Boosting knowledge about weather can help make pilots safer. [iStock]
Key Takeaways:
Filing pilot weather reports (PIREPs) in flight is cumbersome, leading to a scarcity of low-altitude weather data.
The former reliable service for filing PIREPs, Enroute Flight Advisory Service (EFAS) or Flight Watch (122.0 MHz), was terminated on October 1, 2015.
Pilots must now file PIREPs by contacting a Flight Service Station (FSS), which requires locating the correct FSS frequency and name using resources like VFR sectionals or electronic flight bags.
Filing with an FSS can involve specific communication procedures, such as transmitting on one frequency and listening for a response over an associated VOR frequency.
Question: How do I file a pilot weather report online?
Answer: In general aviation, one of the most cumbersome things to do while in flight is to file a pilot weather report, more commonly known as a PIREP. This has created the unfortunate situation that on any given day 98 percent of the PIREPs in the system are typically describing weather conditions at or above 18,000 feet.
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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.
