Download
FAA · Private Pilot Knowledge Test

Private Pilot Aviation Weather

US weather for VFR: atmosphere, stability, fronts, thunderstorms, icing, and fog.

There is no separate Aviation Weather exam. It is one of the subjects on the Private Pilot Knowledge Test, a single test that covers them all.

The Knowledge Test

  • 60questions
  • 2.5 htime limit
  • 70%to pass
Syllabus

What the test covers

Pocket Pilot teaches Aviation Weather in nine lessons, about 60 minutes of reading in all.

  1. 01

    The Atmosphere & Standard Conditions

    5 min

    Atmospheric layers · Composition · The International Standard Atmosphere (ISA) · Computing ISA temperature at altitude · ISA deviation · Pressure decreases with altitude · Why density matters more than temperature · Heat transfer in the atmosphere · The general circulation

  2. 02

    Pressure Altitude & Density Altitude

    6 min

    The four altitudes · Pressure altitude: the performance baseline · Density altitude: what the airplane feels · Effects of high density altitude · Humidity's effect on density · Reading the density altitude chart · Cold weather effect · Why this matters operationally

  3. 03

    Temperature, Stability & Lapse Rates

    6 min

    Lapse rates: three to know · What "adiabatic" means · Stability: comparing ELR to adiabatic rates · Inversions: when the atmosphere flips · Triggers for vertical motion · Stability indicators in practice · Stability in METARs and forecasts · Convective build-up: a typical summer day · Inversions and night operations

  4. 04

    Moisture, Clouds & Precipitation

    7 min

    Water vapor and the dew point · Dew and frost · How clouds form · The Lifted Condensation Level (LCL) · The four cloud families · Two big-picture cloud types · Cumulonimbus: the cloud you avoid · Precipitation types · Freezing rain: the silent killer · Forming hail

  5. 05

    Wind, Pressure Systems & Circulation

    7 min

    Pressure gradient force · Coriolis force · Geostrophic wind: the upper-level balance · Surface wind: friction enters the picture · Veer vs. back · High and low pressure systems · Wind shear · Mechanical turbulence · Thermal turbulence · Mountain waves · Jet stream · Land and sea breezes · Reading a surface weather chart

  6. 06

    Air Masses & Fronts

    7 min

    Air masses · What a front actually is · Cold front · Warm front · Stationary front · Occluded front · Frontal symbols on a chart · Frontal weather in the US: typical patterns · VFR strategy around fronts

  7. 07

    Thunderstorms, Microbursts & Wind Shear

    8 min

    The three required ingredients · The three life-cycle stages · Hazards inside (and near) a thunderstorm · Thunderstorm types · Microbursts: the killer of approaches · Wind shear beyond microbursts · Clear-air turbulence (CAT) · Avoiding thunderstorms: the operational rules · Convective SIGMETs · Thunderstorm season in the US, by region

  8. 08

    Icing & Supercooled Water

    7 min

    The physics: supercooled water · Three types of structural ice · Effects of structural ice · Conditions favoring ice · Freezing rain: the worst case · Carburetor ice: a different mechanism · Ice on the propeller · Anti-ice equipment in light singles · FIKI: flight into known icing · What an unprotected light single must do · Reporting icing: the PIREP · Forecast products for icing

  9. 09

    Visibility, Fog & Restrictions to Visibility

    7 min

    Visibility definitions · Restrictions to visibility: METAR codes · Types of fog · Haze and smoke · Sun-angle and visibility · Visibility on instrument approaches · Visibility reporting standards · Forecasting visibility: what to watch · VFR-into-IMC: the trap · Personal minimums for visibility

Format

How the test works

The Private Pilot Knowledge Test, often called the written, is one multiple-choice test of 60 questions drawn from every area of the FAA's Airman Certification Standards. Aviation Weather questions are mixed in with the rest.

  • You have 2.5 hours, and you need 70% to pass, which is 42 correct answers.
  • You take it at an approved testing center, once your instructor has endorsed you for it.
  • A pass is valid for 24 calendar months, and you need to pass your checkride within that time.

In Pocket Pilot you can practice Aviation Weather on its own, from a growing question bank, then sit a full 60-question mock exam that mixes every subject, timed like the real test.

Sample questions

Try three test questions

From the Pocket Pilot Aviation Weather question bank, each with the app's explanation and the source it cites.

  1. 01 / 03

    Surface temperature is 24 °C and the dew point is 14 °C. The approximate base of the fair-weather cumulus clouds will be:

    1. A1,000 ft AGL
    2. B2,500 ft AGL
    3. C4,000 ft AGL
    4. D10,000 ft AGL
    Show the answer

    Answer C. Divide the temperature/dew point spread in °C by 2.5 and multiply by 1,000: (24 − 14) ÷ 2.5 × 1,000 = 4,000 ft AGL. This estimates the lifted condensation level where rising air saturates.

    Source
    FAA-H-8083-28A, Chapter 12
    Lesson
    Moisture, Clouds & Precipitation
  2. 02 / 03

    Virga (precipitation evaporating before reaching the ground) is a significant warning sign of:

    1. ALight, smooth flying conditions below
    2. BAn approaching warm front
    3. CA potential microburst: strong, localized downdrafts that can exceed 6,000 ft/min
    4. DMountain wave activity
    Show the answer

    Answer C. Virga indicates that rain is evaporating in dry air below the cloud base. The evaporation cools the air, increasing its density and accelerating it downward. This can produce a microburst: an intense, short-lived downdraft that is extremely dangerous on takeoff and landing.

    Source
    FAA-H-8083-28A, Chapter 19
    Lesson
    Thunderstorms, Microbursts & Wind Shear
  3. 03 / 03

    Radiation fog is most likely to form when:

    1. AStrong winds bring saturated air over a warm surface
    2. BA warm front is moving rapidly over a cool surface
    3. CA cold front passes during the afternoon
    4. DClear skies, light winds, high humidity, and cooling overnight allow surface temperature to drop near the dew point
    Show the answer

    Answer D. Radiation fog forms on clear nights with light winds and high humidity, when the ground radiates heat away and surface air cools to the dew point.

    Source
    FAA-H-8083-28A, Chapter 18
    Lesson
    Visibility, Fog & Restrictions to Visibility
Other subjects

The other nine subjects

How the Knowledge Test works →
Get started

Study Aviation Weather in Pocket Pilot

Nine lessons, a growing question bank and a timed practice exam, all offline. Free to start on iPhone and iPad.

Download on the App Store
Android in closed testing · join the beta