What is a PIREP?
PIREPs, also know as pilot reports are one of the most forgotten basic weather observations around.
Pilots are one of the best sources and can provide the only real time source of upper altitude weather observations during flight.
Decoding a PIREP:
All PIREP require current data as follows:
UA – Routine, UUA – Urgent
/OV – location of the PIREP, using a 3-letter NAVAID identifier (/OV LGB – over Long Beach VOR)
/TM – Time the PIREP was received from the pilot
/FL – Flight Level or altitude during the report in hundreds of feet.
/TP – Type aircraft, using a 4-digit identifier (C172, PA28, B737, A320, UNKN = Unknown)
Optional Information on a PIREP report:
/SK – Cloud cover: are in MSL (measured sea level)
Height of cloud base
Height of cloud tops
Separate cloud layers use (/) – SK 005 BKN / SK 012 OVC
UNKN –unknown
/WX - Weather or flight visibility
/TA – Air temperature in Celsius (TA15 (15⁰C), TA -06 (minus 6⁰C))
/WV – Wind direction and velocity, in a six digit format – WV 280110
/TB – Turbulence
/IC – Icing - /IC LGT RIME (icing light rime ice)
/RM – Remarks
Example:
UA /OV BYP /TM 1339 /FL165 /TP LJ40 /RM MOD TURB DURD DFT ASCTD WITH WNDSHFT AWC-WEB
This PIREP is a Routine (UA) Upper Air observation. The aircraft that is reporting this PIREP is over the BYP VOR station, northeast of DFW international airport (OV BYP) at 1339 Zulu. The aircraft was flying at an altitude of 16,500 feet (FL165) and the aircraft type is a Lear Jet 40 (TP LJ40). Addition information about the pilots’ observation is in the remarks section, which says; moderate turbulence with drifting dust (DURD), accelerated with wind shift. This aircraft is a “SKYSPOTTER” (AWC-WEB).
Learning to read PIREPs can be difficult, but pilots must learn it.
Remember, giving a PIREP to Flight Service is much appreciated and they are more than happy to talk.
AIREP
An AIREP (Air Report) is an automated report of the current in-flight weather conditions, generated by the onboard computer systems. Whereas, a PIREP is a report given by a pilot visually, both are transmitted in real-time via the radio to ground stations. The information in an AIREP is the same as a PIREP, except that an AIREP uses latitude and longitude for location, unlike a PIREP which is based on location by a NAVAID or VOR station. AIREP’s are more common over the ocean where there are no weather forecasting or observation stations.
Decoding an AIREP:
ARP ASA889 3500N 14221W 1900 F340 M54 172/013
ARP – Is the abbreviation for AIREP
ASA889 – Is the flight number that gave the AIREP, Alaska Airlines 889
3500N – 35⁰00’ North latitude
14221W – 142⁰21’ West longitude
1900 – The time the report was given
F340 – Flight level 340 or 34,000 feet
M54 – the temperature is minus 54⁰C
172/013 – the wind direction and speed, 172 at 13kts
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