Weather

Question 1

What are the two most common means of obtaining a weather briefing?

Answer 1

Foreflight

FSS 1-800-WXBRIEF

Question 2

What are standard, abbreviated, and outlook briefings?

Answer 2

Standard-full flight planning
Abbreviated-supplementing a previous standard briefing
Outlook-6+ hours before departure

Question 3

What is HIWAS, and where can it be obtained?

Answer 3

Hazardous Inflight Weather Advisory Service
Warnings, AIRMETS, SIGMETS, urgent PIREPs
Broadcast on NAVAIDS with “H” in upper right corner of identification box

Question 4

What is ATIS?

Answer 4

Automated Terminal Information Service
Broadcast on discrete VHF frequencies at high-volume, towered airports
Contains weather and operational information

Question 5

What is a METAR, and what does it contain?

Answer 5

Aviation routine weather report
Airport, date/time issued, wind direction/velocity, surface visibility, weather phenomena, sky condition (ceiling), temperature/dewpoint, altimeter setting, remarks

Question 6

What are AWOS, and ASOS/AWSS?

Answer 6

Automated Weather Observing System
Automated Surface Observing System/Automated Weather Sensing System (contain information necessary for generating METARS)

Question 7

What are PIREPs?

Answer 7

Pilot reports
UA=routine, UUA=urgent
Contain at least one weather phenomenon observed at a specific altitude

Question 8

What is a TAF, and what does it contain?

Answer 8

Terminal Aerodrome Forecast
Valid for 24-30 hours
Type of report, airport, date/time issued, valid period date/time, forecasts

Question 9

What is an Aviation Area Forecast (FA)?

Answer 9

VMS, clouds, and general flight conditions for a large area

Issued 3 times per day

Question 10

What is a Convective SIGMET?

Answer 10

Severe thunderstorms (50+kt surface winds, hail 3/4+”, tornadoes)
Embedded thunderstorms
Squall line thunderstorms
Heavy-intensity precipitation thunderstorms

Question 11

What is a SIGMET?

Answer 11

Advisory of non-convective weather hazardous to all aircraft
Severe icing (not associated with a thunderstorm)
Severe, extreme, or clear-air turbulence
Duststorms, sandstorms
Volcanic ash

Question 12

What is an AIRMET, and what are the 3 types of AIRMETs?

Answer 12

Advisory of weather phenomena significant to smaller aircraft
Sierra-IFR/mountain obscuration
Tango-turbulence/wind shear
Zulu-icing/freezing levels

Question 13

What valuable information can be determined from a Winds and Temperatures Aloft forecast?

Answer 13

Most favorable altitude (tailwind)
Areas of possible icing (+2C to -20C)
Temperature inversions
Turbulence (abrupt changes in wind direction or speed)

Question 14

What is a Convective Outlook (AC)?

Answer 14

Narrative/graphical forecast

Tornadoes, 50+kt wind gusts, 1+” hail

Question 15

What is a surface analysis chart?

Answer 15

Updated every 3 hours
Can provide locations of fronts
Overview of winds, temperatures, dewpoints

Question 16

What is a radar summary chart?

Answer 16

Graphical display of collection of radar weather reports
Updated hourly
Displays precipitation and cell movement

Question 17

What are air mass thunderstorms?

Answer 17

Result from surface heating (afternoon) and unstable air

Usually 1-2 hours duration

Question 18

What are steady-state thunderstorms?

Answer 18

Form in lines
Heavy rain, possibly hail, strong gusty winds, possibly tornadoes
Associated with weather systems and fronts

Question 19

What procedures should be followed in avoiding turbulence from thunderstorms?

Answer 19

Don’t takeoff or land in the face of an approaching storm
Don’t attempt to fly under the storm
Don’t fly into clouds with embedded storms without radar
Avoid severe thunderstorms by at least 20 miles
Clear the top of a thunderstorm by at least 1000’ per 10kts wind speed

Question 20

What is a microburst?

Answer 20

Small-scale, intense downdrafts, which spread out at the surface
Less than 1 mile diameter, can extend 2.5 miles at the base
Downdrafts as strong as 6000’/minute, 45kt surface winds, 90kt wind shear
Seldom longer than 15 minutes

Question 21

What is wind shear, and where is it likely to occur?

Answer 21

Significant change in wind direction and/or velocity
Can occur anywhere, but likely with low level temperature inversion, frontal zone or thunderstorm, or clear air turbulence associated with jet stream

Question 22

What meteorological information should you be familiar with respect to determining if icing is possible?

Answer 22

Location, type, speed, and direction of movement of fronts
Cloud layers, bases and tops
Freezing levels
Air temperatures and pressures (lows)

Question 23

What is the freezing level, and how can you determine where that level is?

Answer 23

Lowest altitude at which air temperature is 0*C
Winds/temps aloft, PIREPs, AIRMETs/SIGMETs, surface analysis charts, low-level significant weather charts can all help determine freezing level