A C172 PVT PLT DESCRIBES HIS DISSATISFACTION WITH THE EXPERIMENTAL RAIS AT EAU.

Narrative

I HAVE CONCERN REGARDING REMOTE ARPT INFO SVC (RAIS) EMPLOYED ON A TEST BASIS AT EAU. I STATED MY INTENTIONS AND TAXIED TO RWY 22 FOR DEP. IT APPEARED THAT 3 ACFT WERE IN THE ATA (AT LEAST BRIEFLY) OTHER THAN MYSELF. ONE ACFT; A STINSON Y; WAS DOING STOP-AND-GOES. ANOTHER; A CESSNA SKYHAWK; WAS DOING TOUCH-AND-GOES; ANOTHER YZ WAS DEPARTING TO DO PHOTOGRAPHY WORK. ALL WERE PROVIDING ADEQUATE INTENTION AND POS RPTS. HOWEVER; EAU RAIS WAS REPEATING THEIR POS RPTS ON AN ALREADY CROWDED FREQ. MUCH OF THE TIME; WHEN ACFT POS WERE REPEATED; THE ACFT WAS ON A DIFFERENT LEG OF THE PATTERN. I FOUND MYSELF CAUGHT UP IN THE COMS BLIZZARD. I WAS LOOKING FOR AIRPLANES THAT WERE NO LONGER THERE. THE NUMBER OF COMS MADE IT SOUND LIKE 4 TIMES AS MANY AIRPLANES WERE IN THE PATTERN. NOT ONLY WAS A POS RPT BEING REPEATED; BUT EAU WAS GIVING THE WINDS AND FAVORING RWY INFO ON A FREQUENT BASIS. THE AIRWAY WAS SATURATED WITH RADIO COMS; NOT AIRPLANES. EAU RAIS; IN REPEATING WHAT WAS TOLD BY THE PLTS; WAS NOT PROVIDING A CORRECT PICTURE. THE RAIS WAS 1 PATTERN LEG BEHIND MUCH OF THE TIME. I ANNOUNCED MY DEP AND DEPARTED FROM RWY 22 SBOUND. IT WAS THERE I ASKED THE VOICE OF EAU IF HE WAS LCL. HE SAID HE WAS IN GREEN BAY. I CONTINUED TO MONITOR THE FREQ UNTIL CLR OF THE ATA. ANOTHER AIRPLANE ZZ; INTENT ON LNDG AT EAU; IDENTED ITSELF; ITS POS 20 MI OUT AND INTENT; AND ASKED FOR ADVISORIES. MEANWHILE; EAU LOST TRACK OF THE 2 AIRPLANES IN THE PATTERN. AT ONE POINT; EAU WAS RPTING A CESSNA ON THE GND WHEN THE CESSNA WAS REALLY ON A XWIND. I UNDERSTAND THERE WAS AN AIR FATALITY AT EAU IN THE RECENT PAST. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE FSS STATION AT GRB HAS ATTEMPTED TO IMPLEMENT A SOLUTION (RAIS) FOR A PERIOD OF 6 MONTHS ON A TRAIL BASIS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH A GREEN BAY AFSS SPECIALIST REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE REMOTE ARPT INFO SVC (RAIS) IS DESCRIBED AS AN EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM WHICH IS THE RESULT OF AN FAA CONFERENCE HELD IN WASHINGTON; DC; IN THE FALL OF 1999. THE SPECIALIST STATED THAT PLTS STRONGLY FAVOR FSS ARPT ADVISORIES. SINCE MANY FSS'S HAVE BEEN DEACTIVATED; THE FAA DECIDED TO PROVIDE REMOTE ARPT ADVISORIES; ON AN EXPERIMENTAL BASIS FOR 6 MONTHS. OLD ARPT ADVISORY FREQS ARE UTILIZED; VIA TELEPHONE LINES RATHER THAN A LCL LINE. THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT THE FSS IS NOT ON THE FIELD; BUT IS REMOTE. IN THIS CASE; EAU IS PROVIDED RAIS FROM THE GREEN BAY FSS. ACCORDING TO THE SPECIALIST; THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BTWN BEING AT THE FIELD AND BEING REMOTE; AS THE CTLR AT THE FIELD HAS A LIMITED VIEW AND DOES NOT RELY ON LOOKING OUTSIDE IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THE SVC. THERE ARE 3 FACILITIES PARTICIPATING IN THE EXPERIMENT: GREEN BAY (EAU); JONESBORO; AR (FOR HARRISON); AND LOUISVILLE; KY (FOR LONDON). THE EXPERIMENT COMMENCED ON JUN/XA/00 AT EAU. THE SPECIALIST WAS NOT SURE WHEN THE OTHER 2 BEGAN. THE SVC PROVIDES TA'S TO RPTED ACFT AND STATES THE RPTED WX. IF THE EXPERIMENT IS SUCCESSFUL; EACH FSS CAN MAINTAIN UP TO 5 SEPARATE 'LISTS;' OR ARPTS; THEREBY PROVIDING TFC INFO AT UNCTLED ARPTS. AT SPECIFIED INTERVALS; PLT INPUT WILL BE SOLICITED IN ORDER TO MEASURE THE IMPACT OF THE SVC. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: NOTHING NEW WAS ADDED AS HE HAD NOT FLOWN SINCE THE DAY IN QUESTION.