Everything Old Is New Again

Most business aviation pilots have DUATs in their past. Introduced in 1989, it was the FAA's first attempt at automated flight information services. Gone are the 297 Flight Service Stations and the days of in-person weather briefings; however, Flight Service has always been the mainstay of aviation services.

Leidos Pilot Web Portal

Flight Service has evolved and is more virtual than physical, but the quality and scope of services has improved. DUATS upgraded to DUATs II, but in May 2018, DUATs was discontinued. The FAA has signed a contract with Leidos until 2020 while the FAA gets the NAS (National Airspace) Efficient Streamlined Services (FSNESS) program up and running. It's a multi-year, phased transition plan that will use NextGen initiatives; so in the meantime, the same number you've used since your solo flight is also the name of their website, www.1800wxbrief.com, and will continue to provide all aviation services at no charge to pilots.

The Leidos Pilot Web portal allows pilots to receive online preflight briefings, file flight plans, and get automatic notifications and alerts. Core safety services will continue, but the service delivery methods are changing.

If you’d like your Part 91 and/or Part 135 flight department to keep up with the everchanging aviation services, rules, and regulations, Advanced Aircrew Academy has ~60 eLearning modules, including Weather and FAR AIM Review, that can be customized for your flight department. We also have an Electronic Flight Bag module that provides the high tech methods of flight planning and weather briefings, including Jeppesen ForeFlight/FD and APG.

For more information, you can find us at https://www.aircrewacademy.com/, email us info@aircrewacademy.com, or contact us the old fashioned way by calling 843-557-1266.