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Weather

1. A remote pilot is planning a flight 12 nautical miles from a severe thunderstorm. Which hazard could still affect the small UA at that distance?

Why: The visible cloud is only part of a thunderstorm's hazardous environment. Severe turbulence can extend well outside a severe thunderstorm, and gust fronts or other outflow winds can travel well ahead of the precipitation and visible cloud boundary. A small UA only 12 nautical miles from a severe thunderstorm may therefore encounter major wind shifts, turbulence, or strong outflow despite being outside the visible cloud. FAA guidance calls for substantial separation from severe or intense thunderstorms rather than treating the cloud edge as the hazard boundary.
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Weather

2. A METAR reports: KJFK 251755Z 36012KT 1/2SM BR OVC005 M02/M04 A2992. What does 1/2SM mean?

Why: In a U.S. METAR, prevailing visibility is reported in statute miles, indicated by the suffix SM. Therefore, 1/2SM means a prevailing visibility of one-half statute mile. For Part 107 operations, the regulatory minimum flight visibility is 3 statute miles as observed from the control station. Consequently, if the flight visibility at the control station were also one-half statute mile, the normal Part 107 visibility requirement would not be met.
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Weather

3. A remote pilot reviews: KJFK 251755Z 36012KT 10SM FEW250 18/09 A2992. What does 251755Z indicate?

Why: The METAR observation-time group uses the format DDHHMMZ: DD is the day of the month, HH the hour, MM the minute, and Z means UTC (Zulu time). Therefore, 251755Z means the 25th day of the month at 17:55 UTC. It is not local time, and a METAR has no validity period: it reports conditions at the time of observation.
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Weather

4. A remote pilot plans a flight from a high-elevation site on a hot, humid afternoon. How will high density altitude affect the small unmanned aircraft?

Why: Heat, humidity and elevation all raise density altitude, meaning the air is less dense. Propellers and wings then produce less thrust and lift, so climb performance and payload capability decrease, and endurance may also decrease. This applies to multirotors as well as fixed-wing aircraft.
Source: FAA Remote Pilot Study Guide (FAA-G-8082-22)
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Weather

5. An international or U.S. military TAF contains the group: BECMG 1818/1820 5SM BR. What does this group indicate?

Why: BECMG means becoming. It indicates that a change in prevailing conditions is expected to occur at an unspecified time during the stated change period. The group 1818/1820 means from 1800 UTC to 2000 UTC on the 18th. By the end of the BECMG period, the new conditions (in this case 5 statute miles visibility with mist) are expected to have become prevailing unless another forecast group changes them. TEMPO is used for temporary fluctuations. An FM group is used when a new set of prevailing conditions begins at a specified time. Important U.S. note: civilian NWS TAFs do not use BECMG, although it may appear in international and U.S. military TAFs.
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Weather

6. A remote pilot obtained a Standard Briefing earlier in the day and now wants to determine what has changed before departure. Which briefing is most appropriate?

Why: An Abbreviated Briefing is specifically intended to update a previous briefing or provide one or more specific items of information. When requesting an update, the pilot should provide the time of the previous briefing so the briefer can focus on appreciable changes in meteorological and aeronautical conditions. An Outlook Briefing is intended for early planning six or more hours before departure.
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Weather

7. Which surface conditions are most favorable for development of a ground, or radiation, temperature inversion?

Why: A radiation inversion commonly forms at night when the earth's surface loses heat by terrestrial radiation and cools the air in contact with it. Clear skies make that radiational cooling efficient, and with little or no wind the cooled air near the ground is not mixed with the warmer air above, leaving a layer in which temperature increases with height. Cloud cover reduces nighttime radiational cooling, and stronger winds mix the lower atmosphere and inhibit a strong surface inversion.
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Weather

8. A remote pilot wants an early look at the weather for a flight planned for tomorrow afternoon. Which type of FAA Flight Service briefing is most appropriate?

Why: An Outlook Briefing is intended for early planning when the proposed departure is six or more hours away. Because forecasts can change significantly before departure, the pilot should get updated weather closer to the flight, usually as a Standard Briefing. An Abbreviated Briefing is mainly used to update a previous briefing or obtain specific items.
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Weather

9. A remote pilot reads: KJFK 251755Z 36012KT 10SM FEW250 18/09 A2982. What does A2982 indicate?

Why: In a U.S. METAR, an altimeter group beginning with A gives the altimeter setting in hundredths of an inch of mercury. A2982 therefore means 29.82 inHg. An international report may use a Q group for pressure expressed in hectopascals, such as Q1013.
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Weather

10. With airspeed and available flight time unchanged, which wind condition reduces distance covered over the ground?

Why: At the same airspeed, a headwind reduces groundspeed and therefore the distance covered in a given flight time. Actual battery endurance depends on the aircraft and how it is operated; use its performance data.
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Weather

11. A TAF contains: TEMPO 1418/1422 6SM -RA BKN015. What does this group indicate?

Why: TEMPO identifies temporary fluctuations in forecast conditions. The time group 1418/1422 means from 1800 UTC to 2200 UTC on the 14th. The temporary conditions are generally expected to last less than one hour at a time and, in total, occur during less than half of the stated period. -RA means light rain, and BKN015 represents a broken layer, and therefore a ceiling, at 1,500 feet AGL. A gradual change is represented by BECMG where that format is used, while a new prevailing condition beginning at a specified time is normally represented by an FM group.
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Weather

12. What are the minimum weather conditions for flying under Part 107?

Why: Part 107 sets its own weather minimums: flight visibility of at least 3 statute miles as seen from the control station, and a distance from clouds of at least 500 feet below and 2,000 feet horizontally. Keeping the aircraft in sight is a separate requirement, not a substitute for these. Both limits can be waived, but only with an approved waiver in hand.
FAA source: 14 CFR §107.51
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Weather

13. A METAR reports: FEW020 SCT035 BKN050. What is the reported ceiling?

Why: For aviation purposes, the ceiling is the height of the lowest cloud layer reported as broken (BKN) or overcast (OVC), or the vertical visibility into an obscuration. BKN050 therefore establishes a ceiling of 5,000 feet AGL. FEW020 and SCT035 do not constitute ceilings.
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Weather

14. A METAR reports: KATL 261853Z 27012KT 8SM VCSH FEW035 SCT050 22/14 A3004. What does VCSH indicate?

Why: VC means in the vicinity, and SH means showers. Therefore, VCSH means showers are occurring near the airport but not at the observation point. For precipitation, U.S. METAR coding can report VCSH when precipitation is not occurring at the observation point but is observed within 10 statute miles. A METAR is an observation of current conditions; VCSH is not a forecast that showers will begin later.
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Weather

15. A METAR includes the wind group 32015G22KT. What does it report?

Why: In a METAR the first three digits are the direction the wind is blowing from, in degrees true; the next two are the sustained speed in knots; G introduces the gust speed. 32015G22KT is from 320 degrees true at 15 knots, gusting 22 knots.
Source: FAA Aviation Weather Handbook
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Weather

16. Where can a remote pilot get METARs and TAFs before a flight?

Why: The Aviation Weather Center at aviationweather.gov publishes METARs, TAFs, PIREPs and other aviation weather products. It is run by NOAA's National Weather Service, not by the FAA. For a full briefing including NOTAMs, pilots use FAA Flight Service at 1800wxbrief.com. A general forecast does not give aviation products, and DroneZone is for registration and airspace authorization.
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Weather

17. What is a temperature inversion in the atmosphere?

Why: A temperature inversion is defined as a layer where temperature increases with altitude, which is the opposite of the normal lapse rate. The option describing a decrease with altitude is simply the normal atmospheric lapse rate, not an inversion. The option describing a constant temperature describes an isothermal layer, which is a different phenomenon and not an inversion.
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Weather

18. Why does a temperature inversion often cause reduced visibility for a remote pilot operating near the surface?

Why: A temperature inversion creates a stable layer that suppresses vertical air motion. Because the air cannot mix upward, haze, smoke, fog, and airborne pollutants accumulate beneath the inversion and remain trapped, producing poor visibility at the surface. The updraft option is incorrect because inversions suppress, not generate, vertical motion. The wind option is incorrect because inversions are typically associated with calm or light winds, and increased surface wind would actually help disperse pollutants rather than concentrate them.
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Weather

19. Before flight, what does Part 107 require the remote pilot in command to do about weather?

Why: Part 107 makes the preflight assessment the remote pilot's own duty: before flight they must assess the operating environment, and that assessment must include local weather conditions, local airspace and flight restrictions, the location of people and property, and other ground hazards. A Flight Service briefing is good practice but no particular source is required, and Part 107 sets no ceiling minimum: its weather limits are 3 statute miles of visibility and 500 feet below and 2,000 feet horizontally from clouds.
FAA source: 14 CFR §107.49
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Weather

20. Which of the following best describes the effect of cold ambient temperatures on a small UA's lithium-ion battery during flight?

Why: Cold temperatures increase the internal resistance of lithium-ion cells, which reduces available capacity and causes greater voltage sag under load. This results in shorter flight times and can trigger low-voltage cutoffs earlier than expected. Cold raises internal resistance rather than lowering it, so the battery does not produce higher voltage, and a full charge before flight does not offset the reduced capacity. A remote pilot in command must account for this when planning operations in cold weather.
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Weather

21. A remote pilot plans to fly approximately 8 statute miles from the airport for which a TAF has been issued. What should the pilot understand about the TAF's geographic coverage?

Why: A U.S. Terminal Aerodrome Forecast describes expected conditions within approximately 5 statute miles of the center of the airport's runway complex. A site 8 statute miles away is outside that area. The TAF is still useful context, but the pilot should not assume conditions at the site will match it. The 10-mile figure belongs to "vicinity" (VC) in observations, and a TAF's coverage is not tied to airspace boundaries.
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Weather

22. A remote pilot reads: KPHX 261756Z 27008KT 240V300 10SM FEW250 16/08 A3012. What does the wind information report?

Why: The primary wind group 27008KT means wind from 270° true at 8 knots. The separate group 240V300 means the observed wind direction is varying between 240° and 300° true. This is a report of current wind variability, not a forecast of a future wind shift. A gust would instead be shown within the main wind group with G, such as 27008G18KT.
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Weather

23. A U.S. military TAF contains: PROB40 2622/2702 3SM -TSRA BKN010CB. What does the group indicate?

Why: PROB40 indicates a 40-percent probability category for the listed forecast conditions during the specified period. The group 2622/2702 means from 2200 UTC on the 26th until 0200 UTC on the 27th. The probability applies only to that stated time window, not to the entire TAF. 3SM -TSRA BKN010CB indicates 3 statute miles visibility, light thunderstorm rain, and a broken cumulonimbus layer at 1,000 feet AGL. Important U.S. note: civilian National Weather Service TAFs do not use PROB40; NWS TAFs use PROB30 as their probability group. PROB40 may appear in U.S. military and international TAFs.
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Weather

24. A remote pilot reads: KJFK 251755Z 36012KT 10SM FEW250 M04/M12 A2982. What do the temperature and dewpoint groups indicate?

Why: In a METAR temperature/dewpoint group, the letter M means minus. Therefore M04 = −4°C and M12 = −12°C. The value before the slash is temperature and the value after the slash is dewpoint.
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Weather

25. What is the primary operational risk posed by wind shear to a small unmanned aircraft in flight?

Why: Wind shear is a change in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance. An aircraft passing through the shear can experience sudden changes in its relative airflow. For a small UA, this can cause rapid changes in airspeed, altitude, attitude, or lateral position that may require immediate corrective action. A sustained headwind is not itself wind shear, and wind shear is not characterized by a slow, uniform loss of lift.
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