MET Study
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MET Study
Hey all,
been studying MET for a bit defo struggling with this. Is it me or is this harder then Air Law?
I tried reading a chapter then doing the questions at the end of the chapter and can barely answer them might as well of not read it memory of a fish.
People say flash cards but there is so much info on MET where to start really?
Should I try Trevor Thorm books instead?
Cheers
Kev
been studying MET for a bit defo struggling with this. Is it me or is this harder then Air Law?
I tried reading a chapter then doing the questions at the end of the chapter and can barely answer them might as well of not read it memory of a fish.
People say flash cards but there is so much info on MET where to start really?
Should I try Trevor Thorm books instead?
Cheers
Kev
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Hi Kevin,
I did the met exam a few weeks back. It's not an easy subject, but found it way more fun than airlaw! What worked for me was to relate the subject to real life weather while studying it.
Check live metars/taf, forms 214/215 (https://secure.metoffice.gov.uk/account/index.jsp) and surface pressure charts and think of how it would effect your flight lessons. Such as BKN005 would result in a cancelled lesson. Dew point close to temp might result in low cloud and carb icing, cold front moving away from airfield is a good thing... etc
Read online articles/youtube videos on fronts/pressure systems they helped a lot!
After you understand the subject well, start working on the usual mock questions and or perfector/airquiz
Good Luck!
I did the met exam a few weeks back. It's not an easy subject, but found it way more fun than airlaw! What worked for me was to relate the subject to real life weather while studying it.
Check live metars/taf, forms 214/215 (https://secure.metoffice.gov.uk/account/index.jsp) and surface pressure charts and think of how it would effect your flight lessons. Such as BKN005 would result in a cancelled lesson. Dew point close to temp might result in low cloud and carb icing, cold front moving away from airfield is a good thing... etc
Read online articles/youtube videos on fronts/pressure systems they helped a lot!
After you understand the subject well, start working on the usual mock questions and or perfector/airquiz
Good Luck!
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I've done ATPL Meteorology and after a while it isn't actually too difficult, despite being horrified when I first opened the (600 page) textbook, once you understand the basic concepts it all starts to fall in to place. But I really did struggle to begin with and had to go back to the start several times before it sunk in!
If you're halfway through the book and struggling, go back to the start and re-read the basic principles such as adiabatic lapse rates. I promise you, if you can really get your head in to these (try some online videos etc to see if they explain it better) then you'll find the rest of the book so much easier going forward. Also when you read something, sit there and try to make a picture in your head that sticks.
For starters, here's a pretty good simulator for helping you to picture how different pressure/temperature settings affect the altimeter reading luizmonteiro - Online Simulators - Altimeter Errors Simulator. I think that the first thing for any new pilot go get out of their head, if you've not done so already, is that the altimeter tells you how high you are, it doesn't! It only measures pressure and then indicates this on a scale according to a set of pre-determined average set of conditions, ISA. If the conditions are not ISA (almost impossible at any one place at a particular time), then the altimeter will not tell you your True Altitude.
If you're halfway through the book and struggling, go back to the start and re-read the basic principles such as adiabatic lapse rates. I promise you, if you can really get your head in to these (try some online videos etc to see if they explain it better) then you'll find the rest of the book so much easier going forward. Also when you read something, sit there and try to make a picture in your head that sticks.
For starters, here's a pretty good simulator for helping you to picture how different pressure/temperature settings affect the altimeter reading luizmonteiro - Online Simulators - Altimeter Errors Simulator. I think that the first thing for any new pilot go get out of their head, if you've not done so already, is that the altimeter tells you how high you are, it doesn't! It only measures pressure and then indicates this on a scale according to a set of pre-determined average set of conditions, ISA. If the conditions are not ISA (almost impossible at any one place at a particular time), then the altimeter will not tell you your True Altitude.
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Did you study at school by just reading the textbook then taking the exam? I certainly didn't.
If you apply the study skills you should have learned at school, they work just the same here. Unless you are blessed with a photographic memory (I'm certainly not) you do need to learn actively, not passively.
But yes, there is a lot of material. It is however, thankfully, much more interesting than air law - and relevant much of it.
P
If you apply the study skills you should have learned at school, they work just the same here. Unless you are blessed with a photographic memory (I'm certainly not) you do need to learn actively, not passively.
But yes, there is a lot of material. It is however, thankfully, much more interesting than air law - and relevant much of it.
P
Last edited by Pilotage; 22nd Feb 2013 at 15:07.
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I found met a bit of a dirge as well. As others have said, it's no good trying to learn it by rote; you have to understand it as well. Once you understand it it becomes a lot easier to understand.....
.
I still look at a 215 though; nod with knowledge as I read it then put it back no wiser than when I picked it up. I understand the text bit with the cloud and vis but those wavy lines on the map are just wavy lines on the map. I kind of get what's happening but there are guys at our club who can look at the lines and say 'Yeah, it will rain from 1412 to 1526 and then there will be an outbreak of tornadoes.'
As Billy Connoly said 'I don't need weather forecasters, if I want to know what the weather's like I look out the f****** window.'
Edit: I know when the wavy lines are close together it's windy and when they're not it's not.
. I still look at a 215 though; nod with knowledge as I read it then put it back no wiser than when I picked it up. I understand the text bit with the cloud and vis but those wavy lines on the map are just wavy lines on the map. I kind of get what's happening but there are guys at our club who can look at the lines and say 'Yeah, it will rain from 1412 to 1526 and then there will be an outbreak of tornadoes.'
As Billy Connoly said 'I don't need weather forecasters, if I want to know what the weather's like I look out the f****** window.'
Edit: I know when the wavy lines are close together it's windy and when they're not it's not.
Last edited by thing; 22nd Feb 2013 at 18:53.
Statistics show Air Law must be far easier than Meteorology. Look at how the professionals do. Compare the number of Aviation Court Decisions overturned on appeal in the last 10 years with the number of Met forecasts that were wrong. 
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Struggling with Met
You don't mention what level you're at ie PPL or ATPL but I would recommend the Oxford Met CD (ATPL). I did the ATPL's on the strength of it and I got 89% (14% wasted effort, only kidding) Of all the futile exams, Met, I believe, is probably the most relevant and will stay with you all your flying career. I have absolutely no attachment to Oxford, but the CD does tend to tick the boxes and is easy to follow. Use it as a back up to your knowledge of the subject and it should re-inforce your previous knowledge
Good luck and remember, the weather is totally unforgiving, having a sound understanding of it will probably one day save your life
Good luck and remember, the weather is totally unforgiving, having a sound understanding of it will probably one day save your life
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Kev,
I took Met first and found it yes, difficult when one is not scientific, but also fascinating, as the weather is all around you, you can relate too it and i ahd some of those "Eureka" moments when I actually understood what was happening when fog was formed, or why we get diurnal variation. I did struggle with Metforms and the Foehn Effect. However, as another poster said, if you don't just read it but REALLY try to understand it, go over it until you do. If that won't work, ask your instructor. That is what he/she is there for! And if they are anything like my FI, they will give you free tutorials
Flash cards are great. They really work for me - although everyone is different. If you use Airquiz, make sure you are getting around 85% before you go for your real exam. May be jsut me, but I was getting 85%/90% in Airquiz...did the real thing and only just scraped a pass!!
LEARN how to read Metform 214 and 215s, as there will be questions on these in the paper. They will give you a scenario and you have to work out whether you would fly, not fly or postpone your flight, by reading teh Metforms...quite tricky!!
The more prepared you are the better you will be!
Good luck
GQ
I took Met first and found it yes, difficult when one is not scientific, but also fascinating, as the weather is all around you, you can relate too it and i ahd some of those "Eureka" moments when I actually understood what was happening when fog was formed, or why we get diurnal variation. I did struggle with Metforms and the Foehn Effect. However, as another poster said, if you don't just read it but REALLY try to understand it, go over it until you do. If that won't work, ask your instructor. That is what he/she is there for! And if they are anything like my FI, they will give you free tutorials
Flash cards are great. They really work for me - although everyone is different. If you use Airquiz, make sure you are getting around 85% before you go for your real exam. May be jsut me, but I was getting 85%/90% in Airquiz...did the real thing and only just scraped a pass!!
LEARN how to read Metform 214 and 215s, as there will be questions on these in the paper. They will give you a scenario and you have to work out whether you would fly, not fly or postpone your flight, by reading teh Metforms...quite tricky!!
The more prepared you are the better you will be!
Good luck
GQ
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When I started my PPL study I was looking forward to doing the met study so I could finally understand what was happening with the weather and was gutted when my instructor said it was air law book first!
My method was to read through the subject fairly quickly to get a general overview then a second time in more depth aiming to answer the questions at the end of each section. I found I struggled to do this on my first read through but having done a quick read through and got the context the second time I was much better with it. I then focused on the summary sections in the revision book and answering questions.
In met I did as others have said and related situations to the book. What would the weather I am seeing today be recorded in the local MET forecast, what would the local TAF read for the forecast just read out on the radio? This really worked for me and I enjoyed met.
Once I stopped trying to learn from a book and made it all relate to real/practical I found it much easier. Hope that helps for you.
My method was to read through the subject fairly quickly to get a general overview then a second time in more depth aiming to answer the questions at the end of each section. I found I struggled to do this on my first read through but having done a quick read through and got the context the second time I was much better with it. I then focused on the summary sections in the revision book and answering questions.
In met I did as others have said and related situations to the book. What would the weather I am seeing today be recorded in the local MET forecast, what would the local TAF read for the forecast just read out on the radio? This really worked for me and I enjoyed met.
Once I stopped trying to learn from a book and made it all relate to real/practical I found it much easier. Hope that helps for you.
