ATPL Meteorology (Sri Lanka CAA Pilot Licence Examinations) study plan

Sketch the ICAO standard atmosphere from memory, labelling the troposphere, tropopause, stratosphere and the tropopause heights at the equator and poles, then state the standard sea-level values of pressure, temperature, density and lapse rate.

Explain how the composition of the atmosphere changes with height and why the ozone layer and water vapour distribution matter for aviation weather.

Derive the ISA temperature and pressure at 5,000 ft intervals up to 40,000 ft using the standard lapse rate, and check your answers against a published ISA table.

Describe the solar and terrestrial radiation balance, and explain why the tropopause is higher and colder over the equator than over the poles.

List the atmospheric layers in order and state one operational consequence of each for aircraft performance or weather.

Distinguish QFE, QNH, QFF and standard pressure settings, and convert between them for a worked aerodrome example.

Calculate true altitude from indicated altitude, elevation and temperature error using the 4 ft per 1,000 ft per degree Celsius rule, and verify with a second method.

Explain how pressure, density and humidity each affect aircraft performance, and state the density altitude formula in practical terms.

Interpret the altimeter subscale and identify the errors caused by setting the wrong pressure or flying from high to low pressure.

Define transition altitude, transition level and transition layer, and state how they are used on climb and descent.

Define the environmental lapse rate, dry adiabatic lapse rate and saturated adiabatic lapse rate, and calculate the stability of a parcel for a given set of values.

Classify absolute stability, conditional instability and absolute instability from temperature lapse rate comparisons, with one worked example of each.

Explain how surface heating, advection, subsidence and lifting mechanisms change stability, and predict the resulting weather.

Describe the formation of radiation fog, advection fog and frontal fog in terms of stability and moisture, and state the conditions that disperse each.

Interpret a tephigram or skew-T enough to identify the tropopause, stable and unstable layers, and the freezing level.

Define dew point, relative humidity, mixing ratio and saturation, and calculate the dew point depression from given temperature and dew point values.

Explain the processes that lift air to condensation: convection, orographic lifting, frontal lifting and convergence, with one weather example each.

Classify the ten cloud genera by height and shape, and match each to the stability and moisture conditions that produce it.

Describe precipitation types (rain, drizzle, snow, sleet, hail, freezing rain) and the temperature profile needed for each to reach the surface.

Explain how condensation trails and aircraft-induced cirrus form and when they persist.

Classify air masses by source region and moisture, and predict the weather they bring to a temperate latitude in winter and summer.

Describe the structure of a frontal depression: warm front, cold front, occluded front and warm sector, with the cloud and precipitation sequence at each stage.

Explain the life cycle of a mid-latitude depression from wave development to occlusion and decay, and state the role of the jet stream in steering it.

Compare the passage of a warm front and a cold front at a surface station, listing the changes in pressure, temperature, wind and visibility.

Describe the formation conditions and hazards of a squall line and a secondary cold front.

Explain the forces acting on air: pressure gradient, Coriolis, friction and centrifugal, and describe geostrophic and gradient wind balance.

Describe the global circulation, the trade winds, the westerlies and the polar easterlies, and relate them to the position of the ITCZ and subtropical highs.

Explain the formation, location and seasonal movement of the jet streams, and describe the hazards of clear air turbulence near the polar front jet.

Interpret surface and upper-air charts to identify troughs, ridges, cols and their associated weather.

Explain local winds: sea and land breezes, mountain and valley winds, Foehn and katabatic winds.

Describe the conditions for aircraft icing, the types of icing (rime, clear, mixed) and the temperature ranges in which each occurs.

Explain the formation of thunderstorms, the three stages of a thunderstorm cell, and the hazards of microbursts, hail, lightning and wind shear.

Describe the causes of turbulence: mechanical, thermal, frontal, mountain wave and clear air turbulence, and state where each is encountered.

Explain the formation and dissipation of fog and mist, and the conditions that reduce visibility: haze, sandstorms, blowing snow and precipitation.

State the conditions for volcanic ash and low-level wind shear, and the actions a pilot takes when each is forecast.

Decode METAR and TAF reports, including trend groups, CAVOK, colour codes and the meaning of each group, for five sample reports.

Interpret SIGMET, AIRMET, GAMET, PIREP and NOTAM weather information, and state when each is issued.

Read significant weather charts, wind and temperature aloft charts, and satellite and radar imagery, and extract the operational information from each.

Explain how meteorological information reaches the flight deck, including VOLMET, ATIS, D-ATIS and datalink weather.

Complete a timed mixed quiz across all eight domains and review every wrong answer with a written correction.