ATC feb 26

Course Overview

  • Students will research and write a paper, followed by a presentation of their work, typically utilizing PowerPoint.

  • Expectations for presentations will be discussed in-depth.

Upcoming Lessons

Physician Relief Briefings

  • Scheduled for the following Thursday.

  • Brief lesson on how controllers undergo positional disbriefing during breaks.

  • Focus on transition of positions in a control tower setting.

Flight Progress Strips

  • Minimal focus on en route strips; more emphasis will be on terminal strip marking.

  • Generic strip marking will be covered along with specific procedures used at Academy Airport and Academy Tower.

  • Possible practical exercises with strip markings and communication.

  • Communication exercise examples: like reading an altimeter, e.g., “Altimeter two niner niner two.”

Class Schedule

  • Week after Physician Relief Briefings: No class or quiz on March 10.

  • Following Thursday: Midterm examination; bring computers. Students will have the option to leave after completing the test.

  • Spring Break: No class. Discussion about plans for break, encouraged to spend time with family and consider travel.

  • Return from break: Students to submit research topics on the first day back to show preparedness.

Post-Spring Break Schedule

  • The week after Spring Break will cover aviation weather.

  • Focus on aviation weather products such as METARs, terminal area forecasts, SigMets, etc.

  • Aim to prepare students for providing intelligent answers to pilots regarding weather conditions.

Paper Critique Guidelines

  • Students can email draft papers for critique before final submission.

  • Feedback will be returned with suggestions and corrections.

  • Final submissions due on May 1 by 11:59 PM.

Presentation Schedule

  • Following week of April 28: presentations will occur, divided into sets of four and three based on sign-up sheets.

  • No new content will be taught during presentation days, mainly student presentations.

  • End of the semester activities may include a Jeopardy-style game for review, if time permits.

  • Important dates: Final review on May 11 at 1:30 PM.

CTO Exam Information

  • CTO exams to be scheduled during dead week with a request awaiting approval from FAA for an examiner to administer the exam.

  • Exam will be administered online via LockDown Browser, and students need to submit results for grading purposes.

Weather Concepts: Air Masses and Wind

Definition of Wind

  • Wind is defined as air in motion relative to the surface of the Earth.

  • Influenced primarily by horizontal components, although vertical components play a role in weather phenomena as well.

High and Low Pressure Systems

High Pressure Systems (Anticyclones)

  • Properties: Air diverges in a clockwise motion, sinks, warms, and can hold more moisture.

  • Leads to good flying conditions as clouds tend to evaporate due to warming air.

Low Pressure Systems (Cyclones)

  • Properties: Air converges in a counterclockwise motion, rises, cools, and condenses into clouds, resulting in poor visibility and flight conditions.

  • Often associated with severe weather, including thunderstorms.

Air Mass Classification

  • Air Mass: Large body of air defined by uniform temperature and humidity.

  • Source Regions: Determine characteristics (temperature/humidity) of air masses.

Types of Air Masses

  1. Continental Arctic (cA):

    • Cold and dry.

  2. Continental Polar (cP):

    • Cold and dry.

  3. Continental Tropical (cT):

    • Hot and dry.

  4. Maritime Polar (mP):

    • Cool and moist.

  5. Maritime Tropical (mT):

    • Warm and moist.

  6. Maritime Arctic (mA):

    • Rarely occurs.

Effects of Air Masses on Weather

  • Changes in surface conditions can modify an air mass as it moves, affecting temperature and stability.

  • Cold air moving over warm surfaces = unstable air with potential turbulence and shower formations.

  • Warm air moving over cold surfaces = stable air, typically associated with low visibility and stratiform clouds.

Fronts and Precipitation

Definition of a Front

  • A front is a boundary between two air masses differing in density and temperature.

  • Fronts can be identified by significant temperature differences and associated wind patterns.

Types of Fronts

  1. Cold Front:

    • Moves faster than warm fronts, creates narrow bands of showers or thunderstorms with unstable air conditions.

  2. Warm Front:

    • Has a gentle slope, resulting in widespread clouds and steady precipitation but smooth air.

  3. Stationary Front:

    • Neither air mass displaces the other.

  4. Occluded Front:

    • A combination of fronts occurring as a cold front overtakes a warm front.

Precipitation Types

  1. Snow (SN):

    • Occurs when temperatures remain below freezing through the entire atmosphere.

  2. Ice Pellets (Sleet):

    • Formed when raindrops freeze upon entering a cold air layer.

  3. Freezing Rain (FZR):

    • Rain that freezes on contact with the ground or objects due to shallow cold air at surface.

  4. Rain (RA):

    • Occurs when there is a deep layer of warm air above freezing; rain continues falling through this layer.

Precipitation Formation Requirements

  1. Water Vapor: Essential for all forms of precipitation.

  2. Lift: A mechanism is required to elevate moisture into the atmosphere (e.g., fronts, converging winds).

  3. Growth Process: Particles need to grow large enough to fall to the ground as precipitation.

National Weather Service (NWS)

  • NWS is part of NOAA under the Department of Commerce, responsible for providing weather forecasts and warnings.

  • Includes various forecasting offices that issue AIRMETs and SigMets critical for aviation.

  • Provides information for aviation weather advisories through the Center Weather Service Unit in air traffic control centers.