Great article! Personally, I always call. Even if the weather is better than I want, I still call. Maybe I’m too lazy to do it myself, but I am not a weather expert nor do I want to be. I’d rather spend the time learning other things related to aviation. Weather is a huge aspect of flying so yeah, I log in to Leidos, look for TFRs (I’m in south florida and lately, its the norm) and any other big potentials, but I want to hear of any late NOTAMS, Pireps, and any gotchas that would scrub a VFR flight. I gotta drive to the airport, and I make use of the drive by calling and so it doesnt take any time from me. Also, I’ve learned a few things in life [1] want good legal advice? Get it from an attorney and not by reading an article on attorney.com.
Also, if we all stop calling, they will reduce the number of briefers. And like all other services in the U.S. we are getting cheaper and cheaper till the internet replaces more bodies… Not to my liking, personally.