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Become a SkySpotter

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • While modern avionics provide good weather data, critical in-cockpit conditions like cloud tops, turbulence, and icing can only be reported by human pilots.
  • Pilot reports (pireps) are the sole means of sharing this vital, firsthand weather information, making them essential for the safety and planning of other aviators.
  • Pilots are encouraged to submit pireps to assist their peers, with resources like AOPA's "SkySpotter: Pireps Made Easy" course available to guide them on how to make and utilize these reports.
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While the weather data that we can now collect live in the cockpit on our avionics suites or on a portable tablet is fairly well updated and accurate, there is some weather information that can only be delivered by a human inside a cockpit.

Critical information, such as cloud tops, cloud layers, turbulence and icing conditions, is not available unless it has been provided by a pilot who has experienced and recorded the conditions. Since this information cannot be distributed to other pilots by any other means than a pilot report, or pirep, it is important that we all help each other out by submitting the data to the appropriate source.

Pia Bergqvist

Pia Bergqvist joined FLYING in December 2010. A passionate aviator, Pia started flying in 1999 and quickly obtained her single- and multi-engine commercial, instrument and instructor ratings. After a decade of working in general aviation, Pia has accumulated almost 3,000 hours of flight time in nearly 40 different types of aircraft.

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