This morning I finished reading Aviation Weather (AC 00-6A), an “Advisory Circular” from the FAA. This book was heavily referenced in the study material I used in ground school, so I figured it was worth reading in its entirety. In fact, many of the questions on the Private Pilot Knowledge Exam seemed to be lifted verbatim from this book. It re-enforced concepts that I already understood, and more fully developed concepts that I had only minor exposure to.
From this book I gained a more complete understand of the Coriolis Force, the Jet Stream, the process by which thunderstorms develop, and the qualities of the various types of airmass fronts. The highlight of the book for me was the last chapter: Soaring Weather. The chapter covers topics that are primarily of interest to the sailplane pilot, but knowledge of when and where thermals will form and what qualities they will have is useful in assessing where turbulence might be encountered on an engine-driven flight. The last chapter also has a clear description on the formation of Lenticular Clouds and the effects of mountain waves (and their associated dangers!).
This book began as a bulletin in 1945, which was updated and published as the “Pilot’s Weather Handbook” in 1954, then released as “Aviation Weather For Pilots and Flight Operations Personnel” in 1965, and finally revised in 1975. Previous versions of the advisory circular included references to specific weather services, rendering it obsolete after a short period of time. The 1975 revision removed references to specific aviation weather services, which were moved to a separate advisory circular called “Aviation Weather Services” (AC 00-45E). The book attempts to focus on the more “timeless” aspects of weather processes, avoiding references to specific technologies or charts in use today. I got a lot out of the book, and I’d recommend it to those attempting to acquire a deeper understanding of the weather-related topics of interest to pilots.
