Lesson 1
Chapters 1 & 2
Lesson 2
Chapter 3 & Instrument Supplement
Lesson 3
Measurements
Lesson 4
Chapter 4
Lesson 5
Chapter 5
Lesson 6
Chapter 6
Lesson 7
Chapter 7
Lesson 8
Chapter 8
Lesson 9
Chapter 9
Lesson 10
Chapter 10
Lesson 11
Wind Shear and Turbulence
Lesson 12
Icing
Lesson 13
Visibility
Lesson 14
Case Study/Self-Briefing
Lesson 15
Case Study/Self-Briefing
Lesson 16
Case Study/Self-Briefing

CASE STUDY II

MAP OF REGION WITH STATION IDENTIFIERS

GET WEATHER INFORMATION/DATA BEFORE DEPARTURE FROM KBWI

GET WEATHER INFORMATION/DATA ENROUTE FROM KBWI TO KRDU

GET WEATHER INFORMATION/DATA WHILE AT KRDU

GET WEATHER INFORMATION/DATA ENROUTE FROM KRDU TO KCHS

GET WEATHER INFORMATION/DATA AFTER ARRIVAL AT KCHS

SELECTED SLIDES FOR ONLINE WEATHER HAZARDS TO AVIATION PRESENTATION

PERTINENT INFORMATION

1) The plane you are flying is a basic CESSNA 172 

2) Its cruising airspeed is 110 knots 

3) Your flight is from Baltimore, MD (KBWI).  Departure time is 1815 UTC 

4) Your destination airport is Charleston, SC (KCHS) 

5) The approximate time of flight is 5 hours, along with a 1 hour stop to refuel in Raleigh-Durham, NC (KRDU) 

6) You must fly below 13,000 feet unless you have bottled oxygen.  You don’t have bottled oxygen. 

7) You should fly at least 2,000 feet above the surface for safety reasons 

8) You must fly at least 500 feet beneath a cloud 

9) All of the METAR cloud height measurements are above the surface 

10) Altimeter settings are reset as you fly over stations 

FLIGHT PLANNING

Prepare a flight plan including the course heading (compass heading) and altitude you will fly at (it doesn't have to be the same for the whole trip).  When your course is known, check the winds aloft and other weather information to determine your flight altitude.  Then prepare a detailed weather briefing for the trip.  Start your flight planning by answering the following questions 

BASIC FLIGHT BRIEFING QUESTIONS

1) What time are you planning on taking off? 

2) What is your destination?

3) How long is your flight expected to take?  (You need to account for winds.) 

4) What time are you planning on landing? 

From here, you can proceed to your weather briefing to determine the weather enroute and at your destination airport. 

QUESTIONS:

1. What are any weather hazards that concern you with this trip?  (Where, when and why) 

2. What does the TAF for KRDU tell you about the weather upon arrival? 

3. What does the TAF for KCHS tell you about the weather upon arrival?

4. Will you make this flight?  If not, why? 

5. What time will you depart KBWI? 

6. Your flight heading(s) (course) is XXXX.  What is your flight altitude(s) for your trip to KCHS?  Note, on a VFR flight to the west, you must fly at Even numbered thousands of feet plus five hundred feet (e.g. 2,500, 4,500, etc. to 12,500) 

7. What is your estimated time of arrival at KCHS? 

Enroute from KBWI to KRDU the following Metar observations become available to you.

Enroute from KRDU to KCHS the following Metar observations become available to you.

1. What were the changes from your original flight plan that you considered prior to flight? 

2. What do you decide to do given this new information? 
 

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This web based lab section is being developed with assistance from the College of Letters and Science and the Cooperative Institute of Meteorological Satellite Studies.   Material presented is Copyrighted (C) 2000 by Steve Ackerman .  Feel free to use this material for non-profit educational purposes!