Looking out the window of an FBO does not constitute a weather briefing. [Courtesy: Meg Godlewski]
Key Takeaways:
The FAA does not designate a specific "legal" or "official" source for weather briefings; pilots are responsible for obtaining sufficient weather information to meet FAR 91.103 preflight planning requirements.
Some flight schools and CFIs recommend services like 1800WXBRIEF or ForeFlight because they create a verifiable record of the briefing, which can be important for NTSB investigations, in addition to allowing flight plan filing.
A comprehensive preflight weather briefing requires checking TAFs, METARs, winds aloft, and NOTAMs, as listening to ATIS/ASOS/AWOS or visual observation alone are not adequate.
Question: Is there such a thing as an official source for a weather briefing?
I have been using 1800WXBRIEF.com and Aviation Weather Center for years since they don’t require a paid subscription. But according to the CFIs at the school I just started flying with, these are not considered legal weather briefings.
CREATE A FREE ACCOUNT
Sign up to keep reading
Create a free account to continue. Already a member? Sign in below.
Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
