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

Explain how pressure, density and temperature change with altitude in the ISA, and compute the ISA values at a given flight level using the standard lapse rate and tropopause assumptions

Derive density altitude from pressure altitude and temperature for at least five worked airport scenarios, and state the resulting takeoff and climb performance penalty

Distinguish troposphere, stratosphere and tropopause characteristics and identify which layer contains most aviation weather and why

Describe the composition of the atmosphere and explain the roles of water vapour, aerosols and ozone in weather and aircraft operation

Define relative humidity, dewpoint, dewpoint depression and mixing ratio, and calculate dewpoint spread from given temperature and dewpoint values

Classify stability from lapse rates (environmental versus dry and saturated adiabatic) and predict the resulting cloud type and vertical development

Explain the processes that produce cooling to dewpoint and match each to the cloud or fog type it generates

Describe the formation and aviation significance of the ten main cloud genera, including cumulonimbus, and the precipitation types each produces

Interpret the effect of stability and moisture on turbulence, visibility and icing potential in a given sounding-style description

Characterise the four main air-mass types by source region and the weather they bring to the operating area

Trace the vertical structure and passage sequence of a cold front, warm front, occluded front and stationary front, and list the weather changes before, during and after passage

Predict wind shifts, pressure tendency, temperature change, cloud and visibility associated with each frontal type at a specific airport

Explain frontal wave development and the life cycle of a mid-latitude cyclone from wave to occlusion

Decode a surface synoptic chart: identify highs, lows, ridges, troughs, cols, isobar spacing and the implied pressure gradient and wind

Apply Buys Ballot's law and the geostrophic and gradient wind relationships to infer surface and upper winds from chart isobars

Explain the formation of land and sea breezes, valley and anabatic winds, föhn-type downslope winds and katabatic drainage flow

Describe the origin and effects of low-level wind shear, mechanical and thermal turbulence, and the jet stream at upper levels

Interpret a 500 hPa or significant-weather chart to identify upper-level troughs, ridges and jet-stream position