This is the Skew-T Weather Essentials twelve-week summary guide. This summary guide is a PDF that includes the following -
Table of contents
Hyperlinks to the twelve private video recordings (over 10 hours of expert training!)
Hyperlinks to a PDF containing the slides for each class
Hyperlinks to each quiz and quiz answers for each class
This content is provided for your personal use only. Please do not share this or post it online. We appreciate your cooperation.
Skew-T Weather Essentials Recorded Class
This class is less about learning how to use the Skew-T log (p) diagram and more about learning the fundamental principles and building blocks of aviation meteorology. The tool makes for a great canvas or backdrop to teach you about what causes the formation of clouds, fog, airframe icing, turbulence, and thunderstorms, just to name a few. In other words, you need to understand these basic principles of weather first, before mastering how to interpret the Skew-T log (p) diagram for your preflight weather planning and analysis.
In a nutshell, this 12-week course is specifically directed at certificated private/commercial pilots, flight instructors and designated pilot examiners that want to really learn the science and application of the Skew-T log (p) diagram. It is open to pilots with and without an instrument rating. Putting it succinctly, this is meant to be a slight notch above the intermediate level. For most students attending this 12-week course, 20% of the material will be a review of basic aviation weather concept and the other 80% will be new or untaught material to focus on those gaps in knowledge that most certificated pilots possess.
Please note since this class was held, the instance of the Skew-T diagram primarily used throughout this program was a site hosted by NOAA (rucsoundings.noaa.gov). Due to the dismantling of NOAA, this site has been permanently shut down. However, there are other sources of the Skew-T diagram to include Tropical Tidbits, Pivotal Weather and TwisterData just to name a few.
Syllabus topics include -
- Introduction to the Skew-T diagram & radiosonde observations
- Fundamental properties of the atmosphere
- The base Skew-T diagram
- Lapse rates & buoyancy
- Mixing ratio, wind & inversions
- Parcel theory
- Stability indices (Part 1)
- Stability indices (Part 2)
- Cloud bases & tops
- Airframe icing (Part 1)
- Airframe icing (Part 2)
- Turbulence
...and more.