Say flight conditions

FORANE

FORANE

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FORANE
When ATC asks, how do you typically respond? What information do you typically include?
Just VMC/IMC?
Precip - how do you describe intensity?
Ride - how do you describe ride?
Cloud layers - Do you include bases / tops?
Anything else?
 
Light/med/heavy precip, approx visibility, approx cloud base, smooth ride or a lil bumpy. That's what I typically say. Add whatever else you think might be helpful, like 'rain cell at my 3 o'clock, approx 5 miles' or whatevs.
 
FORANE said:
When ATC asks, how do you typically respond? What information do you typically include?
Just VMC/IMC?
Precip - how do you describe intensity?
Ride - how do you describe ride?
Cloud layers - Do you include bases / tops?
Anything else?
Click to expand...
Just VMC/IMC? That's a good start.
Precip - Light, moderate, heavy and extreme
Ride - smooth, light chop, light/moderate/severe turb
Cloud layers - bases/tops. Yes
Anything else? Icicng: trace, light, moderate, severe included with type and temp/when it started and ended. Visibility. Winds. As eman said, pretty much anything helpful. Controllers relay the pertinent info on. (i.e. knowing the cloud layers can allow me to help a vfr pilot that ended up IMC, help get troubled aircraft out of icing, etc).
 
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FORANE said:
When ATC asks, how do you typically respond? What information do you typically include?
Just VMC/IMC?
Precip - how do you describe intensity?
Ride - how do you describe ride?
Cloud layers - Do you include bases / tops?
Anything else?
Click to expand...
"Say Flight Conditions" is ATC's way of saying "give me some PIREPS." AIM 7-1-19 a. tells you what conditions require them to ask it. How you do it continues on for about the next 30 pages. What's said above is a pretty good real world description of all that
 
My response would be whatever I thought was most significant under the circumstances.

Examples:

"Good VFR."

"Between layers."

"Thunder and lightning with violent updrafts and downdrafts." :eek:
 
I had Oklahoma City Approach ask an airliner to say flight conditions before he'd give me a VFR Class B transition once...:rolleyes:
 
In the flight levels I'll usually just give a ride report and maybe winds aloft.
 
I'm usually the one asking but for terminal we're normally looking for cloud bases, wind shear, and visibility. I've only been asked once as a pilot when Tucson approach had a false precipitation image on radar and I was in it. They wanted to know if I was flying in a rain shower.
 
One time when I asked for a lower altitude, the controller wanted to know if I was in icing conditions. I told him that I was between layers but wanted to get rid of some of the headwind.
 
If IFR in our 172, I kinda assume they're curious if I'm in actual IMC - some controllers seem "pro-active" about offering altitude changes - maybe thinking about the work-load or airplane capabilities, or a lowly PP SEL dealing with IMC. If I come back with vis, temp, and any precip, or turbulence, that seems to fill the bill.

But once or twice, when I've told 'em I was in the clag (after they've asked), they've offered higher or lower; fine with me, and I appreciated the thought.
 
Most of the time I've heard/gotten this it was for an arrival/departure. I try to give them bases/tops and vis.
 
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