Met Office: Course syllabuses

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Aviation meteorology training

Met Office training in aviation meteorology offers pilots a comprehensive programme covering all aspects of aviation meteorology. Whether you are a beginner or simply looking to learn more, we have a course to suit your needs.

Details of the course syllabuses

Syllabus for the 2-day Met. for Gliders course
Aim:	To increase the pilot's understanding and awareness of gliding meteorology
Objectives:	By the end of the course, participants should: have an improved understanding of general meteorology including pressure systems, air masses and frontal systems; understand the basic forces acting on the atmosphere, and their relationship with the wind; have an improved level of interpretation of aviation forecast products; understand the concepts of atmospheric stability, and their impact on cloud development; have a basic understanding of how to interpret weather satellite and radar rainfall imagery; be introduced to the interpretation of Met Office computer model charts.
Day 1 morning:	Introduction Air masses Fronts and pressure systems Tour of Met Office Operations Centre
Afternoon:	Interpreting 214, 215 forms Introduction to computer weather model output, including the Met Office computer model Wind forecasting, including sea breezes and valley winds
Day 2 Morning:	Introduction to the tephigram, in relation to determining stability/instability Tephigram techniques related to convective cloud forecasting, including infill Tephigram techniques related to layered-cloud forecasting Mountain waves
Afternoon:	Aviation hazards Satellite and radar interpretation Questions and course review

Syllabus for the 2-day Met. for Gliders course

Aim:

To increase the pilot's understanding and awareness of gliding meteorology

Objectives:

By the end of the course, participants should:

have an improved understanding of general meteorology including pressure systems, air masses and frontal systems;
understand the basic forces acting on the atmosphere, and their relationship with the wind;
have an improved level of interpretation of aviation forecast products;
understand the concepts of atmospheric stability, and their impact on cloud development;
have a basic understanding of how to interpret weather satellite and radar rainfall imagery;
be introduced to the interpretation of Met Office computer model charts.

Day 1 morning:

Introduction
Air masses
Fronts and pressure systems
Tour of Met Office Operations Centre

Afternoon:

Interpreting 214, 215 forms
Introduction to computer weather model output, including the Met Office computer model
Wind forecasting, including sea breezes and valley winds

Day 2 Morning:

Introduction to the tephigram, in relation to determining stability/instability
Tephigram techniques related to convective cloud forecasting, including infill
Tephigram techniques related to layered-cloud forecasting
Mountain waves

Afternoon:

Aviation hazards
Satellite and radar interpretation
Questions and course review

Syllabus for the 2-day Met. for Aviators course
Aim:	To broaden and enhance the pilot's knowledge of aviation weather in relation to low-level route planning and safety
Objectives:	By the end of the course, participants should: have an improved understanding of general meteorology including pressure systems, air masses, frontal systems, forces acting on the atmosphere and wind; be able to fully interpret and effectively use METARs and TAFs; have an improved understanding of aviation hazards and the use of specific aviation forecast products (214/215); have a basic understanding of how to interpret weather satellite and radar rainfall imagery.
Topics will include:	Understanding the forces that generate the surface wind Air-mass recognition including clouds and stability Fronts and pressure systems Altimetry Basic weather radar and satellite interpretation METARs, Trends and TAFs Weather-related aviation hazards Metform F214 and F215, understanding the terminology and interpretation Flight forecast and route-planning exercise Tour of Met Office Operations Centre Met Office Aviation Services

Syllabus for the 2-day Met. for Aviators course

Aim:

To broaden and enhance the pilot's knowledge of aviation weather in relation to low-level route planning and safety

Objectives:

By the end of the course, participants should:

have an improved understanding of general meteorology including pressure systems, air masses, frontal systems, forces acting on the atmosphere and wind;
be able to fully interpret and effectively use METARs and TAFs;
have an improved understanding of aviation hazards and the use of specific aviation forecast products (214/215);
have a basic understanding of how to interpret weather satellite and radar rainfall imagery.

Topics will include:

Understanding the forces that generate the surface wind
Air-mass recognition including clouds and stability
Fronts and pressure systems
Altimetry
Basic weather radar and satellite interpretation
METARs, Trends and TAFs
Weather-related aviation hazards
Metform F214 and F215, understanding the terminology and interpretation
Flight forecast and route-planning exercise
Tour of Met Office Operations Centre
Met Office Aviation Services

Syllabus for the 2-day Met. for Balloonists course
Aim:	To broaden and enhance the pilot's knowledge of ballooning meteorology
Objectives:	By the end of the course, participants should: be able to recognise likely ballooning prospects by considering air-mass type; have a basic understanding of the formation and life cycle of weather fronts; be able to fully interpret and effectively use METARs and TAFs; have an improved understanding of aviation hazards and the use of specific aviation forecast products, including how basic data are obtained and used by the forecasters; have a basic understanding of the atmospheric processes, including stability and the tephigram, and the relationship between density, pressure, temperature and humidity; have a basic understanding of clouds and how they form; have a basic understanding of visibility, including the understanding of fog and stratus processes and haze development.
Day 1 morning:	Introduction Air-mass recognition including stability Fronts and pressure systems
Afternoon:	Understanding the forces that generate the surface wind Surface weather chart interpretation Visibility – fog formation, clearance mechanisms, haze/slant visibility
Day 2 Morning:	Weather-related aviation hazards Clouds and how they form, cloud physics, stability in the atmosphere Atmospheric process, tephigrams, relationship between density, pressure, temperature and humidity
Afternoon:	Tour of Met Office Operations Centre METARs, TAFs, and surface observations Weather charts, Metform F214 and F215, understanding the terminology and interpretation, ballooning forecasts, forecast wind charts.

Syllabus for the 2-day Met. for Balloonists course

Aim:

To broaden and enhance the pilot's knowledge of ballooning meteorology

Objectives:

By the end of the course, participants should:

be able to recognise likely ballooning prospects by considering air-mass type;
have a basic understanding of the formation and life cycle of weather fronts;
be able to fully interpret and effectively use METARs and TAFs;
have an improved understanding of aviation hazards and the use of specific aviation forecast products, including how basic data are obtained and used by the forecasters;
have a basic understanding of the atmospheric processes, including stability and the tephigram, and the relationship between density, pressure, temperature and humidity;
have a basic understanding of clouds and how they form;
have a basic understanding of visibility, including the understanding of fog and stratus processes and haze development.

Day 1 morning:

Introduction
Air-mass recognition including stability
Fronts and pressure systems

Afternoon:

Understanding the forces that generate the surface wind
Surface weather chart interpretation
Visibility – fog formation, clearance mechanisms, haze/slant visibility

Day 2 Morning:

Weather-related aviation hazards
Clouds and how they form, cloud physics, stability in the atmosphere
Atmospheric process, tephigrams, relationship between density, pressure, temperature and humidity

Afternoon:

Tour of Met Office Operations Centre
METARs, TAFs, and surface observations
Weather charts, Metform F214 and F215, understanding the terminology and interpretation, ballooning forecasts, forecast wind charts.

Syllabus for the 1-day Flight Planning Met. course
Aim:	To broaden and enhance the planner's knowledge of aviation weather in relation to flight planning and safety.
Objectives:	By the end of the course, participants should: be able to fully interpret and effectively use METAR, TAF and station circle data; have an improved understanding of aviation hazards, SIGMETs and the use of WAFC medium- and high-level significant weather and wind forecast charts; have a basic understanding of how to interpret weather satellite and radar rainfall imagery.
Morning:	Introduction METARs/TAFs/station circle METAR and TAF exercise Surface weather chart interpretation
Afternoon:	Aviation weather hazards Basic weather radar and satellite interpretation Interpretation of WAFC forecast wind and significant weather charts and SIGMETs WAFC charts route planning exercise

Syllabus for the 1-day Flight Planning Met. course

Aim:

To broaden and enhance the planner's knowledge of aviation weather in relation to flight planning and safety.

Objectives:

By the end of the course, participants should:

be able to fully interpret and effectively use METAR, TAF and station circle data;
have an improved understanding of aviation hazards, SIGMETs and the use of WAFC medium- and high-level significant weather and wind forecast charts;
have a basic understanding of how to interpret weather satellite and radar rainfall imagery.

Morning:

Introduction
METARs/TAFs/station circle
METAR and TAF exercise
Surface weather chart interpretation

Afternoon:

Aviation weather hazards
Basic weather radar and satellite interpretation
Interpretation of WAFC forecast wind and significant weather charts and SIGMETs
WAFC charts route planning exercise

Syllabus for the 1-day Weather Decision Making for Pilots course
Aim:	To facilitate a safe and efficient management of flight through improved pilot weather decision making in both planning and flight phases.
Objectives:	By the end of the course, participants should: understand the concept of Meteorological Threats; understand human factors affecting a logical assessment of weather; have a consolidated top-down method to interpret weather information; understand the concept of meteorological Threat and Error Management (TEM) and be able to apply practically in every flight.
Topics will include:	Meteorological Threats: aviation hazards, threats specific to operation, latent threats and discussion on how to deal with them. Meteorological Interpretation: human factors involved in and a consolidate, logical top-down procedure for assessing weather information. Meteorological Threat and Error Management: the concept, VFR/IFR case studies and exercises.

Syllabus for the 1-day Weather Decision Making for Pilots course

Aim:

To facilitate a safe and efficient management of flight through improved pilot weather decision making in both planning and flight phases.

Objectives:

By the end of the course, participants should:

understand the concept of Meteorological Threats;
understand human factors affecting a logical assessment of weather;
have a consolidated top-down method to interpret weather information;
understand the concept of meteorological Threat and Error Management (TEM) and be able to apply practically in every flight.

Topics will include:

Meteorological Threats: aviation hazards, threats specific to operation, latent threats and discussion on how to deal with them.
Meteorological Interpretation: human factors involved in and a consolidate, logical top-down procedure for assessing weather information.
Meteorological Threat and Error Management: the concept, VFR/IFR case studies and exercises.

Further information about the Flight Planning Met. course can be obtained by e-mailing your query to met4aviators@metoffice.gov.uk or by contacting our Customer Centre.

Aviation meteorology training

Details of the course syllabuses

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