“The top levels of both the FAA and Lockheed Martin are now engaged and committed to fixing the significant problems pilots are experiencing with the new flight service station (FSS) system,” AOPA said on Tuesday. AOPA President Phil Boyer spent nearly an hour on the phone with FAA Administrator Marion Blakey on Sunday, and another hour with her and her deputy on Monday. “I have their pledge that they will do whatever it takes to ensure pilots get the safety of flight information that they need and deserve,” he said. Problems with the system worsened in recent weeks, as Lockheed Martin began consolidating the old FAA flight service stations at the rate of three a week. Computer updates were incomplete, and spring weather brought an increase in flying. “I have great difficulty understanding why it has taken so long for those FAA employees responsible for the Lockheed Martin contract to address a safety of flight issue,” Boyer said. According to Lockheed Martin program manager Dan Courain, a series of software updates that are scheduled for the next few weeks should resolve the transition problems and “allow [workers] to focus on the pilot’s needs, rather than the system’s performance.” Lockheed Martin is the number-one government contractor, with $12.7 billion in government revenue for various programs. Regarding the FSS project, executive vice president Linda Gooden told Washington Technology in a story published on Monday, “We … provided an offering to the customer that was very comprehensive and efficient.
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