Disparities in Weather Education Across Professional Flight Baccalaureate Degree Programs

The required meteorology coursework for 22 accredited professional flight baccalaureate degree programs was examined and compared. Significant differences were noted in both the number of required meteorology courses as well as the number of required meteorology credit hours. While all programs required at least one three-credit meteorology course, not all programs required an aviation-specific meteorology course. In addition to the required number of meteorology courses and credit hours, topics within the aviation-specific meteorology courses were also examined. The study showed the topics of “flight hazards” and “aviation weather reports and charts” were identified most frequently in course descriptions, followed third by “weather applications to flight.” However, based on the course descriptions alone, it was unclear if the meteorological theory of flight hazards was addressed in the courses or if the courses only addressed the interpretation of weather hazards charts. To improve and standardize aviation-meteorology education in professional flight-degree programs, a recommendation was made to either provide aviation-meteorology curriculum guidelines through the University Aviation Association (UAA) Curriculum Committee or to form a separate UAA Aviation-Meteorology Education Committee

Efficacy of the Localized Aviation MOS Program in Ceiling Flight Category Forecasts

(1) Background: Flying in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) carries an elevated risk of fatal outcome for general aviation (GA) pilots. For the typical GA flight, aerodrome-specific forecasts (Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF), Localized Aviation Model Output Statistics Program (LAMP)) assist the airman in pre-determining whether a flight can be safely undertaken. While LAMP forecasts are more prevalent at GA-frequented aerodromes, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recommends that this tool be used as supplementary to the TAF only. Herein, the predictive accuracy of LAMP for ceiling flight categories of visual flight rules (VFR) and instrument flight rules (IFR) was determined. (2) Methods: LAMP accuracy was evaluated for the period of July–December 2018 using aviation-specific probability of detection (PODA), false alarm ratio (FARA) and critical success scores (CSSA). Statistical differences were determined using Chi-Square tests. (3) Results: LAMP forecasts (n = 823) across 39 states were accrued. LAMP PODA for VFR (0.67) and IFR (0.78) exceeded (p \u3c 0.031) the corresponding TAF scores (0.57 and 0.56). For VFR, the LAMP showed a non-significant (p = 0.243) higher FARA (0.25) than the TAF (0.19). For IFR forecasts, the LAMP FARA was lower (p \u3c 0.001) (0.48 and 0.81, respectively). LAMP CSSA scores exceeded the TAF for VFR (p = 0.012) and IFR forecasts (p \u3c 0.001). (4) Conclusion: These findings support the greater integration of LAMP into pre-flight weather briefings

Quantitative Examination and Comparison of Altimetry Rules-of-Thumb for General Aviation

General aviation rules of thumb (ROTs) for density altitude and true altitude are examined and developed. Both ROTs originate from the same basic principle of hydrostatic balance, but differ significantly in the assumptions made regarding the atmospheric temperature profile. While the ROT for DA assumes a standard atmospheric vertical temperature lapse rate, the ROT for true altitude requires information regarding the observed layer-mean temperature of the atmosphere. Since the layer-mean temperature between the aircraft and the surface is typically unknown, it must be inferred from the temperature at a single level by again assuming a linear lapse rate. This method is shown to perform poorly in cases of strong lower-tropospheric temperature inversions. Direct comparisons of the two ROTs are made to highlight the gross errors that can occur if the two are misused for one another

Aviation Weather Education: Challenges Using Current FAA Guidance

Observed Challenges Incorrect product information Guidance not keeping pace with new products Multiple formats of same product Potentially unnecessary information Missing product information Limited focus on interpretatio

Challenges for Flight Instructors Teaching Weather Information

Flight Instructors face a challenge when teaching/learning weather information Multiple overlapping resources for aviation weather AC takes longer timeframe to update –problem for quick updates of informatio

Breakdown of ITCZ-like PV Patterns

The Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is a zonal belt of intense convection, responsible for the genesis of over 80% of all tropical cyclones. This region of intense diabatic heating and shear results in a maximum of Ertel\u27s potential vorticity (PV) meeting Rayleigh\u27s necessary condition for barotropic instability. A fundamental issue is understanding the necessary precursor events leading to the breakdown of the ITCZ and subsequent formation of tropical cyclones. Our research examines the non-linear PV dynamics of the breakdown of both finite-length and infinite-length vorticity strips of varying widths and shapes, simulating the ITCZ found near the tropical eastern Pacific region. We have also introduced regularly and irregularly-spaced mass sinks embedded in the strips to simulate pockets of enhanced diabatic heating. To study the evolution, we have developed a shallow-water, normal-mode spectral model in Cartesian coordinates on the f-plane. Since the absolute vorticity divided by the fluid depth is materially conserved in the shallow water framework, we can draw an analogy to the evolution of Ertel\u27s PV in a stratified fluid. While the analogy is not exact, it does offer insight into to the fundamental dynamics of PV rearrangement. Comparisons with linear stability theory and observed cases are made to determine the extent to which linear theory captures the non-linear dynamics

The Effects of Display Type, Weather Type, and Pilot Experience on Pilot Interpretation of Weather Products

The majority of general aviation (GA) accidents involving adverse weather result in fatalities. Considering the high weather-related fatality rate among GA flight operations, it is imperative to ensure that GA pilots of all experience levels can incorporate available weather information into their flight planning. In the past decade, weather product development has incorporated increasing levels of automation, which has led to the generation of high-resolution, model-based aviation displays such as graphical turbulence guidance and current icing potential, which rival the resolution of radar and satellite imagery. This is in stark contrast to the traditional polygonal-based displays of aviation weather hazards (G-AIRMETs and SIGMETs). It is important to investigate the effects of these changes on the end user. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the interpretability of weather products for two areas of interest: display type (traditional polygons vs. model-based imagery) and type of weather phenomena (ceiling/visibility, turbulence, and icing), across a range of pilot experience levels. Two hundred and four participants completed a series of weather product interpretation questions. The results indicated significant effects of product display type, as well as significant effects of weather phenomena and pilot experience on product interpretation. Further investigation is needed to assess possible extraneous variables

Numerical Model Derived Altimeter Correction Maps for Non-Standard Atmospheric Temperature and Pressure

Altimeter corrections for non-standard temperature pose a challenge because accurate calculations require detailed knowledge of the temperature structure of the atmosphere between the surface and the aircraft. By applying basic hypsometric formulae to high resolution numerical model temperature and moisture output, detailed maps of current and forecasted corrected D-values are created. Corrected D-values provide the altitude difference between the true altitude and the indicated altitude from a pressure altimeter. Unlike standard D-values, the corrected D-value corrects for non-standard pressure in addition to non-standard temperature and is therefore useful for flights below class A airspace. Maps of corrected D-value may help provide increased situational awareness for pilots during cold-weather operations as well as a useful educational tool for quantifying the effects of non-standard temperature on pressure altimetry

Comparison of Terrain Effects in Divergent versus Non-Divergent Barotropic Models

The effects of including terrain in divergent and non-divergent, single-level barotropic models are examined in detail using a global spectral model. The non-divergent model solves the barotropic vorticity equation, while the divergent model solves the shallow water equations. In both models, the impact of terrain is evaluated by examining the evolution of the predicted heights of a pressure surface. Four simulations with initially zonal flow were run for each model using a two-dimensional Gaussian mountain shape for terrain, with two different mean fluid depths of 5,000 m and 7,500 m, and two different peak mountain heights of 2,000 m and 4,000 m. One additional simulation was completed using real North American terrain, also with initially zonal flow. As the mean fluid depth was decreased, greater differences in the predicted height fields between the two models were observed, with the shallow water model producing a more amplified leeside trough. The differences are caused by increased convergence downstream of the terrain in the shallow water model compared to the barotropic vorticity equation model as the mean fluid depth is decreased. As the mean fluid depth is increased in the shallow water model, the two different models show little difference

Quantifying the Effects of Humidity on Density Altitude Calculations for Professional Aviation Education

The effects of humidity on density altitude are quantified in detail and graphically represented as a function of temperature and dew-point temperature for ease of use in professional aviation education. A ten-year climatology of dew-point temperatures for various representative locations throughout the United States is created to provide a basis for comparison and use with the graphical displays. Density altitude is demonstrated to be a function only of dew-point temperature for a given pressure altitude. The absolute errors between density altitude calculations that incorporate humidity to those that do not are combined with linear regression techniques to create a simple rule of thumb for diagnosing the impact of humidity on density altitude. The rule of thumb for the correction (in feet) is simply twenty times the dew-point temperature in Celsius, or colloquially, “double the dew point and add a zero.” This rule of thumb is shown to limit the percent error in density-altitude calculations to within five percent for the range of dew-point temperatures between 5°C to 30°C and elevations below 6,000 compared to over 20 percent for the same conditions using the dry case alone. The effect of humidity is also shown to create larger absolute errors in density-altitude calculations for the same dew-point temperature at higher pressure altitudes; however, the percent error decreases quickly with pressure altitude