Service outlets are government or private facilities that provide aviation weather services. Several different government agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the National Weather Service (NWS) work in conjunction with private aviation companies to provide different means of accessing weather information.
FAA FLIGHT SERVICE STATION
The FAA Flight Service Station (FSS) is the primary source for preflight weather information. A preflight weather briefing from an automated FSS (AFSS) can be obtained 24 hours a day by calling 1-800-WX BRIEF almost anywhere in the U.S. In areas not served by an AFSS, National Weather Service facilities may provide pilot weather briefings. Telephone numbers for NWS facilities and additional numbers for FSSs/AFSSs can be found in the Airport/Facility Directory (A/FD) or in the U.S. Government section of the telephone book.
Flight Service Stations also provide in-flight weather briefing services, as well as scheduled and unscheduled weather broadcasts. An FSS may also furnish weather advisories to flights within the FSS region of authority.
TRANSCRIBED INFORMATION BRIEFING SERVICE (TIBS)
The Transcribed Information Briefing Service (TIBS) is a service, which is prepared and disseminated by selected Automated Flight Service Stations. It provides continuous telephone recordings of meteorological and aeronautical information. Specifically, TIBS provides area and route briefings, airspace procedures, and special announcements. It is designed to be a preliminary briefing tool and is not intended to replace a standard briefing from an FSS specialist.
The TIBS service is available 24 hours a day and is updated when conditions change, but it can only be accessed by a TOUCH-TONE. phone. The phone numbers for the TIBS service are listed in the A/FD.
DIRECT USER ACCESS TERMINAL SERVICE (DUATS)
The Direct User Access Terminal Service, which is funded by the FAA, allows any pilot with a current medical certificate to access weather information and file a flight plan via computer. Two methods of access are available to connect with DUATS. The first is on the Internet through DynCorp at http://www.duats.com or Data Transformation Corporation at http://www.duat.com. The second method requires a modem and a communications program supplied by a DUATS provider. To access the weather information and file a flight plan by this method, pilots use a toll free telephone number to connect the user's computer directly to the DUATS computer.
ENROUTE FLIGHT ADVISORY SERVICE
A service specifically designed to provide timely en-route weather information upon pilot request is known as the en-route flight advisory service (EFAS), or Flight Watch. EFAS provides a pilot with weather advisories tailored to the type of flight, route, and cruising altitude. EFAS can be one of the best sources for current weather information along the route of flight.
A pilot can usually contact an EFAS specialist from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. anywhere in the conterminous U.S. and Puerto Rico. The common EFAS frequency, 122.0 MHz, is established for pilots of aircraft flying between 5,000 feet AGL and 17,500 feet MSL.
HAZARDOUS IN-FLIGHT WEATHER ADVISORY (HIWAS)
HIWAS is a national program for broadcasting hazardous weather information continuously over selected navaids. The broadcasts include advisories such as AIRMETS, SIGMETS, convective SIGMETS, and urgent PIREPs. These broadcasts are only a summary of the information, and pilots should contact an FSS or EFAS for detailed information. Navaids that have HIWAS capability are depicted on sectional charts with an "H" in the upper right corner of the identification box.
TRANSCRIBED WEATHER BROADCAST (TWEB)
A transcribed weather broadcast is a weather report transmitted continuously over selected navaids. On a sectional chart, a "T" in the upper right-hand corner of the navaid box indicates TWEB availability. TWEB weather usually consists of route-orientated data including route forecasts, forecast outlook, winds aloft, and other selected weather reports for an area within 50 nautical miles (NM) of the FSS or for a 50-mile wide corridor along a specific route. A TWEB forecast is valid for 12 hours and is updated four times a day.
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