Pilot Reports This isn’t a report card of how good of a pilot you are (but good pilots do know how to read PIREPS). A PIREP is either information volunteered by a Pilot to ATC or requested from the Pilot by ATC (ATC then enters it into the system). It is simply a report of… Continue reading PIREPS SC
Topic Category: Student Pilot
AIRMETS / SIGMETS SC
AIRMETs and SIGMETs The big scary warnings of when not to fly! If you remember almost nothing from this TOPIC, then just REMEMBER these two things: AIRMETS are bad news for little GA airplanes and you should avoid flying in or near an area covered by an AIRMET SIGMETS are very bad news for any… Continue reading AIRMETS / SIGMETS SC
Radar Summary Charts SC
To sum it up, ya there’s a lotta rain out there…. Watch the video above, and after that, take notes below. What you need to REMEMBER: Colors vary based on the provider, always check the decibel levels of radar returns to determine true intensity of the echos The direction of cells is displayed with barbs… Continue reading Radar Summary Charts SC
Graphic Forecast Area SC
Graphic Forecast Area Tool We used to have something called “area forecasts”. Don’t worry, you’re not missing out on much. They were several pages long of coded information you had to try and decipher to figure what kind of weather there was out there and where it was (imagine a METAR or TAF that was… Continue reading Graphic Forecast Area SC
Mountain Weather SC
Nice Hat! I want a hat like that! Looks pretty cool! Now we’ve already talked about clouds, but in this TOPIC we are going to talk about two cloud types specifically associated with mountains and big hills, as well as some of the things to be aware of when flying near mountains. We could spend… Continue reading Mountain Weather SC
Icing SC
Brrr…..its cold! It’s safe to say this airplane isn’t going flying anytime soon. In this TOPIC we are going to talk about the factors that make ice form on airplanes as well as the different types of icing, what to do if you suspect icing, and how to get rid of it. First off, why… Continue reading Icing SC
Fog SC
All these types of Fog are foggy in my brain! While there are 6 different types of fog, they all have somewhat unique characteristics, and at the end of the day all you really need to know is when to expect fog to appear out of thin air. For the purposes of your written test,… Continue reading Fog SC
Thunderstorms / Convective Activity SC
Ain’t that pretty?! Well ya, but it would probably be a lot less pretty if you were flying in the middle of it rather than on the ground trying to figure out which filter made your pictures look the best on your new iPhone. In this TOPIC we’ll go over how thunderstorms form and how… Continue reading Thunderstorms / Convective Activity SC
Weather Fronts SC
Don’t stand in front of that Front! Well actually let’s say don’t stand fly in front of that front. A Front is a boundary or transition zone between two air masses of different densities (think oil and vinegar). Air masses of different densities don’t mix well, thus the layer in between them is the FRONT. … Continue reading Weather Fronts SC
Basic Cloud Types SC
Cloud Spotting Games Next time you have nothing better to do, go be a kid again and look up at the clouds and see what shapes and animals you can find in the sky. Just this time around, add a little twist to it and see if you can also identify which of the main… Continue reading Basic Cloud Types SC