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Everyone I know knows about DUATS and Flight Service weather briefers, but you almost never hear about TWEB and TIBS. They have something to do with telephones and recorded weather information...are they the same thing?

What's the difference between TWEBs and TIBS? When is it appropriate to use each?

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  • $\begingroup$ Can you exclude me from 'everyone'? Until now, I had never heard of DUATS. Is it a FAA-land thingy? $\endgroup$ – DeltaLima Feb 2 '14 at 22:22
  • $\begingroup$ @DeltaLima DUATS is "a free FAA-sponsored service to pilots, dispatchers and others authorized by the FAA". $\endgroup$ – Lnafziger Feb 3 '14 at 1:30
  • $\begingroup$ @DeltaLima - Fixed. Thanks! $\endgroup$ – Steve V. Feb 3 '14 at 4:51
  • $\begingroup$ @SteveV. Thanks! :-) $\endgroup$ – DeltaLima Feb 3 '14 at 7:38
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NOAA has a great guide on their website called A Pilot's Guide to Aviation Weather Services which covers these (and more)! They actually describe it better than I could.

The short version though is that TIBS is a telephone weather service while TWEB is a recorded route briefing that you can listen to while airborne. Both are used for supplemental information and don't replace an official briefing.

  • TIBS Telephone Information Briefing Service
  • TWEB Transcribed Weather Enroute Broadcast
  • PATWAS Pilot's Automatic Telephone Weather Answering Service

TRANSCRIBED WEATHER BROADCASTs (TWEB) are continuous broadcasts of recorded NOTAM and weather information prepared for a 50-nautical mile wide zone along a route and for selected terminal areas. TWEBs are broadcast over selected NDB and VOR facilities and generally contain a weather synopsis, in-flight advisories, route and/or local vicinity forecasts. Winds Aloft Forecasts, current weather reports, NOTAMs, and special notices. TWEB outlets are listed below by state:

PILOT'S AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE WEATHER ANSWERING SERVICE (PATWAS), and the TELEPHONE INFORMATION BRIEFING SERVICE (TIBS), provide continuous recordings of weather and aeronautical information. The information may include area and/or route briefings, airspace procedures, and special announcements. Telephone numbers for PATWAS and TIBS locations are found in the Airport/Facility Directory.

TWEBs, PATWAS, and TIBS are for preflight or inflight planning and should not be considered a substitute for formal preflight briefings.

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