General Weather Questions Private Pilot Checkride

[Sushidot]

Hello-

Is there some kind of easy trick to understanding what type of weather
to expect at certain weather systems and fronts in term of explaining
this to the DPE during the checkride? I am not trying to avoid
learning weather theory...i just wonder if I am looking to far into
the meaning of all the charts and symbols...i have no problem with the
instructor pointing to a trough and asking what does this mean...Or
asking me what an echo top means or anything...i just keep getting
confused as to pressure systems...

High Pressure Systems
The weather is warm here and the visibility is good, atmosphere is
stable. This makes me think of summer weather. The book says that
visibility in terms of clouds is not good...am i missing something
here...

Low Pressure Systems
The weather is cold here, visibility is poor and the atmosphere is
less stable. This makes me think of winter weather.

My confusion lies mainly with the visibility...i would think that a
low system would have bad visibilty and be cloudy and high pressure
system would have few clouds.

Any advice or suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks
SD

[Robert M. Gary]

On Mar 26, 4:19*pm, Sushidot > wrote:
> Hello-
>
> Is there some kind of easy trick to understanding what type of weather
> to expect at certain weather systems and fronts in term of explaining
> this to the DPE during the checkride? *I am not trying to avoid
> learning weather theory...i just wonder if I am looking to far into
> the meaning of all the charts and symbols...i have no problem with the
> instructor pointing to a trough and asking what does this mean...Or
> asking me what an echo top means or anything...i just keep getting
> confused as to pressure systems...
>
> High Pressure Systems
> The weather is warm here and the visibility is good, atmosphere is
> stable. *This makes me think of summer weather. *The book says that
> visibility in terms of clouds is not good...am i missing something
> here...
>
> Low Pressure Systems
> The weather is cold here, visibility is poor and the atmosphere is
> less stable. *This makes me think of winter weather.
>
> My confusion lies mainly with the visibility...i would think that a
> low system would have bad visibilty and be cloudy and high pressure
> system would have few clouds.
>
> Any advice or suggestions would be helpful.
>
> Thanks
> SD

Think of them as rivers. High Pressue is a soft flowing stream. Low
Pressure is a raging rapid.

-Robert

[Bob Gardner]

Examiners are no better at understanding weather than the majority of
pilots, so I wouldn't expect an in-depth analysis. Which book makes the
statement about clouds that you quote?

A high pressure exists when air is descending, and when air descends it
warms....making clouds less likely, not more likely. When it hits the
surface, it spreads outward. A low pressure center exists when air is
rising; rising air cools, and moisture condenses out as clouds and/or
precipitation. Air moves inward toward the low pressure center (nature
abhors a vacuum, right?). As a VFR pilot, you want to stay well clear of any
location where the presence of visible moisture in the air reduces
visibility. First clue is the temperature/dewpoint spread. T/DP at your
departure airport should be getting larger as the day wears on....you don't
want to come back from a cross-country and find that home base is socked in.
Let's assume that you are going west to a destination airport; check its
current METAR and those for a couple of hours previous. T/DP spread should
be increasing with time. Check METARS for airports further west than your
destination...is their weather getting better, or worse? Is it moving toward
your destination? Now look over your shoulder to the east and check METARS
to see if any reduced spreads are moving your way. Always fly toward
improving weather.

There are scads of web sites that discuss weather. Get familiar with the
ADDS page and read the explanations provided with each chart.

Bob Gardner

"Sushidot" > wrote in message
...
> Hello-
>
> Is there some kind of easy trick to understanding what type of weather
> to expect at certain weather systems and fronts in term of explaining
> this to the DPE during the checkride? I am not trying to avoid
> learning weather theory...i just wonder if I am looking to far into
> the meaning of all the charts and symbols...i have no problem with the
> instructor pointing to a trough and asking what does this mean...Or
> asking me what an echo top means or anything...i just keep getting
> confused as to pressure systems...
>
> High Pressure Systems
> The weather is warm here and the visibility is good, atmosphere is
> stable. This makes me think of summer weather. The book says that
> visibility in terms of clouds is not good...am i missing something
> here...
>
> Low Pressure Systems
> The weather is cold here, visibility is poor and the atmosphere is
> less stable. This makes me think of winter weather.
>
> My confusion lies mainly with the visibility...i would think that a
> low system would have bad visibilty and be cloudy and high pressure
> system would have few clouds.
>
> Any advice or suggestions would be helpful.
>
> Thanks
> SD

[gatt[_2_]]

"Sushidot" > wrote in message
...

> High Pressure Systems The weather is warm here and the visibility is good,
> atmosphere is stable. This makes me think of summer weather. The book
> says that
> visibility in terms of clouds is not good...am i missing something here...

Haze, smog and temperature inversions. Think of a smokey room. The warm,
stable air causes the smoke to just hang there and the room gets stale, but
turning on a fan will mix things up. Another way to think of it is that
rain washes away haze which is why the air is so clear right after a
thunderstorm has passed. So if you go flying on a nice summer afternoon, a
few thousand feet up you're likely to climb above a haze layer that is
difficult to see through.

> Low Pressure Systems The weather is cold here, visibility is poor and the
> atmosphere is
> less stable. This makes me think of winter weather.

Visibility is poor if the air is saturated, but for a memory aid you can
recall the most extreme-cold below-zero days, when the sky is sunny and the
air is crystal clear. Or, recall looking out the window of a jet at cruise
altitude. Low pressure and unlimited visibility, but sometimes it's
turbulent.

If it makes you feel any better, this stuff is hard to remember because as a
private pilot, unless you're flying cross-country a lot you don't get much
exposure to it and the knowledge is lost due to lack of recency. The main
thing he'll want to know on the checkride is that you're able to identify
bad or deteriorating weather--thunderstorms, lenticular clouds and their
implications. I'd be pretty surprised if he asked you much beyond what's
covered in the written in terms of charts and symbols and if he does, as
long as you have a reference source for planning he probably won't abuse you
too much for the PPL. He's going to focus more on your flying. For
example, if you're flying cross-country in the northern hemisphere and you
pick up an increasing wind from the left, it means you're probably flying
toward low pressure (hurricanes spin counterclockwise and all you have to do
to remember that is recall how Katrina pushed the water in from the Lake
Ponchartrain as the storm passed to the east.)

By knowing the direction that the weather system is rotating, for flight
planning purposes you can determine which side of the system you want to fly
in order to use the tailwind to your advantage. For your flight planning,
as long as you have the basic idea and a good reference source such as the
AVIATION WEATHER book by the FAA/NTSB, you'll probably do just fine.

-c

[Sushidot]

On Mar 27, 9:27 am, "gatt" > wrote:
> "Sushidot" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
> > High Pressure Systems The weather is warm here and the visibility is good,
> > atmosphere is stable. This makes me think of summer weather. The book
> > says that
> > visibility in terms of clouds is not good...am i missing something here...
>
> Haze, smog and temperature inversions. Think of a smokey room. The warm,
> stable air causes the smoke to just hang there and the room gets stale, but
> turning on a fan will mix things up. Another way to think of it is that
> rain washes away haze which is why the air is so clear right after a
> thunderstorm has passed. So if you go flying on a nice summer afternoon, a
> few thousand feet up you're likely to climb above a haze layer that is
> difficult to see through.
>
> > Low Pressure Systems The weather is cold here, visibility is poor and the
> > atmosphere is
> > less stable. This makes me think of winter weather.
>
> Visibility is poor if the air is saturated, but for a memory aid you can
> recall the most extreme-cold below-zero days, when the sky is sunny and the
> air is crystal clear. Or, recall looking out the window of a jet at cruise
> altitude. Low pressure and unlimited visibility, but sometimes it's
> turbulent.
>
> If it makes you feel any better, this stuff is hard to remember because as a
> private pilot, unless you're flying cross-country a lot you don't get much
> exposure to it and the knowledge is lost due to lack of recency. The main
> thing he'll want to know on the checkride is that you're able to identify
> bad or deteriorating weather--thunderstorms, lenticular clouds and their
> implications. I'd be pretty surprised if he asked you much beyond what's
> covered in the written in terms of charts and symbols and if he does, as
> long as you have a reference source for planning he probably won't abuse you
> too much for the PPL. He's going to focus more on your flying. For
> example, if you're flying cross-country in the northern hemisphere and you
> pick up an increasing wind from the left, it means you're probably flying
> toward low pressure (hurricanes spin counterclockwise and all you have to do
> to remember that is recall how Katrina pushed the water in from the Lake
> Ponchartrain as the storm passed to the east.)
>
> By knowing the direction that the weather system is rotating, for flight
> planning purposes you can determine which side of the system you want to fly
> in order to use the tailwind to your advantage. For your flight planning,
> as long as you have the basic idea and a good reference source such as the
> AVIATION WEATHER book by the FAA/NTSB, you'll probably do just fine.
>
> -c

Thank You !

[Andrew Sarangan]

On Mar 26, 7:19 pm, Sushidot > wrote:
> Hello-
>
> Is there some kind of easy trick to understanding what type of weather
> to expect at certain weather systems and fronts in term of explaining
> this to the DPE during the checkride? I am not trying to avoid
> learning weather theory...i just wonder if I am looking to far into
> the meaning of all the charts and symbols...i have no problem with the
> instructor pointing to a trough and asking what does this mean...Or
> asking me what an echo top means or anything...i just keep getting
> confused as to pressure systems...
>
> High Pressure Systems
> The weather is warm here and the visibility is good, atmosphere is
> stable. This makes me think of summer weather. The book says that
> visibility in terms of clouds is not good...am i missing something
> here...
>
> Low Pressure Systems
> The weather is cold here, visibility is poor and the atmosphere is
> less stable. This makes me think of winter weather.
>
> My confusion lies mainly with the visibility...i would think that a
> low system would have bad visibilty and be cloudy and high pressure
> system would have few clouds.
>
> Any advice or suggestions would be helpful.
>
> Thanks
> SD

Where are you getting this information from?

High pressure systems are descending air masses. Since air aloft is
clean, dry and cool, you will get clear skies, and cool weather (and
sometimes windy) conditions under a high pressure systems. But it can
lead to unstable air (ie bumpy ride).

Low pressure systems are rising air masses. Since air near the surface
is moist and warm, you will get cloudy skies and warmer temperatures
and more stable conditions.

These observations do not apply to frontal weather.