DGCA CPL Aviation Meteorology case studies
DGCA CPL Aviation Meteorology · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The DGCA CPL Aviation Meteorology paper is one of the technical knowledge examinations that a candidate must clear as part of the Commercial Pilot Licence process in India. It is written for aspiring commercial pilots who are working through the ground-subject syllabus before or alongside their flying training at an approved flying training organisation. The paper tests applied weather knowledge a commercial pilot needs in daily operations: the composition and structure of the atmosphere, pressure and altimetry, temperature, humidity, stability and lapse rates, cloud formation and precipitation, global, local and upper-air winds, air masses and frontal weather, hazards such as thunderstorms, icing, turbulence and reduced visibility, and finally the interpretation of meteorological observations, reports, forecasts and charts. Preparation should be built around a standard aviation meteorology text plus the current DGCA Civil Aviation Requirements and the syllabus published for the licence, with each topic converted into short recall drills: decode a METAR or TAF line by line, sketch a cross-section for each stability case, and practise pressure-level and altimetry calculations until they are automatic. The DGCA CPL Aviation Meteorology case studies are 5 cases and about 2,519 words.
1The Climbing Departure and the Cold-Weather Altimeter
You are planning a departure from a hill station aerodrome. Field elevation is 2,400 ft AMSL.
528 words, about 3 min2The Afternoon Cumulus Build-Up
It is 1300 local time in late summer. The 0600 sounding showed a surface temperature of 24°C, a dew point of 18°C, and a dry adiabatic lapse rate in the lowest 3,000 ft.
530 words, about 3 min3Crossing the Front at Night
You are flying a night VFR cross-country at 6,500 ft AMSL. A cold front lies 60 NM ahead, moving toward you at 25 kt.
463 words, about 2 min4The Mountain Wave and the Icing Layer
You are crossing a north-south ridge at 11,500 ft AMSL. The ridge crest is 9,000 ft.
499 words, about 2 min5Reading the TAF and the Crosswind Limit
You are planning a VFR arrival at an aerodrome with a single runway, 09/27, 1,800 m long. The current TAF reads: TAF YXXX 121100Z 1212/1312 24012KT 9999 SCT030 TEMPO 1212/1216 24020G35KT 4000 SHRA BKN012 PROB30 1214/1218 25025G45KT 2000 TSRA BKN008CB .
499 words, about 2 min