Montgomery OASIS Area Supervisor Position, 2003

Montgomery County AFSS (CXO), Texas, 2/10/2003

Stephen Padilla at the Area Supervisor position with new OASIS consoles installed in the facility. The facility was decommissioned April 23, 2007.

Austin FSS Operations, 1992


Photo submitted by Bill Hogland

Austin FSS (AUS), Texas, Dec 1992

Operations area with Chip Yantis, Bill Hogland, and Jim McAlester.

Austin FSS

Austin FSS (AUS), Texas (date unknown)

FAA King Air BE-90 aircraft on the day the Regional Office visited Austin FSS.

Map-fax and history printer

Plotting board

Plotting board

Braniff Air-to-Ground Radio, 1960


Historical data and photo submitted by, Robert Roll, former Memphis Braniff Airline employee

Memphis (MEM), Tennessee,  February 1960

Braniff Airlines Air/ground communications radio at Memphis Airport.  They had three High Frequency (HF) radio frequencies and one VHF frequency.  In addition they had a small tunable VHF backup receiver and a standby tunable HF receiver.  An upgrade in equipment at this time included the Motorola SELCAL (selective calling) unit allowing Braniff operators to selectively call individually any of the company aircraft.

There was also a weather teletype machine to receive hourly weather and winds.  The station included a 19ASR machine with tape punch to send position reports and other information to the company.  During those days they communicated with the Air route Traffic Control Center and relayed clearances to Braniff flights until they got to the Approach Control Zone.

This time-frame marked the end of the era where Company operators relayed flight clearances between the ARTCC and Company planes.  As the Electra II went into service and the Boeing 707’s were beginning service, their speed didn’t allow for the time-gap of calling ARTCC, obtaining clearances, contacting a flight, and delivering the clearance.  At close to 100 miles every 10 minutes…direct ARTCC/flight communication was essential.  And so went the Airline Company Radio Operator.  A few remained in Dallas with transmitters remoted across the Company’s system.

Alice FSS June, 1974

Alice FSS (ALI), Texas, June 1974

Alice FSS facility

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Operations area

Memphis FSS Manager, 1960

Memphis FSS (MEM), Tennessee, 1960

Taken from a newspaper clipping:  After 43 years and six months of federal service, John L. Prudhomme retired, January 3, 1986.  Formerly Manager of Memphis Flight Service Station, John entered on duty with the Civil Aeronautics Administration on July 3, 1942.  He was part of the first school that was conducted for station specialists at Meacham Field, Fort Worth, Texas.  Of the 20 students who completed the course, only Harry T. Hubbard, Manager of Washington National Tower, is still on board.

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Unknown staff person who was employed at Memphis FSS