From a weather perspective, you can skip the call to Leidos and roll your own “weather” briefing and remain perfectly legal, but there are caveats. [Credit: Pia Bergqvist/File photo]
Key Takeaways:
FAR 91.103 does not specifically require pilots to call Flight Service for a pre-flight briefing, but mandates becoming familiar with all available flight information.
While not legally required to call, the FAA recommends following guidance from documents like the AIM, as an inadequate self-briefing could lead to "careless or reckless" charges under FAR 91.13.
The FAA recognizes and approves of modern, web-based tools and Electronic Flight Bags (EFBs) as legitimate sources for pre-flight briefings.
Pilots relying on EFBs or self-briefings must ensure the information gathered is comprehensive and reliable to fulfill the regulatory requirements of FAR 91.103.
Question: Am I required to call flight service to get a briefing before I depart?
Answer: The short answer is no. The regulations do not specifically state that you must call Lockheed Martin Flight Service (LMFS) (e.g., 800-WX-BRIEF) to get a briefing. FAR 91.103 (a) simply states, in part:
91.103 Preflight action.
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Scott resides in Charlotte, North Carolina, and flies regularly throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast U.S. He is a CFI and former NWS meteorologist. Scott is the author of "The Skew-T log (p) and Me: A Primer for Pilots" and the founder of EZWxBrief.
