Task C Weather information

Sources of weather data (e.g., National Weather Service, Flight Service) for flight planning purposes. CA.I.C.K1

Personally I use AWC for all of my weather inquiries. Sources of weather are: a. Aviation Digital Data Service (ADDS) b. Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) c. Automated Terminal Information Service (ATIS) d. Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) e. Center Weather Advisory (CWA) f. Flight Service Station (FSS) g. Low Level Wind Shear Alert System (LLWAS) h. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) i. National Weather Service (NWS)

Flight deck displays of digital weather and aeronautical information. (CA.I.C.K4)

91.225: All aircraft will require ADS-B out ADS-B out a. Periodically broadcast the aircraft's 3d 1. Position 2. Direction 3. Speed ADS-B in a. Depicts the position and velocity of other traffic within ones cockpit. TIS-B a. display of traffic b. Aids in collision avoidance c. Should never be used as primary means of collision avoidance. d. Can receive temporary target of themselves, when maundering. FIS a. Provides metalogical and aeronautical information

CA.I.C.K2 AIRMET, SIGMENT, Convective SIGMET

AIRMET, description of current or forecasted weather affecting safe operation of aircraft, which are less significant than SIGMENT. a. Issued 4 times daily, valid for 6 hours 1. 0245z 2. 0845z 3. 1445z 4. 2045z 5. As necessary b. Sierra AIRMET 1. Mountain Obstruction 2. Celling less than 1000' AGL 3. Visibility less than 3sm c. Tango AIRMET 1. Moderate Turbulence 2. SFC winds more than 30kts & non-convective LLWS Zulu AIRMET 1. Moderate icing & Freezing levels SIGMET, contain significant weather phenomena affecting all aircraft. a. Issued for: 1. Severe Turbulence 2. Severe Icing 3. Dust/Sandstorms 4. Volcanic Ash b. Valid for 4 hours or as necessary Convective SIGMET, relate to thunderstorms. a. Issued every hour, 55 minutes past the hour b. If no connective SIGMET activity, "CONVECTIVE SIGMET... NONE". c. Remain valid for 2 hours or until superseded d. Issued for; 1. Thunderstorms, affecting 40% or more of an area at least 3,000 square miles. 2. Embedded or severe thunderstorms last longer than 30 minutes 3. Tornadoes 4. Surface winds greater than 50kt 5. Hail 3/4th inch 6. Line of thunderstorms

Weather system formation, including air masses and fronts. (CA.I.C.K3e)

Artic - Cold air formed over large bodies of ice or snow, typically at the poles Polar Cool air from the upper Latitudes Tropical - Warm air from lower latitudes and equatorial region By moisture content Continental - Formed over land Martine - Formed over water Zone between two airmasses is called a Front Wind direction, speed, or both may change rapidly through a front. Wind sheer might occur. Easy thing to see is temperature change. Also be aware pressure change. Cold front leading edge of cold air mass if encounter a war air mass the cold front will over take warm air mass. Warm front leading edge of warm air mass Warm front typically move half the speed of cold front Stationary Front: occurs when neither of two advancing air masses replace each other. Occluded Front: Faster Cold Front overtakes slower Warm front Squall line: Narrow band of fully developed thunderstorms Dry Line: Low level boundary separating moist from dry air

METAR CA.I.C.K2

Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR): Provides surface observation for aviation purposes, in the terminal area (10NM) Automated: a. Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) b. Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) Manual a. Automated Terminal Information System (ATIS) Continuous broadcast of recorded non-control information in selected high activity terminal areas in order to improve controller effectiveness and to relieve frequency congestion Winds are True Clouds AGL

Wind (e.g., crosswind, tailwind, windshear, mountain wave, etc.) (CA.I.C.K3b)

Earths uneven heating of leads to changes in pressure, with an increase in temperature creating lower pressure. Convection is the upward movement of warm air as colder air sinks Horizontal convection is wind High Pressure Seeks low pressure Pressure Gradient Force travels perpendicular across isobars to high to low pressure areas. Coriolis northern right southern left stronger closer to poles Friction reduces to forces of Coriolis, ex forest. does not degrease PGF Winds near low pressure blow ccw and up while high blow cw and down. Low pressure associated with updrafts, cloudiness and precipitation. High pressure have opposite effect 3 factors affect wind 1. Pressure Gradient Force 2. Coriolis Force 3. Friction Jet stream: Narrow band of strong winds blasting through the atmosphere near the tropopause Valley winds: Cold air falls in valley and pushes warm air up the slopes Mountain Wind: Opposite of valley wind. Cold air falls down the mountainside Katabatic Wind: Describes any wind blowing down an incline when the incline is influential in carry that wind. Land Breeze: Night, cool air from land goes to the warmer water Sea Breeze: During the day, cooler air from the sea seeks the warmer land. Wind Shear: Air currents of differing velocities create friction or shear between them. Inside the shear is a zone of eddies and whirls.

Moisture/precipitation (CA.I.C.K3d)

Evaporate turns into Vapor Humidity Moisture in the air Relative Humidity: Saturation level of air, expressed as a percent Dew Point: The temperature at which air would become 100% saturated by the moisture already present. Temperature-Dew Point Spread: If spread is 0C then relative Humidity is 100, typical surface spread less than 5 is foggy. If rain is present in an area one would assume the clouds are at least 4 thousand feet thick, due to it requiring 4000ft for precipitations. Condensation Nuclei: Particles that may cause condensation or sublimation while less than but near 100 Humidity. Super cool water: Unfrozen water at temperature below zero. Typically found between 0 and -15 C

Fog/mist (CA.I.C.K3j)

Fog 1. Surface based cloud composed of water or ice. 2. Hazard when taking off or landing or maintain visual reference to gourd. 3. Formed by either air cooling to its dew point or moisture being added to air near ground. Types of Fog a. P - Precipitation 1. Warmer precipitation falls through colder air, saturating the air as it evaporates 2. Expected where a temperature inversion and precipitation coexist. b. A - Advection 1. As moist air moves over colder ground or water. 2. Deepens with up to 15 kts the wind stirs the air, and the air cools to dew point faster. 3. Above 15 kts the fog is lifted 4. Encountered in coastal areas or deep continental areas c. I - ICE 1. Composed of ice crystals 2. Found in areas below -40c d. R - Radiation 1. Forms when clear nights, no wind, and small dew point spread, over land. 2. Terrestrial radiation from cooling ground cools air above it. Causing temp/ dew point spread to decrease. 3. Dissipates as sunrises e. U - Upslope 1. Forms as moist, stable air is pushed up sloping terrain. 2. Cools adiabatically to the dew point. 3. once upslope winds dissipate, the fog does too. f. S - Steam 1. Forms when cold air mass moves across warm water. 2. Observed over lakes and streams on cold mornings or cold air moves over warmer water.

Low-Level Significant WX Prognostic Chart CA.I.C.K2

Graphical Pre-Flight planning tool a. Depicts 1. Weather category 2.Turbulence 3. Freezing Levels b. Altitudes from SFC to FL 240 c. 12 or 24 hour forecast d. Charts show 1. IFR (Red) 2. Marginal VFR (Blue) 3. VFR 4. Turbulence (Orange dashed), one chevron moderate, two severe, three extreme and is depicted in MSL. 5. Freezing levels, blue saw teeth surface, dashed above sea level.

Obstructions to visibility (e.g., smoke, haze, volcanic ash, etc.) (CA.I.C.K3l)

Haze 1. Concentration of dry material particles, not classified as dust, suspended in stable air. 2. Definitive top, above is good visibility Mist 1. Intermediate point between haze and fog Smoke 1. Occurs in industrial areas, typically at night or early morning under a temperature inversion

Icing and freezing level information (CA.I.C.K3i)

Icing a. Hazards 1. Increasing weight and drag, while increasing lift and thrust. 2. Erroneous instrument reading 3. Decreased engine performance 4. Loss of operation of control surfaces, landing gear, or breaks b. Occurs 1. All clouds have potential to cause icing 2. Expect heaviest icing just above freezing levels 3. Higher altitude have already formed water so typically less icing will occur at higher altitudes. Types of icing a. Induction Icing 1. Ice accumulation blocking air from reaching the engine. Its occurs when ice collects and blocks air filter, or carburetor icing. b. Instrument Icing 1. Pitot tube or static source blockage 2. Enormous reading of Airspeed indicator, Altimeter, and VSI c. Structural Icing 1. Visible moisture and the point where moisture strikes aircraft is at or below 0C 2. Almost all structural icing occurs between 0 and -20C Types of Structural Icing a. Clear 1. After impact the droplet continues to spread then freeze slowly, smooth sheets of hard, heavy, and tough ice. 2. Forms horns near tops and bottom of leading edges, greatly disrupting airflow. b. Rime 1. Droplets freeze rapidly 2. White, opaque appearance 3. Rough surface which reduces aerodynamic efficiently c. Mix 1. occur when Drops vary in size or when snow/ice particles mixed with liquid drops 2. rough and heavy accumulation. Super-cooled water droplets- rain drops below 0C that remain unfrozen. 1. May increase the rate of structural icing 2. Freeze upon impact 3. Commonly encountered in temperature inversion, or moist air is blown upslope.

Clouds (CA.I.C.K3f)

Low Clouds: Status, are considered clouds from surface to 6,500'. a. Nimbostratus, can cause widespread rain, or snow, and is typically thick. b. Stratocumulus, white puffy clouds that form as stable air is lifted, don't typically rain. The characteristics of stratus clouds are: 1. Layered 2. Form in stable air 3. Restricted visibility Medium Clouds: Alto, are considered clouds from 6,500-25,000'. Contains water, ice, or super cooled water. You can encounter turbulence and potential severe icing. a. Altostratus, flat dense cloud that covers wide area, minimal turbulence. b. Altocumulus form when altostratus clouds break up, light turbulence. High Clouds: Cirrus clouds raging from 20,000-50,000' Cirrus: 20,000 Cirrostratus: Form long bands or sheets. Cirrocumulus: Looks like cotton, light turbulence Cloud is visible gathering of water or ice A cloud touching the surface is classified as fog Normally air must become completely saturated for clouds to form. 1. Cooling temperature 2. Increasing Dew Point 3. Both Most often cooling temperature is the culprit 1. Stagnant overlying a cooling surface 2. Air being pushed over a cooler surface 3. Adiabatic cooling divided by family a. High 1. altitude prefix cirro 2. made almost entirely of ice 3. 10000-60000ft based on region 4. Includes Cirrus, Cirrocumulus, and Cirrostratus Clouds b. Middle 1. altitude prefix Alto 2. Made Primarily of water 3. 6500-25000ft based on region 4. Altocumulus, Altostratus, and Altonimbus Clouds c. Low 1. Altitude prefix 2. Made Primarily of water 3. May contain super-cooled water, snow, or ice 4. Surface to 6500 ft 5. Stratus, Stratocumulus, Nimbostratus Clouds Sub categorize clouds a. Cumulus 1. Big, Lumpy, billowy clouds 2. Cumulus means Accumulation 3. Result of convective updraft and can be a sign for unstable atmosphere. b. Stratus Clouds 1. Uniform sheet-like cloud 2. Stratus means Stratified (layered) 3. Result of stable air cooling 4. Stable atmosphere c. Nimbus 1. Cloud from which rain is falling d. Fractus Clouds 1. Clouds broken into fragments 2. Often associated with precipitation e. Towering Cumulus Clouds f. Cumulonimbus Clouds

PIREP CA.I.C.K2

Observations of crewmembers in flight useful for preflight and in-flight planning and decision making. Types of reports: a. UA is a routine PIREP b. UUA is a urgent PIREP 1. Tornadoes 2. Severe Turbulence 3. Severe Icing 4. Low Level Wind Shear 5. Volcanic Ash 6. Phenomena Considered Urgent

Acceptable products and resources required for preflight planning, current and forecast weather for departure, en route, and arrival phases of flight. CA.I.C.K2

TAF PIREP Winds & Temperatures Aloft Forecast Surface Analysis Chart Ceiling and Visibility Analysis (CVA) Prog charts Low-Level Significant WX AIRMET, SIGMENT, Convective SIGMET

TAF CA.I.C.K2

Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF): Provides concise weather forecast for aviation purposes within 5 sm of the runway. a. Issues by National Weather Service Weather Forecast Offices b. issues 4 times daily 1. 0000z 2. 0600z 3. 1200z 4 1800z Types of TAF a. Routine: TAF b. Amended: TAF AMD Current TAF no longer adequately describes the on-going weather. c. Corrected: TAF COR or Delayed TAFs, are identified only in the communications header which precedes the actual forecasts Changes in Weather: a. From group; for any significant weather change forecast to occur during the TAF time period,, labeled FM. b. Temporary group; used for temporary fluctuations of weather, expected to last less than 1 hour, labeled TEMPO c. Probability Group; probability group references the chance of thunderstorms or other precipitation events occurring, Labeled PROB Winds Ture North Cloud height in AGL

Turbulence (CA.I.C.K3g)

Turbulence is any fluid flow that is not smooth. Result of 1. Change in Speed 2. Change in Direction Ranges from Light to Extreme Types of Turbulence a. Convective 1. Result of uneven heating of earths surface. 2. Barren Surfaces heat more quickly than vegetated surfaces. 3. Greater temperature difference, greater the turbulence b. Mechanical (to include Mountain Wave) 1. Obstruction to flow often cause of turbulence, for example building obstructing air. The higher the wind speed, or the more rough the obstruction, the greater the turbulence. 2. Mountain wave, formed as winds are pushed towards a mountain ridge, a wave pattern is formed on the down wind, may extend 100 miles downward, and as high as the stratosphere. Standing lenticular or rotor clouds may indicated heavy turbulence c. Wind Sheer 1. Rapid change in wind speed or direction of relatively short time. 2. Wind Shear is turbulence 3. Wind Shear may be present absent visual indicators d. Wake Turbulence 1. As an aircraft generates lift it generates wingtip vortices. 2. these vortices fall down and outward, carried horizontality by winds. 3. Cross winds of 5 or less knots could result in vortex remaining on the runway. Light quartering tailwind is the most dangerous condition, requiring max caution. 4. Factors that affect the intensity are the Speed, Weight, angle of attack, and wind loading. as these thing increase more turbulence is created, besides speed. Clean configuration also creates more turbulence.

Atmospheric composition and stability. (CA.I.C.K3a)

Weather is the current state of the atmosphere. Weather is caused by the search of equilibrium. Atmospheric composition: The atmosphere is an envelope of air that surrounds the Earth, its comprised of, 1. 78% Nitrogen 2. 21% Oxygen 3. 1% Argon 4. 1% > other gases a. Troposphere 1. Surface to 36000 ft high 2. Nearly all weather occurs here 3. Decrease in temperature as altitude increases b. Tropopause 1. Between Troposphere and Stratosphere 2. Corresponds to the level in which the pattern of decreasing temperature with height ceases c. Stratosphere 1. Relatively small changes in temperature 2. Commercial airlines typically travel due to low turbulence and convection. Standard Atmosphere is a Datum for temperature and pressure at specific altitudes. Seas Level standard 1. 15C 2. 29.92 3. Lapse rate of 2C for every 1000' 4. 1" of mercury drop per 1000' Stability: The atmosphere's resistance to vertical motion. 5 primary causes of vertical lifting: 1. Convergence: a net inflow of air usually associated with a low 2. Divergence: a net outflow of air usually associated with a high 3. Orographic: where air is forced up or down by terrain features 4. Fronts: act like orographic lifting by forcing air up/down the front 5. Convective: if air is warmer than its surroundings, it will rise until reaching an equilibrium temperature. Stable Characteristics: 1. Limited vertical movement 2. Stratiform/ fog clouds/ poor visibility 3. Continuous precipitation 4. Smooth air Unstable Characteristics: 1. Cumuliform clouds/ good visibility 2. Rough air (Turbulence) 3. Showery precipitation

Surface Analysis Chart CA.I.C.K2

a. Depicts 1. Isobars (mbars) Separated 4 mb 2. High & Low pressure system High Pressure the Air flows clockwise, outward, and descends. Descending air warms and radiates outward. High pressure is general associated with good weather High pressure to a low pressure area, the altimeter will read higher because of the lower pressure. Low Pressure Air flows counterclockwise, inward, and rises. Rising air cools and radiates outward. Low pressure is generally associated with poor weather 3. Type and Location of Fronts The boundary layer between air masses b. Issued every 3 hours c. Cold fronts are blue triangles, A cold front is when a mass of cold air moves to displace warm air. d. Warm fronts are red semi circles, when warm air overtakes and replaces cooler air. Typically move at a slower rate than cold fronts. The slope of a warm front is very gradual e. Occluded fronts are blue, triangle and semi circles. Usually form around mature low pressure areas. When large masses of warm air and cold air meet, they do not mix because of density differences. Instead, they form a front. f. Stationary look like warm and cold fronts pushing against each other. A stationary front is a weather front or transition zone between two air masses (cold and warm), when neither air mass is advancing into the other. mixture of weather from warm and cold fronts g. Troughs Low pressure of existing significant weather

Thunderstorms and microbursts (CA.I.C.K3h)

a. Formation of a thunderstorm 1. Sufficient Moisture 2. Unstable Atmosphere 3. Updrafts Stages of Thunderstorm a. Cumulus 1. Characterized by updrafts 2. Growth rate up to 3000 FPM 3. The clouds grow and water droplets grow as well b. Mature 1. Characterized by updrafts, downdrafts, and precipitation 2. Downdrafts may reach speeds of 2500 FPM 3. Extremely powerful downdraft is a Microburst 4. Reach the greatest hazards greatest effect during this stage. c. Dissipating 1. Characterized by downdrafts 2. Rapidly dies 3. No more rain or downdrafts means no more thunderstorms. d. There is no visual indicator and my contain multiple cells in different stages. Thunderstorms a. 5-30 mile dimeter b. Hail may fall 20 miles surrounding the storm c. Pressure drops rapidly near storms d. More lighting indicated more severe storm Microburst may occur anywhere thunderstorms, precipitation, or virga occurs. a. Typically only couple hundred to 3000 feet wide, spread out 6000-12000 ft and can reach up to 2000 ft b. Life span of 10-20 minutes. c. Extremely dangerous during landing due to a headwind which balloons the aircraft, followed by a downburst, and tailwind which will result in a loss of airspeed.

Winds & Temperatures Aloft Forecast CA.I.C.K2

a. Generated four times a day; 1. 0000z; available 0200z 2. 0600z; available 0800z 3. 1200z; available 1400z 4. 1800z; available 2000z b. Length of forecast can be 6, 12, or 24 hours. True north, kts, temp (above 24000 are negative) Wind forecast are not issued for alt within 1500ft of location elevation and temperatures are not issued 2500ft winds between 100-199 kt, substract 50 then add 100 kts to speed.

Ceiling and Visibility Analysis (CVA) CA.I.C.K2

a. Supplementary Weather tool b. Aid pilots in avoiding IFR conditions

Temperature (CA.I.C.K3c)

conversion form C*1.8 + 32 = F (F - 32) / 1.8 = C Differences between observed and standard lapse rate greatly affect: 1. Cloud formation 2. Thunderstorms 3. Turbulence Example of this would be Thermals, water heats up slower than land with the same amount of heat transfer. This causes unequal convection which may be observed as turbulence or thermals. Heat is energy, temperature is a measure of how much heat energy an object possesses. a. Temperature vary with 1. Time of day 2. Season 3. Latitude b. This drives all weather. Temperature inversion, when increase altitude temperature increases. Characteristics are; 1. May exist anywhere 2. Most common encountered on clear, calm, cool nights. The land cools more rapidly than the air. 3. May cause poor visibility 4. May cause structural icing