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RCO’s Going Away

Mike Meehan

Mike Meehan

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The FAA’s RCO decommissioning process in 2025 is as follows:
• On March 27, 2025, the FAA published a notice of intent to decommission all 936 remaining Remote Communications Outlets (RCOs) in the continental U.S., excluding Alaska.
• The FAA requested public comment on the proposal, with a comment period ending May 27, 2025.
• After the comment period, the FAA will review inputs and publish a final rule. The actual shutdown and removal of the RCOs will proceed after the final rule is published; no phased reduction process or detailed regional timeline has been specified.
• The plan would end in-flight advisory communications via RCOs. This does not affect preflight or ground-based flight data services; only airborne RCO frequencies are decommissioned.
There is no further published phased decommissioning plan or extended transition period detailed by the FAA in 2025.
FAA RCO (Remote Communications Outlet) functions are being replaced mainly by mobile cockpit technology such as electronic flight bags (EFBs), mobile internet, and satellite-aided services. The FAA cites a 99% decline in RCO use, stating that pilots now access weather, flight planning, and NOTAMs via mobile apps or internet-connected devices rather than through airborne radio communication. The FAA confirms “users today receive the information and services that Flight Service provides without the need for radio communications”.
There is no direct FAA-operated mobile app or single system cited as a replacement; instead, functions are dispersed among modern avionics, EFB software, and web-based platforms widely adopted in the general aviation industry (e.g., ForeFlight, Garmin Pilot). Traditional preflight and flight data services remain accessible by phone or online; only airborne radio advisory frequencies are being decommissioned. No official FAA mobile product uniquely replaces all legacy RCO services, but mobile apps and online services collectively fulfill operational needs once met by in-flight RCO radio contact.

https://www.federalregister.gov/doc...unications-outlets-rcos?utm_source=perplexity
 
I wonder how this will impact filing IFR while airborne. As I understand it, at times controllers don't have the bandwidth to take down all the information and will instead pass pilots off to Flight Service via the RCO. With controllers in short supply nowadays too, that could get interesting. Fortunately with good planning we don't find ourselves in that situation very often.
 
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Since I am using ADSB-in to get weather info while enroute, I don’t see the need for RCO
 
I usually provide pilot reports of un-forecast weather and other conditions through an RCO with the FBO. Now it sounds like ATC will have to take all pilot reports, if they are not too busy to handle them. I also look for pilot reports when planning cross country trips and suspect there will be fewer available due to the loss of RCOs.
 
Right or wrong, I can say that I've been flying since 2012 and have never talked to an RCO. Not even during training. I had someone try to show me how once and we couldn't hear anything they were saying.
 
We'll hear more IFR requests via 121.5 from airborne planes trying to stay VMC. Hope they already filed and just need a strip to be found, transponder assigned and IFR clearance given not built...

Not uncommon already. ATC then has to figure a locale applicable frequency, then make it work. The local RCOs to ATC, not FSS can be OTS and cell/data to ground activate spotty.

It'll enterain the "guard", ahem, guards and block the meowing reprobates.
 
PhatRV said:
Since I am using ADSB-in to get weather info while enroute, I don’t see the need for RCO
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I use flight service on complex wx cross country flights. On the ground, i never see the need to call FS. But in the air, it is nice to speak with someone that has access to all the data at their fingertips to help make decisions about routes and potential diversions. In the air it is just not that easy to see enough data to get the big picture, like it is on a computer screen, toggling betweens apps/pages. I can imagine that fs is barely used anymore and understand the desire to mothball it. But i will miss it.
 
A question for the experts

Are vor based comm outlets considered rco’s in this discussion? Meaning will ALL airborne communication with flight service go away? The charts differentiate between vor based comm vs rco’s. Or at least that was how I understood it.
 
rolivi said:
The reduction of VORs has been discussed at great lengths for a long while.
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I am aware of that, but also aware of the MON program that will remain. I didn’t ask about vors being decommissioned. I asked if all airborne comm with fs is going away or just reducing the outlets available for it.
 
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