Meteorology
Meteorology questions test your ability to read the atmosphere and its products. Understand the standard atmosphere (ISA: 15 °C at sea level, lapse rate 2 °C per 1,000 ft, pressure 1013.25 hPa), pressure systems, and how altimeters respond to pressure and temperature. Learn cloud families and their associated weather, stability and instability, the formation of thunderstorms and their hazards (downbursts, microbursts, hail, icing, lightning), and the difference between advection and radiation fog. Know the local phenomena relevant to Mozambique: the monsoon influence, sea breezes along the coast, and convective build-up in the hot season.
Traps: confusing QNH, QFE and QNE; forgetting that flying from high to low pressure without resetting the altimeter makes the aircraft lower than indicated ("high to low, look out below"); and misreading METAR/TAF groups. Practise decoding: wind, visibility, weather, cloud, temperature/dewpoint, QNH, and trend. Also know the significance of dewpoint spread - a small spread means high humidity and fog risk.
Worked example: a METAR reads wind 180/10 kt, visibility 8 km, scattered cloud at 1,500 ft, temperature 24 °C, dewpoint 22 °C, QNH 1012. The 2 °C spread with a light onshore wind suggests a real risk of mist or fog as temperature falls overnight. For the altimeter rule of thumb: when pressure falls, the true altitude is lower than indicated; when temperature is colder than ISA, the aircraft is lower than indicated - apply both corrections on approach in cold weather.