ATSC 113 Final Exam Review Learning
Goals Questions With Verified
Answers
1a. Identify & classify clouds, and relate them to local and larger-scale weather systems
and to potential hazards to aircraft - Correct Answer - - Clouds can be normal or special.
There are two types of normal clouds.
-Cumuliform (connective clouds) are puffy and associated with updrafts
•Form when humid air rises through cooler air
•This can occur when the air at the ground is colder than the surface (ex. Air above the
ocean is colder than the ocean surface)
•Occurs behind cold fronts
•Clear days when sunshine warms the earth more than air
•Cold air blows over warm air or warm body of water
•The buoyancy drives strong updrafts
•There are 4 classifications by vertical depth:
Cumulus humilis (small) →Can have turbulence from updraft
Cumulus mediocris (medium) →Can have turbulence from updraft
Cumulus congestus (large) →Poses hazard, thunderstorms and violent updrafts
Cumulonimbus (thunderstorm) →Poses hazard, thunderstorms and violent updrafts
- Stratiform (layer clouds) are flatter like sheets or blanket, can extend hundreds of km's
•Need to rely on IFR as cannot see inside- Ice may form on edges if cloud is below
freezing
•Form when there are layers in the atmosphere with different relative temperatures
•Associated with warm fronts
•High clouds approach first followed by lower and lower
•Classified by altitude, get thicker and less holes going down
High-
Cirrus: thin wispy, ice and crystals Cirrostratus: thin but with more coverage: ice, halo
Cirrocumulus: mix, a bit lumpier
Middle-
Altostratus: mix, corona
Altocumulus: lumpier, mix
Low
Stratus: well-defined cloud base, no precip- Nimbostratus: blurry cloud base, some type
of precipitation
,1b. Recognize and explain special clouds: Castellanus - Correct Answer - -Unstable air
loft
-Looks like small castle turrets
-Thunderstorms are possible later in the day
1b. Recognize and explain special clouds: Billow (K-h=H wave) - Correct Answer - -
Unstable air loft
-Look like waves in a cloud
-Indicate wind shear and create CAT (clear air turbulence), related to Kevin-Helmholtz
waves
1b. Recognize and explain special clouds: Lenticular - Correct Answer - -Mountain
waves
-Strong winds across mountains
-Look like little disks/UFOs
-Wind oscillations, may indicate mountain wind turbulence
1b. Recognize and explain special clouds: Rotor - Correct Answer - -Strong winds
across mountains
-Ragged-looking, form at low altitude under crests of mountain wave
-Indicate BIG HAZARD
1b. Recognize and explain special clouds: Banner - Correct Answer - -Strong winds
across mountains
-Like a banner blowing off the mountain
-Indicate strong turbulence, usually only on an isolated peak
1b. Recognize and explain special clouds: Pyrocumulus - Correct Answer - -Extra heat
-Form over a big fire or volcano
-Heat and moisture so strong it can make a thunderstorm
1b. Recognize and explain special clouds: Pileus - Correct Answer - -Updrafts
-Looks like a little hat over cumulus
-Form over fast-growing cumulus clouds
1b. Recognize and explain special clouds: Fractus (scud) - Correct Answer - -Low
altitude turbulence
-Ragged and at low altitude
-Turbulent humid air near the ground, indicate high humidity and strong winds
1b. Recognize and explain special clouds: Fumulus - Correct Answer - -Man-made
-Above smokestacks
-Water droplets condense over cooling towers
1b. Recognize and explain special clouds: Contrails - Correct Answer - -Man-made
-Trails behind aeroplanes
, -From wing-tip vortices on aeroplanes
1c. Relate cloud coverage amounts to the visual appearance of the sky - Correct
Answer - -0/8 → Sky clear, nothing (code: SKC)
-1/8, 2/8 → Few clouds, small trails (code: FEW)
-3/8, 4/8 → Scattered, large gaps (code: SCT)
-5/8, 6/8, 7/8 → Broken, small gaps (code: BKN)
-8/8 → Overcast, no gaps (code: OVC)
*Notes:
•Cloud/sky covered measured by eighths of the sky covered, or oktas
•Flying at altitude just above or just below the level of clouds make them appear to have
more coverage than they actually do
1d. Define the cloud ceiling, estimate its altitude, and relate it to cloud coverage
amounts - Correct Answer - - Clouds that cover more than half the sky create a cloud
ceiling, constraints VFR pilots to fly below it and
- When ground visibility is very poor, referred to as vertical visibility
- IFR pilots are still concerned with ceilings, to be able to approach airport with sufficient
time to plan a landing
-Can estimate cloud ceiling using known landmarks such as mountains, pole or tree
tops
1e. Contrast horizontal visibility, vertical visibility, and runway visual range (RVR), and
discuss how they affect aviation. - Correct Answer - - Three types of visibility and each
have their own way of measuring:
1) Horizontal
-Distance you can see horizontally
-Distance between when pilot sees a hazard and when plane hits hazard is affected by
horizontal visibility
2) Vertical
-Distance you can see vertically high or height of the cloud ceiling
3) Runway Visual Range (RVR)
-Measured at airports, how far ahead a pilot can see along a runway centerline
1f. Recognize and interpret weather and obscuration glyphs on weather charts - Correct
Answer -
1g. Explain the difference between visual & instrument flight rules (VFR, IFR) and
meteorological conditions (VFC, IFC), and how they affect aviation - Correct Answer -
•Visual Flight Rules (VFR)
-Only flown in visual flight conditions or Visual Meteorological conditions.
-More than 3000 ft AGL ceiling
Goals Questions With Verified
Answers
1a. Identify & classify clouds, and relate them to local and larger-scale weather systems
and to potential hazards to aircraft - Correct Answer - - Clouds can be normal or special.
There are two types of normal clouds.
-Cumuliform (connective clouds) are puffy and associated with updrafts
•Form when humid air rises through cooler air
•This can occur when the air at the ground is colder than the surface (ex. Air above the
ocean is colder than the ocean surface)
•Occurs behind cold fronts
•Clear days when sunshine warms the earth more than air
•Cold air blows over warm air or warm body of water
•The buoyancy drives strong updrafts
•There are 4 classifications by vertical depth:
Cumulus humilis (small) →Can have turbulence from updraft
Cumulus mediocris (medium) →Can have turbulence from updraft
Cumulus congestus (large) →Poses hazard, thunderstorms and violent updrafts
Cumulonimbus (thunderstorm) →Poses hazard, thunderstorms and violent updrafts
- Stratiform (layer clouds) are flatter like sheets or blanket, can extend hundreds of km's
•Need to rely on IFR as cannot see inside- Ice may form on edges if cloud is below
freezing
•Form when there are layers in the atmosphere with different relative temperatures
•Associated with warm fronts
•High clouds approach first followed by lower and lower
•Classified by altitude, get thicker and less holes going down
High-
Cirrus: thin wispy, ice and crystals Cirrostratus: thin but with more coverage: ice, halo
Cirrocumulus: mix, a bit lumpier
Middle-
Altostratus: mix, corona
Altocumulus: lumpier, mix
Low
Stratus: well-defined cloud base, no precip- Nimbostratus: blurry cloud base, some type
of precipitation
,1b. Recognize and explain special clouds: Castellanus - Correct Answer - -Unstable air
loft
-Looks like small castle turrets
-Thunderstorms are possible later in the day
1b. Recognize and explain special clouds: Billow (K-h=H wave) - Correct Answer - -
Unstable air loft
-Look like waves in a cloud
-Indicate wind shear and create CAT (clear air turbulence), related to Kevin-Helmholtz
waves
1b. Recognize and explain special clouds: Lenticular - Correct Answer - -Mountain
waves
-Strong winds across mountains
-Look like little disks/UFOs
-Wind oscillations, may indicate mountain wind turbulence
1b. Recognize and explain special clouds: Rotor - Correct Answer - -Strong winds
across mountains
-Ragged-looking, form at low altitude under crests of mountain wave
-Indicate BIG HAZARD
1b. Recognize and explain special clouds: Banner - Correct Answer - -Strong winds
across mountains
-Like a banner blowing off the mountain
-Indicate strong turbulence, usually only on an isolated peak
1b. Recognize and explain special clouds: Pyrocumulus - Correct Answer - -Extra heat
-Form over a big fire or volcano
-Heat and moisture so strong it can make a thunderstorm
1b. Recognize and explain special clouds: Pileus - Correct Answer - -Updrafts
-Looks like a little hat over cumulus
-Form over fast-growing cumulus clouds
1b. Recognize and explain special clouds: Fractus (scud) - Correct Answer - -Low
altitude turbulence
-Ragged and at low altitude
-Turbulent humid air near the ground, indicate high humidity and strong winds
1b. Recognize and explain special clouds: Fumulus - Correct Answer - -Man-made
-Above smokestacks
-Water droplets condense over cooling towers
1b. Recognize and explain special clouds: Contrails - Correct Answer - -Man-made
-Trails behind aeroplanes
, -From wing-tip vortices on aeroplanes
1c. Relate cloud coverage amounts to the visual appearance of the sky - Correct
Answer - -0/8 → Sky clear, nothing (code: SKC)
-1/8, 2/8 → Few clouds, small trails (code: FEW)
-3/8, 4/8 → Scattered, large gaps (code: SCT)
-5/8, 6/8, 7/8 → Broken, small gaps (code: BKN)
-8/8 → Overcast, no gaps (code: OVC)
*Notes:
•Cloud/sky covered measured by eighths of the sky covered, or oktas
•Flying at altitude just above or just below the level of clouds make them appear to have
more coverage than they actually do
1d. Define the cloud ceiling, estimate its altitude, and relate it to cloud coverage
amounts - Correct Answer - - Clouds that cover more than half the sky create a cloud
ceiling, constraints VFR pilots to fly below it and
- When ground visibility is very poor, referred to as vertical visibility
- IFR pilots are still concerned with ceilings, to be able to approach airport with sufficient
time to plan a landing
-Can estimate cloud ceiling using known landmarks such as mountains, pole or tree
tops
1e. Contrast horizontal visibility, vertical visibility, and runway visual range (RVR), and
discuss how they affect aviation. - Correct Answer - - Three types of visibility and each
have their own way of measuring:
1) Horizontal
-Distance you can see horizontally
-Distance between when pilot sees a hazard and when plane hits hazard is affected by
horizontal visibility
2) Vertical
-Distance you can see vertically high or height of the cloud ceiling
3) Runway Visual Range (RVR)
-Measured at airports, how far ahead a pilot can see along a runway centerline
1f. Recognize and interpret weather and obscuration glyphs on weather charts - Correct
Answer -
1g. Explain the difference between visual & instrument flight rules (VFR, IFR) and
meteorological conditions (VFC, IFC), and how they affect aviation - Correct Answer -
•Visual Flight Rules (VFR)
-Only flown in visual flight conditions or Visual Meteorological conditions.
-More than 3000 ft AGL ceiling
