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http://www.msc-smc.ec.gc.ca/education/aware/chapter_18_e.cfm

PILOT REPORT – PIREP

Introduction

PIREPs are reports of observations made by pilots in flight. Such observations are crucial for other pilots, navigators, air traffic controllers and meteorologists preparing forecasts, as well as for the computer network which automatically generates some forecasts.

Regardless of the weather, every pilot should produce a PIREP every time he gives his position, in addition to producing them systematically whenever an expected or unexpected phenomenon occurs.

PIREPs received by flight information service points are immediately transmitted to other points and to all weather offices.

Format

The outlook of the PIREP is as follows:

  • heading

  • position

  • altitude

  • type of aircraft

  • sky condition

  • temperature

  • wind speed

  • turbulence

  • icing

  • remarks

The general format of a PIREP is shown below. The length of the report may vary where elements are omitted.

(U) UA/OV

NAVAID (*3) Direction (*3) Distance (*3) Time (UTC) (*4)

FL

Altitude (*3)

/TP

Type of aircraft (*3 or *4)

/SK

Base (*3) Extent (*3) Top (*3)

/TA

Temperature in degrees Celsius [ºC] (*2 or *3)

/WV

Direction (3) Speed (*3)

/TB

Intensity (3) Intensity (*3 or *4) CAT only Altitude (*3) Altitude (*3)

/IC

Intensity (*2 or *3) Intensity (*2 or *3) Type (*3 or *4) Altitude (*3) Altitude (*3)

/RM

Remarks

Notes:

  • The elements for which no data are reported are omitted.

  • All codes, with the exception of FL (flight level) are always preceded by a space and an oblique line, and followed by another space.

  • FL is always preceded by a space only, and followed immediately by the flight level or altitude (3 digits).

  • If turbulence and/or icing is reported at the same altitude as that given for the aircraft's location, no altitude is shown after /TB and/or /IC. A single altitude can be indicated, or a layer can be defined by giving the altitude of both the base and the top.

Codes

The codes used in PIREPs are as follows:

UA

Identifies the message as a PIREP.

UUA

Identifies the message as an urgent PIREP and tells the computer to give the message a higher priority for distribution.

/OV

Data on the location to follow.

FL

Flight level or altitude. The unit used by pilots in North America is the foot. If the flight level is unknown, UNK may be indicated.

/SK

Sky conditions. Several layers may be indicated, separated by oblique line.

/TA

Ambient temperature in degrees Celsius.

/TP

Type of aircraft. If the type is unknown UNK may be indicated.

/WV

Wind velocity.

/TB

Turbulence.

/IC

Icing.

/RM

Remarks.

Dashes are used to show variations in the intensity, the upper and lower limits of a layer, and the two ends of a route segment. A dash is also used to indicate negative temperatures.

When the number of digits is less than the number required, the data will be preceded by one or more zeros. A message on the position of an aircraft at "45 miles from London VOR, heading 005º, at 0030 Z, at 5000 ft" would be coded: /OV YXU 005045 0030 FL050.

Heading

Each PIREP or groups of PIREPs distributed over telecommunications networks must include:

  • an identification code for the type of message

  • a 4-letter circuit code

  • a 6-digit date/time group (the 4 final digits giving the UTC time).

The usual message type code is UACN10. Urgent PIREPs, however, are transmitted with the code UACN01. Two examples are shown below:

  • Normal PIREP: UACN10 CYUL 020922

  • Urgent PIREP: UACN01 CYYZ 232037

Urgent PIREPs

An urgent PIREP must be transmitted when a pilot reports dangerous or potentially dangerous flight conditions.

Each of the following weather conditions reported by a pilot is sufficient cause for transmitting an urgent PIREP.

  • tornado, funnel cloud, waterspout

  • severe or violent turbulence

  • severe icing

  • hail

  • low level wind shear (less than 2,000 ft from ground level)

Examples

  • UACN10 CYYZ 131348

    UA/OV VQC 045043 1342 FL090 /TP BE80 /SK OVC 075 /TA-18 /IC LGT RIME BLO 075 /RM WIND COMP HEAD 010 MH 065 TAS 210

    Meaning:
    Location: Stirling VORTAC, direction 045º, 43 nautical miles, 1342Z at 9,000 ft
    Type: Beech Queen Air
    Sky conditions: overcast, top at 7,500 ft
    Air temperature: minus 18ºC
    Icing: light rime below 7,500 ft
    Remarks: head wind component 10 kt, magnetic heading 065; true airspeed: 210 kt

    Note: If the pilot is unable to determine the precise wind direction or velocity, the wind components on a specific part of the flight may be reported in the remarks section. In such cases, the wind component is coded WIND COMP, followed by a space and the qualifier HEAD or TAIL.

  • UACN10 CYEG 070122 UA/OV YNY-YRM 0116 FL270 /TP DC8 /SK 180 BKN 230 /TA -36 /WV 280045 /TB LGT CAT ABV 250

    Meaning:
    Location: Enderby to Rocky Mountain House, 0116 Z, at 27,000 ft
    Type: DC-8
    Sky conditions: Cloud base 18,000 ft, broken, top 23,000 ft
    Air temperature: minus 36ºC
    Wind: 280º at 45 kt
    Turbulence: Light CAT above 25,000 ft

  • UACN01 CYYZ 072137 UUA/OV YXU 099015 2133 FL040 /TP CV64 /SK 005 OVC /TB MDT-SVR ABV 050 /RM TORNADO TOUCHING SURFACE 8 N

    Meaning:
    Location: London VORTAC, heading 099º, 15 nautical miles, at 2133Z, at 40,000 ft
    Type: Convair 640
    Sky conditions: Cloud base at 500 ft, overcast
    Turbulence: Moderate to severe at 5,000 ft
    Remarks: Tornado touching the surface at 8 nautical miles north

Examples of Coded Elements

  • Location, including the time and flight level

    • /OV YQT 115055 0040 FL090

    • /OV YEG-YYC 2125 FL230

  • Type of aircraft

    • TP DH6 DeHavilland Twin Otter

    • /TP L101 Lockheed Tri-Star (1011)

  • Sky conditions

    • /SK 045 SCT Scattered cloud, based at 4,500 ft

    • /SK BKN 074 Broken layer topped at 7,400 ft

    • /SK 160 OVC 240 Overcast, layer based at 16,000 ft, topped at 24,000 ft. When a number of layers are reported, they are separated by an oblique line; eg, /SK 120 SCT 140/180 BKN 210

  • Air temperature (amended)

    • /TA 04 Temperature is 4ºC

    • /TA -35 Temperature minus 35ºC

  • Wind velocity

    • /WV 005110: wind is 5º true at 110 kt

    • /WV 310010: wind is 310º true at 10 kt

  • Turbulence

    • /TB MD moderate turbulence at flight level

    • /TB LGT-MDT BLO 050 light to moderate turbulence below 5,000 ft

    • /TB LGT-MDT CAT 230-270 light to moderate clear-air turbulence between flight levels 23,000 and 27,000 ft

Note: A dash is used (without spaces) to separate intensity symbols when describing variations in intensity. Similarly, when describing a layer, a dash is placed between the 2 flight levels representing the top and base of the layer.

  • Icing

    • /IC TR RIME BLO 040 /MDT CLR 100-140 trace rime icing below 4,000 ft; moderate clear icing between 10,000 and 14,000 ft

Note: Oblique lines are used to separate layers of icing.