Oxford Aviation Training and the Met Office have developed a self-teach, media-rich, interactive Computer Based Training (CBT) course of theoretical and practical Meteorology aimed at both student and qualified pilots. Instruction is up to JAA ATPL level, but as the course is designed for beginners it is suitable for CPL and PPL pilots, too.

The main aim of this CBT is to give pilot-oriented training in Aviation Met theory and to teach pilots to use this theory to interpret met forecasts and reports in order to plan safe and expeditious flying sorties. The secondary aim of the CBT is to teach pilots how to extract and interpret met information from the Met Office's web site.

Review - Aviation Meteorology Course

According to the UK Met office web site (www.metoffice.com/training/ct_aviation.html) they offer Aviation Meteorology for Beginners and an Advanced Aviation Meteorology course. Advanced makes it sound complicated but as the beginner’s course is only for PPL and NPPL levels, it isn’t rocket science but does contain everything needed up to ATPL level.

Back in 1988 when I was studying weather for my IR exams I found the matter so complicated that I ended up writing a book on the subject. This was simply so that I could explain everything to myself but Airlife kindly published it and it is still in print today. To write this book I had to read every meteorology tome that I could find and compliment that with Cabair’s correspondence course. It was hard, boring, graft. Had I had access to the technology that exists today I would have learnt the subject with ease and would never of needed to compile the book.

Technology has changed the world of what we used to term correspondence courses and now call distance learning. In an admirable partnership the UK Met Office and Oxford Aviation Training have pooled their knowledge and experience to produce a very slick and professional interactive CD containing the whole meteorology course. It is all rather well done. You simply slip the CD in your drive and the computer starts talking to you. Simple menus allow you to chose from a main set of choices; meteorology, flight briefing or met services and these headings then break down with sub-headings so that you can select an individual ‘lecture’ on, for instance, thunderstorms. Everything is easy to find and with excellent moving graphics, seemingly complicated phenomena like adiabatic warming is simply and logically explained. Short tests are given at the end of each section.

Once you have self-trained (or even beforehand) you can take various tests and opt for FAA, JAA or a general style test. This option takes you to a really neat menu where you can compile your own test by clicking on various headings (humidity, turbulence, icing etc.) and once you have five subjects, random questions will be offered to you. You get two shots at each question and if you get anything wrong, lessons relevant to the questions are listed so that you can brush up on your weakest subjects.

The other sections show you how to make the best of the available UK Met web site information and have a few sample flight plans that are explained with blowby-blow TAFS, 214 & 215 information.

This is an essential study aid for all pilots from NPPL to ATPL. It’s actually an enjoyable method of study. One giant caveat for all you PPL/IR holders. If you get hold of a copy of this CD don’t pile straight in to the test and expect a pass (75%). Our straw poll in the editorial office revealed that most pilots have forgotten much of the theoretical side of this important subject.

David Bruford
Instrument Pilot
The journal of PPL/IR Europe
May-June 2003

Review of Aviation Meteorology Interactive Tutor
By Ellen Putt of AOPA (Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association)

The eagerly awaited Oxford Aviation Training/UK Meteorology Office computer based training (CBT) ‘Aviation Met For Pilots’ has finally arrived! Believe me; the wait is definitely worth it!

The opening sequence has you flying IMC before climbing out on top to start the ground school! This is a fully interactive, self-teach, media-rich CBT. It covers the whole range of aviation meteorology theory and is extremely accessible to a wide range of pilots from the PPL student to the GA pilot who want to enhance their understanding of meteorology and finally to those commercial students who are battling over their ATPL ground studies. Met is often regarded as one of the more complex subjects to study and approached with some trepidation. Well, fear not! The main aim of this CBT is to provide you with no-nonsense pilot-oriented training in Aviation Met theory and to teach you how to use this knowledge to interpret met forecasts and reports confidently to plan safe and expeditious flying sorties. With a worrying trend towards weather related accidents there is no doubt that safety was a key factor in the development of this CBT.

The CBT is divided into three parts, with each part split into topics. On entering a topic, each screen contains a short amount of verbal infonnation containing I or 2 key facts, supported with written text and clear diagrams. The more complex concepts are invariably supported by animated sequences, which visually reinforce the subject. I found the animations so vivid that they have stuck in my mind. This is certainly an aid in my recall and understanding as I go back over my ATPL notes. You move forward at your own pace through each topic using an easy navigation bar. I was particularly impressed with the narrators, who were easy to listen to and presented the material in a clear and concise manner.

Part I covers the requirements of the JAA PPL, CPL and ATPL theoretical knowledge syllabi for Meteorology and much more besides. For me, the visual presentation was the key e.g. in ‘Clouds and Precipitation’ the theory is applied to actual photographs of clouds rather than dry descriptions. I defy anyone not to be impressed and to become thoroughly absorbed in the joys of thunderstorms, wind shear, icing etc. Each section starts at the very beginning with the basics and gradually becomes more complex. Clearly there are some areas that are above and beyond what is necessary for the PPL such as detailed study of high-level charts, jetstream, and global climatology.

The self-assessment tests, with feedback, are available both in the form of general tests (100 constantly varied questions) and subject specific tests in JAA and FAA format. The JAA-format tests enable you to benefit from OATs considerable experience in preparing many hundreds of students for the JAA ATPL theoretical knowledge examinations.

Part 2 ‘Flight Briefing’ contains instruction on types of forecast available to pilots and interpretation of forecasts for flight planning purposes. In the case of METARS and TAFs, there are separate lessons covering FAA conventions.

The format of many of these reports has managed to confuse pilots, who often do not make the best use out of them. However, I have never seen the interpretation and use of standard aviation met reports and forecasts so clearly explained. The charts and reports are taken to pieces, with each dissected section described. These are clearly illustrated with supporting photographs before putting the whole picture together again. After these instructions I am sure that you will feel much more confident in their use. You are provided with an ample amount of practice in decoding TAFS/METARS starting from basic stuff to more complex reports.

Part 3 teaches pilots how best to access and use the UK Met Office weather information published on its official web site, as well as detailing the extremely useful CAA/Met publication ‘Get Met’.

There is no doubt that a lot of hard work and personal attention has gone into this outstanding product. It provides instruction in meteorology to a level of effectiveness that I have not seen before for the GA market. Go on, spoil yourseIf, and put this on your Christmas wish list!

Purchase from this website www.oatmedia.com
Or from the Met Office Tel: 0845 300 0300 E-mail: enquiries@metoffice.com
Or from all good pilot shops.