Aviation Meteorology Flashcards
7 cards from real CPL practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Aviation Meteorology flashcards as text
A pilot observing a rapidly falling barometric pressure reading during flight should anticipate which condition?
Answer: Approaching low-pressure system with deteriorating weather
Rapidly falling barometric pressure indicates an approaching low-pressure system, which typically brings deteriorating weather including clouds, precipitation, and turbulence.
What type of fog forms when warm, moist air moves over a cooler surface?
Answer: Advection fog
Advection fog forms when warm, moist air moves horizontally over a cooler surface, cooling the air below its dew point.
During a PIREP, a pilot reports 'OCNL MOD CHOP.' What does this indicate?
Answer: Occasional moderate turbulence causing rapid bumps without aircraft attitude change
Occasional moderate chop (OCNL MOD CHOP) indicates intermittent rapid bumpiness without abrupt changes in aircraft attitude, affecting less than 1/2 of the time.
A wind shear encounter on final approach causes the airspeed to suddenly decrease and the aircraft to sink below the glideslope. What is the MOST likely meteorological cause?
Answer: Headwind shear transitioning to a tailwind
When a headwind transitions to a tailwind, the aircraft loses airspeed and lift, causing it to sink below the intended glidepath.
Which layer of the atmosphere contains the tropopause, and what is its approximate altitude at mid-latitudes?
Answer: Troposphere boundary, at approximately 36,000 feet MSL
The tropopause marks the boundary of the troposphere, occurring at approximately 36,000 feet MSL at mid-latitudes, lower at the poles and higher at the equator.
What condition is indicated by a surface temperature-dewpoint spread of 2°C or less with rapidly increasing relative humidity?
Answer: Potential for fog or low cloud formation
A temperature-dewpoint spread of 2°C or less indicates the air is near saturation, making fog or low cloud formation very likely.
A Cumulonimbus cloud that has a distinctive anvil-shaped top (incus) indicates what stage of thunderstorm development?
Answer: Mature stage
The anvil top forms during the mature stage when updrafts reach the tropopause and spread horizontally, indicating the most intense phase of thunderstorm activity.