Definition
A common name for the En Route Flight Advisory Service (EFAS), a dedicated radio service operated by Flight Service Stations to provide pilots in flight with timely, location-specific weather information and to collect pilot weather reports. Flight Watch was reachable on the standard frequency 122.0 MHz below 18,000 feet. The service was discontinued by the FAA in 2015, with its functions absorbed into standard Flight Service on 122.2 MHz and other published frequencies.
Plain English
A radio service pilots used to call up and get current weather for the area they were flying through, and to report what weather they were actually seeing. It is no longer a separate service, but the name still appears in older books and training material.
Context Anchor
Seen in older flight training books, weather discussions, and radio communication examples involving in-flight weather updates.
Derivation
The name pairs 'flight' with 'watch' in the sense of keeping watch — like a lookout or weather watch. It captures the idea of someone on the ground continuously monitoring weather for pilots in the air.
Why Pilots Care
Gives pilots real-time weather details that can affect route safety, altitude choices, and landing decisions.
Intuition Check
Flight Watch does not mean someone is personally tracking or supervising your flight. It was the name of a radio service pilots used to ask for weather information while airborne.
Example Sentence 1
Cruising at 6,500 feet, the pilot called Flight Watch on 122.0 to get an update on thunderstorm activity ahead.
Example Sentence 2
After checking with Flight Watch, the pilot decided to divert around reported icing conditions.