Brunei DCA CPL(A) Meteorology study guide
Brunei DCA CPL(A) Meteorology · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Brunei DCA Commercial Pilot Licence (Aeroplane) Meteorology examination is one of the theoretical knowledge papers a candidate must pass before holding a CPL(A) issued under Brunei Darussalam Civil Aviation Authority rules. It is aimed at student pilots who have completed the meteorology ground-training syllabus at an approved training organisation and are ready to demonstrate that knowledge under exam conditions. The Brunei DCA CPL(A) Meteorology study guide has 9 sections and about 2,690 words.
01The Atmosphere: Composition, Structure and Standard Atmosphere
Dry air is close to 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and 1% argon, with trace gases including carbon dioxide. Water vapour is variable, up to about 4% by volume in the tropics, and it is the gas that matters most for weather.
321 words, about 2 min02Temperature, Pressure, Density and Their Altimetry Implications
Temperature falls with height in the troposphere, but inversions reverse this locally and are common at night over land, in valleys and behind fronts. QNH, QFE and QNE are the three altimeter settings.
317 words, about 2 min03Atmospheric Moisture, Humidity and Stability
Relative humidity is the ratio of actual vapour pressure to saturation vapour pressure at that temperature. Dew point is the temperature to which air must cool to become saturated.
331 words, about 2 min04Clouds and Precipitation
Clouds are grouped by height and form. High clouds (cirrus, cirrostratus, cirrocumulus) are above about 20,000 ft and consist of ice.
295 words, about 1 min05Air Masses, Fronts and Synoptic Systems
An air mass takes its properties from its source region: polar or tropical, maritime or continental. Cold air moving over a warm sea becomes unstable and showery; warm air moving over a cold surface becomes stable with fog and stratus.
305 words, about 2 min06Wind: Global, Local and Upper-Air Circulation
Unequal heating drives the Hadley, Ferrel and Polar cells. The trade winds blow from the subtropical highs toward the equatorial trough, deflected by the Coriolis force to become northeasterly in the northern hemisphere and southeasterly in the southern.
303 words, about 2 min07Tropical Meteorology and Equatorial Weather Hazards
The tropics have a weak Coriolis force, a high tropopause, abundant moisture and strong insolation. The intertropical convergence zone is a belt of convergence and deep convection that migrates with the sun, lying near Brunei in the northern summer.
262 words, about 1 min08Meteorological Hazards to Aviation (Icing, Turbulence, Thunderstorms, Windshear)
Airframe icing occurs roughly between 0°C and −20°C in visible moisture. Clear ice forms in large supercooled droplets, often in cumuliform cloud, and is heavy and dangerous.
278 words, about 1 min09Aviation Weather Information: METAR, TAF, SIGMET, Charts and Briefings
A METAR reports observed conditions: wind direction and speed with gusts, visibility, present weather, cloud amount and base, temperature and dew point, QNH and trend. Cloud amounts are FEW (1–2 oktas), SCT (3–4), BKN (5–7) and OVC (8).
278 words, about 1 min