, mostly deals with VFR aircraft. filing/activating/closing VFR FPs, initiating Search and Rescue when pilots go overdue, giving preflight weather briefings, inflight weather briefings over the frequency, relaying information from Center to IFR pilots that are too low for Centers radios, and airport Advisories for uncontrolled airports. From my experience in southeast Alaska, FSS here is quite a bit more involved with pilots(IFR and VRF) and center controllers, due to terrain and radio coverage.

Is it anything different than what Leidos does now?

 

[Horny4.65]

Amend FP (P Times, RAL, not routings tho). Deal with ALNOTs & INREQs, send out PIREPS, send out ICAO departure messages via AISR, relay IFR clearances to pilots from satellites (they don’t deal with VFR at all nor weather briefings)

Mostly a desk job where people call them and they sometimes make phone calls, the rest of the time is split into generous breaks. I read somewhere on here some guys just kick back and watch Netflix, Prime or YouTube.

 

[J-one-s]

Is it anything different than what Leidos does now?

Very. Leidos is two big call centers, one in Fort Worth, one in DC. They mostly file vfr flight plans and do LOTS of wx briefings. They also do some stuff with notams, but the faa is in the process of giving AK FSS all of Leidos' notam responsibilities for the lower 48.

Ak fss has 2 different kind of facilities. Satellites and Hubs. Satellites are smaller and they're responsible for smaller, more local areas. They usually have windows and can see the field. Because they can see the field, they can give pilots airport advisories(wind, traffic, hazards etc.) Google KTN FSS, it is pretty damn tower-like.
Hubs are bigger buildings, less windows, they're responsible for all other areas without satellites, they also take over the frequencies and responsibilities(minus airport advisories) of the satellites when they close at night. Hubs are a little more like what leidos is.

Also, Anchorage center has letters of agreement with us, allowing us to borrow their Class E surface areas, so that we can issue SVFR clearances. I'm doubtful that other centers have LOAs with Leidos like that. I could be wrong though.