Meteorolgy
THUNDER BOLTS
The atmosphere is an envelope of gas held down by gravity,within which a constant battle for equilibrium is staged by areas of higher and lower pressures, higher and lower temperatures and higher and lower densities. Add water into the mix and it is torn between its solid, liquid and gaseous states, radiating or absorbing huge amounts of energy as changes. These global and energetic currents of moving air and billions of tonnes of water generate static build ups of such potential that they can instantly ‘boil’ a tree and cause it to explode. Do you remember the geography lessons on this topic? I don’t. But this time round it’s important.
AND LIGHTENING
Come and really learn about meteorology, about the mixture of gasses that move horizontally and vertically and the implications of trying to fly a machine through it. The weather poses the greatest safety challenge to your flying. You will have to make decisions based on observations you make and those predicted by professionals. You will get it wrong, they will get it wrong. Deciding not to go somewhere because of the weather and getting it wrong is the safest scenario. But facing a lowering cloud base, poor visibility and spots of drizzle creeping up your windscreen might require a decision that is life saving.
VERY VERY FRIGHTENING
The exam is 20 questions in 60 minutes
Being armed with theoretical and practical knowledge of aviation meteorology will lead to your being a better all round pilot. Learn to interpret the actual and forecast weather charts and observations. Learn to read into the weather what you see around you and the conditions that they might pose an aircraft in flight. Bore everyone else to tears with tales of good decision making and by repeating the mantra that it is ‘better to be down here wishing you were up there than up there wishing you were down here’.