SA Aviation weather

What typical weather would you expect over the highveld during summer?

Ans. Clear skies, afternoon thunderstorms.

What typical weather would you expect on Cape Town during winter?

Ans. Frontal system, stratus clouds, drizzle.

During which season does the South Westerly Buster occur?

Ans. Winter

Where does the South Westerly Buster occur?

Ans. With the passage of the coastal low moving east

During which season does the Cape Doctor occur?

Ans. Summer

What wind would you expect with the Cape Doctor?

Ans. SE

What is the local name for the anti-cyclone flow around the South Atlantic High during summer?

Ans. Cape doctor

What predominant weather can you expect along the Southern coastline of South Africa during winter?

Ans. Cold Fronts

Which pressure systems is dominant over central South Africa during winter?

Ans. Anti-depression

Which pressure systems is dominant over central South Africa during summer?

Ans. Depressions

What happens to the South Atlantic and South Indian High pressures during summer?

Ans. They move southwards

What happens to the South Atlantic and South Indian High pressures during summer?

Ans. They remain in the eastern and western side of south Africa

The Black South Easter is associated with rain which is caused by:

Ans. The ITCZ is pushing a low pressure southwards

What conditions can you expect with a Berg wind?

Ans. Hot dry air

The meteorological foundation for the aviation axiom "Hot to cold, don’t be bold" is that

Ans. A pressure altimeter overreads in colder air than standard

The isobars surrounding an anti-cyclone

Ans. Decreases in value away from the centre

For a low-pressure system to deepen, the following is required:

Ans. Upper-air divergence must over-compensate for surface convergence

Choose the answer from the list below which mostly correctly completes the sentence. The greatest diurnal
temperature variation as far as the type of surface is concerned, will occur

Ans. Over desert areas

During the night, surface temperature will generally be cooler in windy than in calm conditions. The preceding
statement is

Ans. True, because cooler are above will be mixed with warmer surface air

Select the phrase that best defines the term "latent heat" from the list of options.

Ans. The heat that is released or absorbed by a substance when it undergoes a change in state

The wind direction in an ATIS broadcast is given in

Ans. Degrees Magnetic

What is the lowest cloud base forecast at ETA Zurich 1200 UTC? LSZH 060900Z 062029 30028G30KT 9999 -RA
SCT050 BKN080 TEMPO 1113 23012KT 6000 -DZ BKN015 BKN030 BECMG 1518 23020G35KT 4000 RA OVC010=

Ans. 1500 ft

Select the answer which best summarizes the adverse effect of low air density on the thrust produced by a jet
engine.

Ans. A lower total air mass is accelerated backwards

The effect that a temperature higher than standard would have on an aircraft's climb performance would be

Ans. To decrease the rate of climb.

The temperature at HKJK (Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Kenya ) is 25C. The elevation is 5328 ft. AMSL and
aerodrome QNH is 1009. Calculate the density altitude and select the most correct option from the answers
provided. Assume lapse rates of 2C/1000 ft

Ans. 7956 ft

The pilot of an aircraft is flying in IMC at FL110 and is about to enter an area where the map indicates a grid MORA
of 93. The lowest forecast QNH in the area is 1024 hPa. The outside air temperature is higher than at the point of
departure. In the above scenario, will the aircraft be able to stay above the Grid Mora?

Ans. Yes

Which of the following conditions would cause the altimeter to indicate a lower altitude than that actually flown?

Ans. Air temperature higher than standard

An aircraft lands at an airport (airport elevation 1240 ft, QNH 1008 hPa). The altimeter is set to 1013 hPa. Assume
30 feet/hPa. The altimeter will indicate:
Ans. 1390 ft

With identical pressure gradients, which of the following would have the higher wind speed?

Ans. A high-pressure system

The effect of surface friction on a wind over the ocean (when compered to a wind over a land surface) is the
following:

Ans. The wind speed and angle of deflection are higher

Weak trade winds converging causes

Ans. Shallow Cu clouds and little rainfall in the ITCZ

Which weather phenomena are typical for the northern side of the Alps with strong winds from the south (Fohn
winds)?

Ans. Good visibility, turbulence

Which of the following weather reports is a warning of conditions that could be potentially hazardous to aircraft in
flight?

Ans. SIGMET

Choose the correct option. The wind in a METAR may be indicated as one of the following:

Ans. Knots, miles per hour or metres per second

In the TAF for Athens, during summer, for the time of your landing, you note: TEMPO TS. What is the maximum
time this deterioration in weather can last in any one instance?

Ans. Less than 60 minutes

The suffix "-nimbus" used in the name of a cloud refers to:

Ans. Rain

Select the most appropriate answer. The term SPECI refers to an aviation weather report which

Ans. Indicated important changes is selected parameters which and may include a trend forecast

Does the following report make sense? METAR LSZH 182320Z VRB02KT 5000 MIFG 02/02 Q1015 NOSIG=

Ans. The report is possible, because shallow fog is defined as a thin layer of fog below eye level

What are the characteristics of the Bora?

Ans. It is a cold and very strong wind that blows mainly in the winter from a table land downwards to the Adriatic

Nimbostratus clouds are likely to be composed of

Ans. Water droplets

In which region are large hailstones most likely to develop?

Ans. Tropical regions

The conditions necessary for thunderstorm development are

Ans. Deep conditional atmospheric instability, a high atmospheric moisture content and a lifting mechanism

The presence of ice pellets at the surface is evidence that

Ans. Freezing rain occurs at higher altitudes

Which type of water droplets would remain liquid in sub-zero temperatures longer?

Ans. A warm, Larger droplet

Which of the following options best summarizes reflects the conditions necessary for hurricane development?

Ans. A warm ocean, Coriolis force irrelevant, minimal surface friction.

The air masses that are observed most frequently over Western Europe are:

Ans. Polar air and tropical air

During winter time in South Africa, the continental high pressure system is responsible for

Ans. Dry conditions and clear skies over the greater part of the country

Choose the correct statement which best describes the South African "Black south easter" weather phenomenon

Ans. Stormy conditions with heavy, widespread rainfall caused by a cut-off low and a ridging high south of the
country.

The phenomena to be included in a low-level SIGWX forecast are very similar to those in

Ans. An airmet

The height of the tropopause on a SIGWX chart is indicated in

Ans. Flight levels

The purpose of a trend forecast is to

Ans. Forecast changes expected to occur within 2 hours from the time a METAR is used

Which of the following conditions are most favourable to the formation of mountain waves?

Ans. Stable air at mountain top altitude and a wind of at least 20 knots blowing across the mountain ridge.

Why are fog and mist more likely to occur at dawn?

Ans. Air temperature is then generally at its lowest and the relative humidity at its highest

When tropical air moves moves over a cool sea, the most probable result will be:

Ans. Advection fog.

Which of the following types of air masses has the highest moisture content at a relative humidity of 75%?

Ans. Tropical maritime

Read the following description: " After such a fine day, the ring around the moon was a bad sign yesterday evening
for the weather today. And, sure enough, it is now pouring down outside. The clouds are making an oppressively
low ceiling of uniform grey;

Ans. A warm front

During the passage of a front in the northern hemisphere the wind veers. This statement is:

Ans. True

The temperature corresponding to ISA -10C at FL410 in the International Standard Atmosphere is

Ans. -66.5 C

The temperature at FL 080 is +6C. What will the temperature be at FL130 if the ICAO lapse rate is applied?

Ans. -4 C

The air within an upper-air depression will

Ans. Diverge

The QNH is equal to the QFE if

Ans. The elevation = 0 ft

Areas of sinking air are generally cloudless because as air sinks it

Ans. Is heated by compression

What is the typical weather normally associated with a depression?

Ans. Good visibility when not in precipitation

A danger associated with flying from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure with a constant altimeter
setting is that the

Ans. Altimeter will over-read and the true height would decrease

The air within an anti-cyclone will generally:

Ans. Subsidence

During winter, the typical weather associated with a col is

Ans. Fog or low stratus

An inversion is when

Ans. The temperature increase with height

Which of the following clouds are classified as medium layer clouds in temperate regions?

Ans. As, Ac

Which of the following is a prerequisite for thunderstorms to develop?

Ans. A trigger action to start the lifting process

A microburst with its damaging winds at the surface

Ans. Has a diameter up to 4 km

You have been flying for some time in dense layer cloud. The outside air temperature is - 25 C. Which of the
following statements is true?
Ans. Severe airframe icing is unlikely under these conditions

Which of the following conditions is most likely to cause airframe icing?

Ans. +FZRA

Windshear is

Ans. A change in wind velocity

Some of the minimum criteria for wind shear alerts to be issued at airports are

Ans. A mean surface wind speed of at least 20 knots, or thunderstorm within 5nm of the aerodrome

In the vicinity of industrial areas, smoke is most likely to affect ground visibility when

Ans. There is a low-level inversion

The temperature and relative humidity associated with a Tropical Continental air mass at its source are typically:

Ans. Warm temperature and low relative humidity

On a significant weather chart, we see the following for the area where a flight will take place: BKN CU SC 100---
023. If the flight is planned at FL 85, we can estimate that

Ans. We will probably have to divert around some cumulus tops

Use the FACT SPECI -01:00 on page 4 of the supplement to answer this question. What does the group "BCFG
BKN001"indicate?

Ans. Patches of fog are present and cloud 5-7 octas at 100 ft AGL

The wind direction in a METAR is measured relative to

Ans. True north

What is the maximum distance that Cirrus clouds can appear ahead of an approaching warm fromt?

Ans. 600 nm

What will be the effect on the reading of an altimeter of an aircraft parked on the ground as an active cold front is
passing?

Ans. It will first increase and then decrease

Which of the following zones is most likely to encounter little or no precipitation?

Ans. The north side of the Alps with a prevailing Fohn wind from the south

In South Africa, the surface wind at night compared to during the day generally

Ans. Veers and decreases

In which of the following areas of South Africa does the southwesterly buster commonly occur?

Ans. The cape south coast, east coast and kwazulu-natal coast only

The southwesterly buster is:

A warm, moist on-shore wind that causes a sudden increase in cloudiness