AOPA Air Safety Institute Accident Case Study Trapped in Ice details two fatal flights that occurred just three days apart in the spring of 2018. In each case, the pilots of a Beechcraft G36 and a Cirrus SR22 continued flight in icing conditions, lost control of their aircraft, and impacted terrain. Failure to obtain an " official weather briefing " and failure to " obtain an updated briefing " were cited as probable causes for the accidents respectively. While there really is no " official weather briefing, " a preflight briefing should include all six areas listed above. When I ask candidates why they don't secure a standard briefing for their practical exam, some confess they have never done so before because the idea of calling a briefer makes them nervous. With today's digital tools, that may not even be necessary. You can create an account on 1800wxbrief. com and use the interactive flight planning tool. I typically use the briefing tool in ForeFlight that includes all six items of a standard briefing. (Garmin Pilot users have a similar tool available as well.) Some days the go/no-go decision is an easy one and I stop there. If I am at all on the fence about it, I phone 1-800-WXBRIEF to chat with a briefer. Referencing my EFB standard briefing during the call saves me from furiously copying down the information I receive and having paged through the briefing beforehand allows me to ask better questions. After all the briefer knows more about weather than I ever will and on many occasions has suggested alterations to my route that alleviate the concerns that originally gave me pause. Whether you fly family and friends purely for pleasure or you've made aviation your career, your passengers as well as the FAA expect you to do your due diligence in the flight planning process. Obtaining a proper preflight briefing is not just for practical exams- it's part of the professionalism we need to exhibit for every flight. Catherine Cavagnaro is an aerobatics instructor and professor of mathematics at Sewanee: The University of the South. aceaerobaticschool.com AOPA PILOT / October 2021 95http://www.aerospacereports.com http://www.aerospacereports.com http://www.aerospacereports.com http://vrefpub.com http://www.aceaerobaticschool.com