Course syllabuses
Met Office training in aviation meteorology offers pilots a comprehensive
programme covering all aspects of aviation meteorology. Whether you
are a beginner or simply looking to learn more, we have a course to
suit your needs.
More about aviation meteorology
training
Details of the course
syllabuses
SYLLABUS FOR THE 2-DAY MET. FOR GLIDERS
COURSE |
| Aim: |
To increase the pilot's
understanding and awareness of gliding meteorology |
| Objectives: |
By the end of the course, participants should:
- have an improved understanding of general meteorology
including pressure systems, air masses and frontal systems;
- understand the basic forces acting on the atmosphere,
and their relationship with the wind;
- have an improved level of interpretation of aviation
forecast products;
- understand the concepts of atmospheric stability, and
their impact on cloud development;
- have a basic understanding of how to interpret weather
satellite and radar rainfall imagery;
- be introduced to the interpretation of Met Office computer
model charts.
|
| Day
1 morning: |
- Introduction
- Air masses
- Fronts and pressure systems
- Tour of Met Office Operations Centre
|
| Afternoon: |
- Interpreting 214, 215 forms
- Introduction to computer weather model output, including
the Met Office computer model
- Wind forecasting, including sea breezes and valley winds
|
| Day
2 Morning: |
- Introduction to the tephigram, in relation to determining
stability/instability
- Tephigram techniques related to convective cloud forecasting,
including infill
- Tephigram techniques related to layered cloud forecasting
- Mountain waves
|
| Afternoon: |
- Aviation hazards
- Satellite and radar interpretation
- Questions and course review
|
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SYLLABUS FOR THE 2-DAY MET. FOR AVIATORS
COURSE |
| Aim: |
To broaden and enhance
the pilot's knowledge of aviation weather in relation to
low-level route planning and safety |
| Objectives: |
By the end of the course, participants should:
- have an improved understanding of general meteorology
including pressure systems, air masses, frontal systems,
forces acting on the atmosphere and wind;
- be able to fully interpret and effectively use METARs
and TAFs;
- have an improved understanding of aviation hazards
and the use of specific aviation forecast products
(214/215);
- have a basic understanding of how to interpret
weather satellite and radar rainfall imagery.
|
| Topics
will include: |
- Understanding the forces that generate the surface
wind
- Air-mass recognition including clouds and stability
- Fronts and pressure systems
- Altimetry
- Basic weather radar and satellite interpretation
- METARs,
TRENDs and TAFs
- Weather-related aviation hazards
- Metform F214 and F215, understanding the terminology
and interpretation
- Flight forecast and route planning exercise
- Tour of Met Office Operations Centre
- Met Office Aviation Services
|
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SYLLABUS FOR THE 2-DAY MET. FOR BALLOONISTS
COURSE |
| Aim: |
To broaden and enhance the pilot's knowledge of ballooning meteorology |
| Objectives: |
By the end of the course, participants should:
- be able to recognise likely ballooning prospects by considering air-mass type;
- have a basic understanding of the formation and lifecycle of weather fronts;
- be able to fully interpret and effectively use METARs and TAFs;
- have an improved understanding of aviation hazards and the use of specific aviation forecast products, including how basic data is obtained and used by the forecasters;
- have a basic understanding of the atmospheric processes, including stability and the tephigram, and the relationship between density, pressure, temperature and humidity;
- have a basic understanding of clouds and how they form;
- have a basic understanding of visibility, including the understanding of fog and stratus processes and haze development.
|
| Day
1 morning: |
- Introduction
- Air-mass recognition including stability
- Fronts and pressure systems
|
| Afternoon: |
- Understanding the forces that generate the surface wind
- Surface weather chart interpretation
- Visibility – fog formation, clearance mechanisms, haze/slant visibility
|
| Day
2 Morning: |
- Weather-related aviation hazards
- Clouds and how they form, cloud physics, stability in the atmosphere
- Atmospheric process, tephigrams, relationship between density, pressure, temperature and humidity
|
| Afternoon: |
- Tour of Met Office Operations Centre
- METARs, TAFs, and surface observations
- Weather charts, Metform F214 & F215, understanding the terminology and interpretation, Ballooning forecasts, forecast wind charts.
|
|
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SYLLABUS FOR THE 1-DAY FLIGHT PLANNING
MET. COURSE |
| Aim: |
To broaden and enhance
the planner's knowledge of aviation weather in relation to
flight planning and safety. |
| Objectives: |
By the end of the course, participants should:
- be able to fully interpret and effectively use METAR,
TAF and station circle data;
- have an improved understanding of aviation hazards,
SIGMETs and the use of WAFC medium and high level significant
weather and wind forecast charts;
- have a basic understanding of how to interpret weather
satellite and radar rainfall imagery.
|
| Morning: |
- Introduction
- METARs/TAFs/station circle
- METAR and TAF exercise
- Surface weather chart interpretation
|
| Afternoon: |
- Aviation weather hazards
- Basic weather radar and satellite interpretation
- Interpretation of WAFC forecast wind and significant
weather charts and SIGMETs
- WAFC charts route planning exercise
|
|
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SYLLABUS FOR THE 1-DAY WEATHER DECISION MAKING FOR PILOTS
COURSE |
| Aim: |
To facilitate a safe and efficient management of flight through improved pilot weather decision making in both planning and flight phases. |
| Objectives: |
By the end of the course, participants should:
- understand the concept of Meteorological Threats;
- understand human factors affecting a logical assessment of weather;
- have a consolidated top-down method to interpret weather information;
- understand the concept of meteorological Threat and Error Management (TEM) and be able to apply practically in every flight.
|
| Topics
will include: |
- Meteorological Threats: aviation hazards, threats specific to operation, latent threats and discussion on how to deal with them.
- Meteorological Interpretation: human factors involved in and a consolidate, logical top-down procedure for assessing weather information.
- Meteorological Threat and Error Management: the concept, VFR/IFR case studies and exercises.
|
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Further information about the Flight Planning Met. course
can be obtained by e-mailing your query to met4aviators@metoffice.gov.uk
or by contacting our Customer
Centre.
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