Private Pilot Ground School Visits NCDOT March 2010

Our Private Pilot Ground School visited the NCDOT Division of Aviation and the Raleigh AFSS at RDU on Tuesday, March 2, 2010.

The NCDOT Division of Aviation “promotes the economic well being of North Carolina through air transportation system development and improved aviation safety and education.”

After a presentation and tour of the DOT hangar, the group walked over to the FSS building. “A flight service station (FSS) is an air traffic facility that provides information and services to aircraft pilots before, during, and after flights, but unlike air traffic control, is not responsible for giving instructions or clearances or providing separation. The people who communicate with pilots from an FSS are referred to as specialists rather than controllers, although in the U.S., FSS specialists’ official job title is air traffic control specialist – station.” These are the folks we speak to either on the ground when getting a weather briefing, or in the air when filing, opening, and closing flight plans.

Many thanks to Tom Freeman, our host and Aviation Safety Specialist at the NCDOT, and Bill Hall, Manager of the Raleigh Flight Service Station.