Human Systems Integration Division @ NASA Ames

Pilot weather reports (or PIREPs) are voluntary reports of actual weather conditions encountered by pilots during flight. Pilot weather reports are an ideal complement to observational and forecast weather products when they are submitted in sufficient quantity and detail. To determine the extent to which the pilot weather reporting system is being utilized, an archive containing all pilot weather reports submitted during the period 2003-2008 was analyzed to assess the volume and content of PIREPs submitted. 189 general aviation pilots were then asked to complete a survey designed to test the influence of fifteen factors hypothesized to influence the number of PIREPs that pilots submit. Correlation and regression analyses were performed on the survey responses to measure the extent to which the fifteen factors likely influenced the number of PIREPs that the surveyed pilots had submitted over the previous twelve months. The results help explain why pilots submit the number of PIREPs they do, and suggest steps that might help increase the volume of pilot-reported weather.