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Weather Flashcards

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1
Q

Where to get FAA weather briefing

A

Flight Service Program through Flight Service Stations-
1-800-wxbrief

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2
Q

2 main sources of weather data

A

Federal Government (FAA & National Weather Service)

Or Commercial Weather Information

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3
Q

Standard Briefing

A

Have not received a previous briefing

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4
Q

Abbreviated Briefing

A

When you need info to supplement mass disseminated date or update previous briefing

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5
Q

Outlook briefing

A

Departure 6+ hours from time of briefing

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6
Q

Inflight Briefing

A

Update preflight briefing

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7
Q

Weather Briefing Includes:

A

Adverse conditions
VFR flight not recommended
Synopsis
Current conditions
En route forecast
Destination forecast
Winds aloft
NOTAMS
ATC Delays
Addt’l info

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8
Q

FIS-B

A

Flight Information Service- Broadcast
Ground based broadcast surveillance provided through ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast)

Not good for tactical avoidance of weather (less than 3 mins), more for strategic planning 20+ mins out

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9
Q

En route Updated Weather

A

FSS 122.2 MHz
ATIS/ASOS/AWOS
Listen to Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC)
FIS-B Datalink Weather
ATC workload permitting

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10
Q

METAR

A

Aviation Routine Weather Report
hourly reported surface observation of conditions observed at airport

or

SPECI special report to update rapidly changing weather conditions or a/c mishaps or other critical info

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11
Q

Elements of METAR

A

Type of Report
ICAO station identifier
Date & Time
Modifier
Wind (3 digit direction 2 digit speed)
Vis in statute miles
Runway Visual Range
Weather phenomena
Sky condition
Temp/Dew point
Altimeter
Remarks

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12
Q

ASOS/AWOS

A

Automated Weather Observing System
Automated Surface Observing System
computer generated
transmitter to broadcast local
minute by minute weather data

AWOS 1- wind, temp, dew, altimeter, density
AWOS 2- Plus Vis
AWOS 3- plus sky condition, ceiling, precip accumulation

ASOS receivable 25NM below 10,000 feet AGL

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13
Q

PIREPs

A

Pilot Reports
conditions as they actually exist

UA Routine
UUA Urgent

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14
Q

TAFs

A

Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts (TAFs)
concise statement of expected meteorological conditions within 5 SM of center of airports runway complex

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15
Q

Aviation Area Forecast FA

A

Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, Alaska

specified enroute weather phenomena

18-24 hour period

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16
Q

GFA

A

Graphical Forecasts for Aviation
web-based graphics of observations, forecasts, and warnings 14-18 hours out
Surface-18K
Aviationweather.gov/gfa

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17
Q

GFA Forecast

A

TAF
CIG/VIS
Clouds
PCPN/WX (precip, weather)
TS
Winds
Turb
Ice

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18
Q

GFA Obs/Warn

A

METAR
PCPN/WX
CIG/VIS
PIREP
RAD/SAT

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19
Q

Inflight Aviation Weather Advisories

A

SIGMET WS
Convective SIGMET WST
AIRMET WA
CENTER WEATHER ADVISORY CWA

All reference MSL except ceilings AGL

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20
Q

Convective SIGMET WST

A

severe or greater turbulence, icing, and low level wind shear

valid 2 hours

E C or W USA

thunderstorms and surface winds += 50 kts, hail += 3/4 inch diamenter
tornadoes

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21
Q

SIGMET WS

A

potentially hazardous to all aircraft, valid 4 hours

severe icing not associated with thunderstorms, severe turbulence, dust storms, volcanic ash

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22
Q

G-Airmet

A

graphical advisory of weather that may be hazardous to aircraft but less severe than SIGMET

3 hours apart up to 12 hours

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23
Q

AIRMET WA

A

textual advisory of significant weather lower than SIGMET

Every 6 hours from 0245

use in prefligh and en route for safety

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24
Q

3 AIRMETS

A

SIERRA IFR/Mount Obsc
TANGO Mod Turbulence
ZULU Icing

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25
Winds and Temp Aloft FB
4 digit wind direction (ref true north) and speed in knots + 2 digit tempo in celcius Can use to find favorable altitude, areas of poss icing, temp invesions, turbulence
26
Center Weather Advisories
used to anticipate and avoid adverse weather valid max 2 hours
27
Convective Outlook
potential for severe and non severe convection during following 8 days Shows risk MRGL SLGT ENH MDT HIGH
28
Surface Analysis Chart
analyzed chart of surface weather observations
29
LIFR IFR MVFR VFR
LIFR ceiling less than 500 vis less 1 mi IFR 500-less than 1000 vis 1-less than 3 MVFR 1000-3000 and/or vis 3-5 miles inclusive VFR 3K+ vis 5+
30
Short-Range Prognostic Charts
forecast of surface pressure systems, fronts, and precipitation for 2 1/2 day period 12, 18, 24, 48, 60 hours
31
Low Level Significant Weather Prog Charts
forecast of aviation weather hazards primarily for guidance in preflight briefings FL 24000 and below 4 times per day 12 or 24 hour prog
32
Mid Level Significant Weather SIGWX
10K-45000 24 hours 4 times daily
33
Convective Outlook Chart
potential severe and nonsevere convection during following 8 days 1-3 days and probablistic thresholds for days 4-8
34
Constant Pressure Analysis Charts
Any surface of equal pressure in atmosphere is constant pressure surface From chart pilot can approx air temp, wind, temp dew point spread along route. depicts highs, lows, troughs, ridges aloft twice daily 00z and 12z 850mb 5K ft 700mb 10K ft 500mb 18K ft 300mb 30K ft 200mb 39k ft
35
Freezing level graphics chart
assess lowest freezing level heights colors in height of hundreds of ft initial and 3 hour forecasts updated hourly 6 9 12 updated every 3 hours
36
Earths Atmosphere
Nitrogen, Oxygen, Argon, and Carbon Dioxide make up 99.998% of all gases
37
Most of earths weather in
Trophosphere Surfact to 36K ft
38
Standard air temp and pressure lapse
Standard lapse temp decreases 3.5f 2c per 1K ft Standard pressure lapse decreases 1 inHg per 1K ft altitude gain to 10K
39
Stable vs Unstable Atmosphere
Stable= vertical movement difficult Unstable= small vertical air movements larger, turbulent airflow, convective activity
40
Determining stability of atmosphere
Unstable- Temp decreases uniformly and rapidly (3C per 1K) Stable- temp unchanged or decreases slightly air near surface warm & moist suspect instability
41
Stable Clouds, Turb, Precip, Vis
Stratiform, Smooth, Steady, Fair to poor
42
unstable Clouds, Turb, Precip, Vis
Cumuliform, Rough, Showery, Good
43
Wind causes and forces
diff in air density caused by changes in temp = change in pressure = motion in atmosphere Pressure Gradient Force Coriolis Force Friction
44
Isobars
connects areas of equal or constant barometric pressure
45
Pressure Gradient Force PGF
PGF makes wind blow in an attempt to equalize pressure differences
46
Isobars close together on surface weather chart
close- steep pressure gradient, high wind not close- shallow, winds slower
47
Coriolis Force
Deflects winds to right in Northern Hemisphere, left southern at a right angle to wind direction and proportional to wind speed
48
Wind sheer
sudden, drastic change in wind speed and/or direction over small area, measured vertical or horizontal at any altitude Can determine from Terminal Forecasts, METARs, SIGMETS, LLWAS, PIREPs
49
Lenticular Clouds
Mountain Waves, stable air flow passes over mountain or ridge
50
Moisture dependent on
Temp, every 20F doubles amount of moisture air can hold
51
Relative Humidity & Dew Point
Rel Humidity- ratio of water vapor actually in air parcel compared to amount parcel could hold at particular temp and pressure Dew point- temp an air parcel must be cooled at constant pressure and constant water pressure to allow water vapor in parcel to condense into water (dew)
52
3 ingredients for precip
water vapor, sufficient lift, growth
53
Flow of Air Low pressure & High pressure
Low: inward, upward, counterclock High: outword, downward, clockwise
54
low pressure characterizations
rising air, cloudiness, precipitation, bad weather high pressure- descending air (dissipation of clouds, good weather)
55
Fronts
Cold- cold, dense, stable air replaces warm Occluded- fast-moving cold catches up with slow-moving warm Warm- warm air contacts and flows over cold Stationary- two air masses relatively equal
56
Cold Front Weather
towering cumulus, cumulonimbus, heavy rain, tornadoes, poor vis, winds variable and gusting
57
Warm Front Weather
Stratiform clouds, drizzle, low ceilings, poor vis, variable winds, rise in temp
58
Trough
elongated area of relatively low atmospheric pressure a low or trough is an area of rising air conducive to cloudiness and precip low pressure- bad weather
59
ridge
elongated area of relatively high atmospheric pressure descending air favors dissipation of clouds high pressure- good weather
60
Cloud
minute water droplets and/or ice particles, clouds form as a result of condensation of water vapor in rising currents of air or by evaporation of lowest layer of fog
61
what determines type and vertical extent of clouds
stability of atmosphere
62
four basic cloud forms
Cirriform- high level, 20K+, ice crystals, thin & white Nimbo-form- 7K-15K steady precip Cumuliform- more humid the lower the cloud base & can reach over 60K Stratiform- featureless lower layer, blanket entire sky, few hundred feet above ground
63
Cause of Turbulence
Convective Currents Obstructions in wind flow Wind Sheer
64
Clear Air Turbulence CAT
Sudden severe turbulence in cloudless region normally between core of a jet stream and surrounding air 15K+
65
Life cycle of thunderstorm
Cumulus- strong updraft Mature- precip begins to fall Dissipating- downdrafts, dissipating stage and storm dies rapidly
66
Thunderstorm types
Single Cell- One cell, easily circumnavigated unless night or within other clouds (rare) Multi Cell- cluster of cells at different stages, several hours or more Supercell- single, quasirotating updraft that persists for extended period of time
67
Microbursts
small-scall, intense downdrafts. on surface spread outward in all directions, extremely hazardous to all aircrafts can be found anywhere with convective activity
68
Types of icing
Structural, Induction System, Instrument Icing
69
Structural Icing
Clear Icing- glaze ice, usually warmer temps, larger droplets less frozen parts Rime Icing- rough, milky, frequent, colder temps, small droplets Mixed Icing- clear & rime
70
Freezing level
lowest altitude in atmosphere at which the air temp reaches 0 celcius
71
What to do if icing
immediately leave area of precipitation and go to an altitude where temp is above freezing, immediately land at nearest suitable airport if no deicing equipment
72
Temperature Inversion
increase in temp with height. permits warm rain to fall through cold air below. ground based inversion favors poor vis and traps fog, smoke, stable air with little or no turbulence
73
Fog
forms when the temp and dewpoint of air become identical or nearly so
74
Radiation Fog
clear skies, little no wind, small temp-dew point. Exclusively at night or near daybreak
75
Advection Fog
moist air moves over colder ground or water, most common in coastal areas, with winds or cloudy skies any time of day or night
76
Upslope Fog
Moist, stable air being cooled adiabatically as it moves up sloping terrain
77
Frontal Fog (Precipitation-induced)
Warm, moist air lifted over a front, clouds, and precip may form. if cold air below or near dew point evap may saturate cold air and form fog
78
Steam Fog
when very cold air moves across relatively warm water enough moisture may evaporate from water surface to produce saturation
79
Freezing fog
Occurs when temp is below 0 C 32 F, tiny supercooled liquid water droplets can freeze instantly on exposed surfaces
80
Frost
ice crystal deposits formed by sublimation when temp and dewpoint are below freezing does not change basic aerodynamic shape of wing BUT the roughness of its surface spoils smooth flow of air which slows air flow. could prevent aircraft from becoming airborne at normal takeoff speed. moderate gusts and turning could produce incipient or complete stall.
81
HIWAS
High Inflight Weather Advisory System VOR with H on chart can broadcast hazardous weather en route

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