The folks who work for Lockheed Martin Flight Services recently issued a list of the Top 10 things they wish pilots knew.

And with the recent announcement that the company is closing its Flight Service Stations in Columbia, Mo., Honolulu, Kankakee, Ill., Lansing, Mich., Nashville, Seattle, and St. Petersburg, Fla., beginning in February, knowing what’s on the list could help pilots get the kind of service they need to fly safely.

#10: A pilot profile will save you time. The next time you call the 800-WX-BRIEF line, spend a little extra time and set up your profile. You’ll be asked a few questions, and the next time you get a briefing or file a flight plan the specialist will be able to access this information easily – which saves you time by not repeating consistent information such as your aircraft home base and color of aircraft. Provide your cell, home or office number and the next time you call we can look your profile up with this number. You can also code a common last name such as Smith135 for faster retrieval. Let the briefer know what special identifier you want to use for your name and it will be entered in the system.

#9: The FAA requires FSS to get background information prior to providing a weather briefing. Many pilots get upset that the specialists ask for so much information before providing a weather briefing, but the FAA requires this data.

... read the rest of Top 10 things FSS wants pilots to know (507 words)