Weather for IFR

Question 1

What does a weather synopsis show?

Answer 1

The highs, lows and fronts.

Question 2

What creates most of the concerning weather for IFR?

Answer 2

Lows and fronts.

Question 3

What is the website for graphical aviation forecasts?

Answer 3

AviationWeather.gov/gf

Question 4

What does TAF stand for? What does it address?

Answer 4

Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts. Expected conditions around the airport.

Question 5

What does the forecast discussion do?

Answer 5

Adds color and comments to TAF.

Question 6

What does METAR stand for? What do they do?

Answer 6

Meteorological Aerodrome Reports. They only show current and history–what the conditions around a terminal have been in the past and are right now.

Question 7

What does a PIREP stand for? What does it do, and what are it’s limitations?

Answer 7

Pilot Reports. Age; type of aircraft.

Question 8

What does RADAR show?

Answer 8

Rain, convective, and lightening.

Question 9

What does AIRMET stand for? What does it show?

Answer 9

Airman’s Meteorological Information.

Question 10

What does SIGMET stand for, and what does it show?

Answer 10

Significant Meteorological Information. Potentially hazardous information for all aircraft: icing, turbulence, dust or sand, ash.

Convective: severe or embedded thunderstorms.

Question 11

What does winds aloft help with?

Answer 11

Altitude selection
Icing issues

Question 12

What are the Current Icing Product and Forecast Icing Product?

Answer 12

Interactive combination of icing information. Distinguish between icing severity and probability.

Question 13

What does the graphical turbulence forecast show?

Answer 13

Forecast of turbulence.

Question 14

What sort of weather raises big red flags?

Answer 14

Moisture source and unstable air.

Question 15

What are the worst sort of fronts?

Answer 15

Occluded fronts; all sorts of bad weather there.

Question 16

What does it mean if the winds aloft forecast does not match forecast?

Answer 16

Rest of forecast may not be accurate.

Question 17

What website gives briefings similar to Weather Briefings?

Answer 17

1800WxBrief.com

Question 18

What is the most hazardous effect of structural icing?

Answer 18

Aerodynamic effect–changes shape of airfoil, decreasing lift and stall speed.

Question 19

What effect on drag can structural icing cause?

Answer 19

Increase up to 100%.

Question 20

How does structural icing occur?

Answer 20

When supercooled what droplets are lifted from above freezing temps to below freezing temps. They remain liquid for a while

Question 21

Where is structural icing most likely to occur?

Answer 21

On the east and north sides of low-pressure systems; flows counterclockwise.

Mountains with perpendicular air flow.

Over the Great Lakes.

Question 22

What’s the best action when ice is encountered?

Answer 22

To turn around and return to area before ice.

Question 23

What conditions should you expect icing in?

Answer 23

Flying through visible precipitation and air temperature is between 2 and -10C.

Question 24

What three kinds of ice are there?

Answer 24

Clear, rime (milky) and mixed.

Question 25

What should you do with autopilot if you encounter ice?

Answer 25

Disengage immediately, to prevent overcompensation.

Question 26

Does snow cause structural ice?

Answer 26

No, already frozen; but freezing rain very hazardous.

Question 27

If you encounter ice, should you climb or descend to avoid?

Answer 27

Climb in freezing ice; lower you go, it gets worse.

Question 28

Are the icing rules of thumb--size of cloud, -19C--true?

Answer 28

Sometimes, but can't depend on it.

Question 29

What is roll upset and how do you recover?

Answer 29

Asymetric ice, changing angle of attack. Can put in flaps to change angle of attack.

Question 30

What is tailplane stall?

Answer 30

When icing on the stabilizer causes loss of lift.

Question 31

What is the relationship between surface temperature of airplane and speed?

Answer 31

Increases with speed.

Question 32

What does FIKI mean?

Answer 32

Flight Into Known Icing conditions; only tested as a package when all works and can't be modified.

Question 33

Where is the greatest turbulence near a thunderstorm?

Answer 33

At the edges, where inflow and outflow of air mix; on the front side and the side fed by moisture.

Question 34

How far can a gust front extend out in front of a thunderstorm?

Answer 34

Up to 15 miles.

Question 35

What is the best enroute T-storm reference?

Answer 35

Convective Sigmets.

Question 36

What are the life stages of a thunderstorm?

Answer 36

Cumulus Mature Dissipating

Question 37

How far away from thunderstorms should you stay?

Answer 37

5 miles, unless severe, then 20 miles

Question 38

Where are you most likely to find an embedded thunderstorm?

Answer 38

In warm or stationary frontal zones.

Question 39

What tool can be used to analyze future T-storm risk? How often is it updated?

Answer 39

Extended Convective Forecast Product. Updated four times daily?

Question 41

How does ECFP compare to the TFM Convective Forecast?

Answer 41

Quite different; TFM is produced by meteorolgist not model.

Question 42

What questions should you ask about the potential for T-storm development?

Answer 42

Front or low-pressure system? Surface air warm and humid? Air aloft cold and dry? Signficant wind shear with altitude? Is it the T-storm season?

Question 43

What is wind sheer?

Answer 43

Change in wind speed or direction over a short distance. First indication is change in windsheer.

Question 44

What effect does wind sheer have?

Answer 44

Change faster than the aircraft can accelerate or decelerate.

Question 45

What is a microburst?

Answer 45

Localized column of sinking air within a T-storm; causes downdraft with strong horizontal outflow.

Question 46

What is the best approach to wind shear?

Answer 46

Avoidance.

Question 47

What levels are turbulence are there?

Answer 47

Light, moderate, severe and extreme.

Question 48

What do you need to know when assessing turbulence reports?

Answer 48

Kind of aircraft; respond differently.

Question 49

Where do mountains generate most turbulence?

Answer 49

Downwind; may generate "rotor."

Question 50

How high should you fly above MEA when windy mountains?

Answer 50

4-6K feet above.

Question 51

When is the worst time to fly for turbulence?

Answer 51

Middle of the afternoon; most desert fliers schedule in morning or evening.

Question 52

What causes the most low-level turbulence?

Answer 52

Occluding front--worm front overtakes cold.

Question 53

What is the best way to fly in turbulence?

Answer 53

Wing loading and speed can help, or decreases.

Question 54

What does maneuvering speed have to do with turbulence?

Answer 54

Stood the test of time to protect in turbulence.

Question 55

What is required for moderate turbulence?

Answer 55

Definite strain against seat belt and objects dislodged.

Question 56

What does the National Weather Service use as the definition for severe turbulence?

Answer 56

10 knot wind change per 1,000 vertical feet. 40 knot wind change in 150 miles for lateral wind shifts.

Question 57

For middle altitude flying, what resources should you use?

Answer 57

500 millibar chart and Winds Aloft chart

Question 58

What is turbulence not associated with clouds called?

Answer 58

Clear air turbulence.

Question 59

What is a closed low aloft?

Answer 59

Complete counterclockwise circulation of air.

Question 60

Do you avoid the clouds by flying at middle altitudes?

Answer 60

No, in clouds about the same amount of time.

Question 61

What does a flight director do?

Answer 61

Gives pilot same information that is sent to autopilot.

Question 62

Do you need to set the direction on an HSI as you would on a traditional directional gyro?

Answer 62

No, automatically set.