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Unit RBMO — Basic Meteorology for RPAS

Basic Meteorology
for RPAS

Remote Pilot Licence — Unit 4 RBMO

Basic Meteorology
Basic Meteorology. View still image

Side-view cross-section of flat country under a low sun. Warm thermals rise from the heated ground and a small cumulus cloud forms where they cool. The cloud keeps growing into a towering storm cloud. A drone that was hovering to the left lands on its pad while the cloud is still building. Rain then falls from the cloud, and the gust front, a wedge of cold outflow air, spreads along the ground ahead of the rain and passes the landed drone. The cloud then fades and the cycle repeats. One label at a time: Thermals, Cumulus, Gust front.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this unit, you will be able to:

  • Explain what air pressure is, how it is measured, and how it changes with altitude
  • Describe high and low pressure systems and how the Coriolis effect influences wind direction in the Southern Hemisphere
  • Interpret synoptic charts, isobars, and pressure gradients to assess wind conditions
  • Explain gradient flow, surface wind friction effects, and local wind patterns (sea and land breezes)
  • Identify major cloud types by altitude and shape, and understand how clouds form
  • Recognise the stages of thunderstorm development and the hazards they pose to RPAS operations
  • Explain humidity, relative humidity, dew point temperature, and their effects on visibility
  • Describe temperature inversions (radiation and frontal) and their impact on flight conditions
  • Understand how wind and visibility are described in aviation weather reports
  • Describe air masses, frontal systems, and key meteorological hazards including radiation fog and advection fog
MOS Ref: All items
Section 1 of 10
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