Andrew Sarangan wrote:

Adiabatic lapse rate is never 2C/1000'. It is 1C/1000' or
3C/1000'. Many FAA texts do not explain this point clearly. Since
most
pilots get their meterology knowledge from FAA texts, and are not
formally educated on the subject, it is not surprising this confusion
exists.

I don't want to re-confuse you, but there actually *is* a saturated
adiabatic lapse rate equal to 2C/1000'. Recall that warmer air can hold
more moisture than cold air. As a result, saturated adiabatic lapse
rates vary from nearly the same as the dry rate of 3C/1000' (cold air),
all the way up even beyond the 1C/1000' you quote (very warm air).

You're right about the ****-poor nature of FAA texts though. Not just
the bad meteorological explanations, even their basic physics is wrong.
They blather on about "centrifugal force", which doesn't even exist!
What does exist is centripetal acceleration, which acts in the opposite
direction of the mythical "centrifugal force".

Jim Rosinski