Pilot report

Key takeaways

Pilot report belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Pilot report to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Pilot report from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A pilot report or PIREP is a report of actual flight or ground conditions encountered by an aircraft. Reports commonly include information about atmospheric conditions (like temperature, icing, turbulence) or airport conditions (like runway condition codes or ground equipment failures). This information is usually relayed by radio to the nearest ground station, but other options (e.g. electronic submission) also exist in some regions. The message would then be encoded and relayed to other weather offices and air traffic service units. Although the actual form used to record the PIREP may differ from one country to another, the standards and criteria will remain almost the same. At a minimum the PIREP must contain a header, aircraft location, time, flight level, aircraft type and one other field. In recent years, a PIREP will also include UA or UUA used to identify the PIREP as routine or urgent.

Included data

Mandatory UA or UUA used to identify the PIREP as routine or urgent (In Canada this is indicated by the prefix to the PIREP: "UACN01" for an urgent PIREP or "UACN10" for a normal PIREP) /OV location of the PIREP, in relation to a NAVAID, an aerodrome or geographical coordinates /TM time the PIREP was received from the pilot (UTC) /FL flight level or altitude above sea level at the time the PIREP is filed; it is essential for turbulence and icing reports /TP aircraft type; it is essential for turbulence and icing reports

Optional (at least one is required) /SK sky cover /TA ambient temperature; important for icing reports /WV wind vector referenced in terms of true north (ICAO), or magnetic north (in the United States) /TB turbulence; intensity, whether it occurred in or near clouds, and duration /IC icing /RM remarks /WX flight visibility and weather

AIREP Like PIREPs, Aircraft Reports (AIREP) are reports of actual weather conditions of an aircraft in flight. AIREPs are often automated reports generated by sensors onboard the aircraft, contrary to PIREPs, though they can also be reported by pilots. Likewise, a different encoding is used for either type.

Body The message identifier "UA" is used when the PIREP contains non-hazardous weather information. If the PIREP contains a report of a tornado, funnel cloud, waterspout, severe turbulence, severe icing, hail, volcanic ash clouds, a low-level wind shear hazard, or any other weather deemed hazardous by the receiving agency, the identifier "UUA" would be used. The location (/OV) can be reported in one of three ways: as a direction and distance from a navigation aid (NAVAID), as a direction and distance from an airport, or as the latitude and longitude of the aircraft. The time (/TM) used is the UTC time that the PIREP is reported. The flight level (/FL) is reported as either a three digit value that indicates the altitude of the aircraft above sea level in hundreds of feet or can be one of three abbreviations: DURD (during descent or on approach), DURC (during climb or after takeoff) and UNKN (unknown). Aircraft type (/TP) will be the approved ICAO designator, or UNKN if not reported. Sky cover (/SK) is used to report the cloud layer amounts and the height of the cloud base. The tops of the cloud layers can also be included, as can more than one layer of cloud delimited with /. Heights are in hundreds of feet above sea level and are three digits. Abbreviations used in this group are "CLR" (clear), "FEW" (few), "SCT" (scattered), "BKN" (broken) and "OVC" (overcast). Cloud cover ranges can be entered with a hyphen, e.g., BKN-OVC. Flight visibility and weather (/WX) includes both flight visibility and the current flight weather phenomenon. Flight visibility is prepended with FV followed by two-digit visibility, rounded down. If visibility is reported as unrestricted, FV99SM may be used. Flight weather is reported in a similar format as in METAR. Temperature (/TA) is the air temperature in whole degrees Celsius as a two-digit value, with negative temperatures preceded by a minus (-) sign. In the United States, negative temperatures are preceded by the letter M (M). Wind velocity (/WV) must contain both the wind speed and direction. Direction is reported as a three-digit value in whole degrees true and the wind speed in knots also in three digits. Turbulence (/TB) and the intensity are reported in a PIREP based on the aircraft and occupants reaction to the turbulence. The altitude of the turbulence should be included using three-digit groups. When the top or the base of the turbulence is unknown then the abbreviation BLO (below) or ABV (above) should be used. Turbulence should be reported as LGT (light), MDT (moderate), SVR (severe) or in exceptional cases EXTRM (extreme). Clear-air turbulence is reported as CAT. Icing (/IC) is reported by type and the intensity or rate of accretion. The type of ice is reported as "CLR" (clear), "RIME", or "MXD" (mixed). The intensity is reported as "TR" (trace), "LGT" (light), "MDT" (moderate), and "SVR" (severe). (Units are measured in MSL - MEAN SEA LEVEL) Remarks (/RM) report on other weather conditions that are not covered in the rest of the PIREP may include such things as icing in precipitation, thunderstorms, St. Elmo's fire and frontal conditions. There are many other types of weather conditions that could be reported in a PIREP. In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration launched a program called SKYSPOTTER to train pilots in observing and reporting weather while in flight. Reports submitted by these pilots are annotated with /AWC at the end of the remarks section. The explanations above is mostly north American. Other countries may use other groups and measurements.

Examples of PIREPs These examples are taken from the Canadian MANOBS (Manual of Surface Weather Observations) published by Environment Canada.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Pilot report

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Pilot report claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Pilot report before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Pilot report ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Pilot report

In research: Pilot report appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Pilot report in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Pilot report is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Aviation meteorology, Aviation publications, Earth sciences data formats, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Pilot report outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Pilot report in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Pilot report means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Pilot report out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pilot report in simple terms?

A pilot report or PIREP is a report of actual flight or ground conditions encountered by an aircraft. Reports commonly include information about atmospheric conditions (like temperature, icing, turbulence) or airport conditions (like runway condition codes or ground equipment failures).

Why does Pilot report matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Pilot report?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Pilot report.