Correct way to give a PIREP?

RyanB

RyanB

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Looking on Aviationweather.gov, I can view all the PIREPS on the map and read the coding of them. Question is, how do I go about submitting one. Just call up flight service and tell them I would like to give a PIREP? And then what do I tell them after that? C172 level at 5000 light turb and give location?

Thanks!
 
If I'm one of the first flights out of my airport in the morning and it's overcast I'll give ATC a report of the base and/or top and they can decide whether or not to use it. Or if I get icing I will report that. Those are the only two cases where I give a report and it's just to whoever I'm talking to. I don't formally request to provide a PIREP.
 
Since I am almost always on an IFR flight plan or on FF, the controller already knows most of what he needs to know to enter a PIREP. I will simply say something like: "Bugsmasher November four three Delta PIREP tops four thousand three hundred." all in one transmission.

If I have something longer, I'll call first, then give the PIREP after I have been acknowledged. Recently I was given a descent from 6,000 to 4,000 and gave a slightly lengthier PIREP to let the controller know that the ride at 6,000 was smooth and the ride at 4,000 was moderate turbulence. My purpose was mostly to encourage him to not descend the next guy until the last minute. He asked if I wanted to go back up for a few minutes and I declined.

The official list is:
(1) Location
(2) Altitude
(3) Type Aircraft
(4) Sky Cover
(5) Weather
(6) Temperature
(7) Wind
(8) Turbulence
but I have never given the whole blast, nor have I ever called Flight Service to give the information. YMMV

Edit: I got that list from some FAA publication a long time ago and have it on a kneeboard reference card (with lots of other stuff). I just realized it doesn't list "Ice" though.

Edit 2: Looks like from AC 00-45G, the "Ice" is #9.
 
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I always go by the "beggars can't be choosers" format, but that's just me. :D
 
I'm waiting for the day I can file a PIREP from foreflight on my ipad. It already knows my location and altitude, all I would need to do is enter the other items.

I've had a few negative experiences filing PIREPs in the air with flight service, including one person telling me I was NOT experiencing mountain wave off the rockies and rather it was turbulence. I'm pretty sure I know what the difference between mountain wave and turbulence is. Because of things like this, I just don't care anymore. If there's something significant (such as freezing rain) I'll let ATC know.

I would be happy to file PIREPs more frequently, but they need to make the process a bit easier and quicker. Just my opinion, I think filing one from the ipad would be great.
 
I just tell them where I am (remember 3 dimensions) and the conditions I am reporting, normally I'll only bother for ice, turb, tops and bottoms, or something crazy.
 
A couple of thoughts:

1) Filing from a tablet will probably have to wait until it is legal to have the cell radio turned on in the air. FAA is not going to encourage breaking FCC rules by setting up an interface.

2) Blaming ATC for not making the process easier is fine, but it is not ATC that you are hurting if you have information that your fellow pilots should or would like to know.
 
AC 00-45G Aviation Weather Services page 3-34.

Everything you would ever want to know and more about PIREPS.
 
It's a DOD manual but the Flight Information Hanbook (FIH) has a good format that I still use:

(A) Location of Phenomena (station identifier, radial/DME and route segment)
(B) Time (UTC)
(C) Altitude (MSL)
(D) Type aircraft
(E) Skycover (bases, tops and amount)
(F) Flight visibility and weather
(G) Air Temperature
(H) Wind
(I) Turbulence
(J) Icing
(K) Remarks

"Chattanooga approach N12345 PIREP."
"N12345 Chattanooga, go ahead."
"N12345 30 miles north of Choo Choo 1530Z, at 5,000 ft we encountered moderate turbulence."

You don't have to rattle off everything in the format and the order isn't that important either. Just as long as you give the pertinent data.
 
When under IFR and already talking to a controller it would be nice if the quick report of tops, ice, whatever, made it to sites such as Aviationweather.gov but that does not seem to happen. Seems like more often than not the report stops with the individual controller unless I go off frequency and request to give a pirep to a FSS.
 
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Velocity173 said:
You don't have to rattle off everything in the format and the order isn't that important either. Just as long as you give the pertinent data.
Click to expand...

During my private training I remember thinking "I'll call up flight service and give them a PIREP like a good pilot would!"

Called up the FSS and started going down that list. About halfway through the FSS guy on the radio stated very politely that if it wasn't different than expected or forecast then don't bother reporting it.

Oh well, learned something and maybe a PIREP ended up in the DUATS system giving accurate temperatures aloft and a report of a student pilot to watch out for...
 
tehmightypirate said:
During my private training I remember thinking "I'll call up flight service and give them a PIREP like a good pilot would!"

Called up the FSS and started going down that list. About halfway through the FSS guy on the radio stated very politely that if it wasn't different than expected or forecast then don't bother reporting it.

Oh well, learned something and maybe a PIREP ended up in the DUATS system giving accurate temperatures aloft and a report of a student pilot to watch out for...
Click to expand...

He was mistaken. It is important to know predictions were correct.
 
AIM 7-1-20. Not indexed under P or R, unfortunately.

Bob Gardner
 
FORANE said:
When under IFR and already talking to a controller it would be nice if the quick report of tops, ice, whatever, made it to sites such as Aviationweather.gov but that does not seem to happen. Seems like more often than not the report stops with the individual controller unless I go off frequency and request to give a pirep to a FSS.
Click to expand...
Yes. That is the downside to giving the PIREP to ATC; they may not have time/may not take time to put it into the system.

One of my more educational days was spent plugged in with a TRACON controller for most of a shift. We discussed this and he said that because of workload not all PIREPS that he received got forwarded. Talking to Center this is supposedly less of a problem, especially if the sector is staffed by both a controller and a flight data person (something that we pilots have no way of knowing).
 
Velocity173 said:
"Chattanooga approach N12345 PIREP."
"N12345 Chattanooga, go ahead."
"N12345 30 miles north of Choo Choo 1530Z, at 5,000 ft we encountered moderate turbulence."

You don't have to rattle off everything in the format and the order isn't that important either. Just as long as you give the pertinent data.
Click to expand...

But they DO need your type AC ... what is moderate TB to you may be a minor fart to a larger AC;)

tehmightypirate said:
Called up the FSS and started going down that list. About halfway through the FSS guy on the radio stated very politely that if it wasn't different than expected or forecast then don't bother reporting it....
Click to expand...

Call them in anyway. I do especially for turbulence. There have been several times that TB was forecast in the sigmet and didn't materialize.
 
danhagan said:
But they DO need your type AC ... what is moderate TB to you may be a minor fart to a larger AC;)



Call them in anyway. I do especially for turbulence. There have been several times that TB was forecast in the sigmet and didn't materialize.
Click to expand...


I know, that's why I included that in the format. My example is when you're already talking to ATC and they know your type aircraft. Not that facility ID is required either after initial contact but I thru that in for extra measure.
 
Crossing the Cascades in Washington State, Flight Service almost always requests a PIREP when I open a flight plan. And they usually seem appreciative of getting one even if conditions are as expected. Last time a crossed I called Flight Watch on 122.0 and gave them a report, something like "few clouds at 9 to 10'000 east of Snoqualmie Pass, and scattered to broken clouds with some terrain obscuration to the west, light turbulence the whole way, everything else as expected". I won't normally give a PIREP to center or approach unless I'm already talking to them and it's something I'm not expecting. I figure they have enough to do already, but the Flight Service guys love to talk about the weather!
 
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Velocity173 said:
I know, that's why I included that in the format. My example is when you're already talking to ATC and they know your type aircraft. Not that facility ID is required either after initial contact but I thru that in for extra measure.
Click to expand...

Looked past the "D" entry somehow ... you are correct
 
airdale said:
A couple of thoughts:

1) Filing from a tablet will probably have to wait until it is legal to have the cell radio turned on in the air. FAA is not going to encourage breaking FCC rules by setting up an interface.
Click to expand...


What I expect to see is the ability to fill out the form in flight and then when you land submit it electronically. That prevents the need for in flight connectivity. In fact I believe Lockheed-Martin already allows something like this with some software packages.
 
One longer trips in the midwest where I fly most often I usually give a PIREP.
 
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