The Air Pilot’s Manual

Volume 2

Air Law and Meteorology

‘Recommended reading’
Civil Aviation Authority

Air Pilot Publishing

Nothing in this manual supersedes any legislation, rules, regulations or
procedures contained in any operational document issued by The Stationery
Office, the Civil Aviation Authority, the manufacturers of aircraft, engines
and systems, or by the operators of aircraft throughout the world. Note that
as maps and charts are changed regularly, those extracts reproduced in this
book must not be used for flight planning or flight operations.

Copyright © 2015 Pooleys-Air Pilot Publishing Limited

ISBN 978-1-84336-240-1

First edition published 1987

Second revised edition 1987
Third revised edition published 1993
Fourth revised edition published 1997
Fifth revised edition 1999
Sixth edition 2001
Seventh edition 2004
Eighth revised edition 2008
Ninth revised edition 2010
Tenth revised edition 2011
Eleventh revised edition 2013
Twelfth edition May 2014
Thirteenth edition Oct. 2015

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or

transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording or by any information storage
and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher in
writing.

Origination by Pooleys-Air Pilot Publishing Limited

Printed in England by Portland Print, Kettering NN16 8UN

Published by Pooleys-Air Pilot Publishing Ltd

Elstree Aerodrome, Elstree, Hertfordshire, WD6 3AW. UK.
Tel: +44 (0)208 207 3749
Web: www.pooleys.com
Email: [email protected]
The Air Pilot’s Manual

Volume 2
Contents

Preface to the Thirteenth Edition ........................................ ix

Section One – Air Law

1. Aviation Law and Legislation ................................................... 3
2. Rules of the Air .................................................................... 17
3. Aerodromes ......................................................................... 37
4. Altimeter-Setting Procedures ................................................ 63
5. Airspace ............................................................................... 77
6. Air Traffic Services ............................................................... 101
7. Visual Flight Rules (SERA.5005) ............................................ 119
8. Instrument Flight Rules (SERA.5015) .................................... 127
9. Registration and Airworthiness ............................................. 131
10. Pilots’ Licences .................................................................... 145
11. Operation of Aircraft ........................................................... 173
12. Distress, Urgency, Safety and Warning Signals ...................... 189
13. Search and Rescue (SAR) .................................................... 193
14. Accident Investigation Regulations ........................................ 201
15. ICAO Annex Terminology .................................................. 205

Section Two – Meteorology

16. The Atmosphere ................................................................. 221
17. Heating Effects in the Atmosphere ....................................... 237
18. Wind .................................................................................. 249
19. Cloud and Precipitation ....................................................... 275
20. Visibility
............................................................................... 299
21. Air Masses, Pressure Systems and Frontal Weather .............. 311
22. Hazardous Conditions ......................................................... 333
23. Weather Forecasts and Reports ........................................... 349
Part-FCL Abbreviations ...................................................... 387

Index ....................................................................................... 389

 v

Editorial Team

Dorothy Saul-Pooley LLB (Hons) FRAeS

Dorothy holds an ATPL (A) and a CPL (H), and is both an instructor and
examiner on aeroplanes and an instructor on helicopters. She is Head of
Training for a school dedicated to running Flight Instructor courses at
Shoreham. She is also a CAA Flight Instructor Examiner. In addition, having
qualified as a solicitor in 1982, Dorothy acted for many years as a consultant
specialising in aviation and insurance liability issues, and has lectured widely
on air law and insurance issues.This highly unusual combination of
qualifications led to her appointment as Honorary Solicitor to the Guild of
Air Pilots and Navigators (GAPAN). Dorothy is a Fellow of the Royal
Aeronautical Society, first Chairman of the GAPAN Instructor Committee,
and past Chairman of the Education & Training Committee. She has just
completed her term of office as the Master for the year 2014-15 of the
Honourable Company of Air Pilots (formerly GAPAN). She is also
Chairman of the Professional Flying Instructors Association. In 2003 she was
awarded the Jean Lennox Bird Trophy for her contribution to aviation and
support of Women in Aviation and the BWPA (British Women Pilots
Association). In 2013 Dorothy was awarded the prestigious Master Air Pilots
Certificate by GAPAN. A regular contributor to seminars, conferences and
aviation publications. Dorothy is the author and editor of a number of flying
training books and has published articles in legal and insurance journals.

Helena Hughes
On leaving university in 1989 Helena obtained a PPL in America, converting
to UK licence on her return. Shortly afterwards she started work in Air
Traffic Control at London Luton Airport, earning her controller’s licence in
1990. During her time at Luton she was involved in controller training as
both an instructor and assessor. Helena continues to be an operational Air
Traffic Control Officer and is currently posted to Thames Radar. She holds a
CPL/IR and has been a flying instructor since 1998, teaching PPL and
associated ratings. She is a Ground and R/T examiner and has written
both PPL and ATPL Radiotelephony Training Manuals.

Esther Law MA (Oxon) ARAeS

Esther took up flying as a hobby in the 80s whilst working in the banking
industry as a software developer and systems analyst, gaining her PPL in 1989.
After several years in IT, she returned to full-time education and completed
a Law degree at Oxford University in 2007. She subsequently worked as a
legal editor, writing the Cayman Islands Law Reports and the Gibraltar Law
Reports. In 2008, Esther finally decided to pursue flying as a career and
completed the ATPL ground exams, followed by training for the CPL and
Instructor Rating. She has worked as a flying instructor since 2009 and
instructs for the PPL, CPL, IMC and Instrument Rating. Esther is a member
of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots and the Royal Aeronautical
Society.
vi

Robert Seaman BSc MRI FRMetS

Rob Seaman is Head of Policy Advice at the Met Office and was advisor to
the United Kingdom Flight Safety Committee. His current work draws upon
his previous role as a senior applied scientist which saw him work on weather
related decision aids to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the aviation
sector. In 2008 he was part of the team winning the Met Office award for
excellence for science and technology. Additionally, Rob is a qualified
aviation meteorologist and has worked operationally within the UK, South
Atlantic and Middle East. Rob studied Physics at Imperial College, which
included atmospheric physics and aerial research, is an Associate of the Royal
College of Science and Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society. Rob
learned to fly with the Royal Air Force cadets, gained a RAF flying
scholarship and continued professional flight training (ATPL ground,
CPL/IR) whilst training as a meteorologist. A Freeman of the Honourable
Company of Air Pilots, he was awarded the Norman Motley Flight
Instructor Scholarship in 2007 and now instructs part-time. Rob lectures on
aviation meteorology, decision making and threat/error management at the
Met Office College and seminars.
 vii

Acknowledgements

The Civil Aviation Authority, Captain R. W. K. Snell, Shaun

McConnell, David Hockings, Helena Hughes, Geoffrey Farmiloe
AFRIN, LLB (Hons), LLM, Daljeet Gill, Philip Odell and the many
other instructors and students whose comments have helped to
improve this manual.
A Condensed History of the Air Pilot Manuals
For over 25 years the Air Pilot Manuals have led the academic
training of pilots in the United Kingdom and in many countries
around the world.
I first met Trevor Thom, a professional pilot and natural
teacher, in Melbourne during a visit to Australia in January 1985.
He already had his series of PPL Manuals for the Australian
market and I asked him to produce a series for the New Zealand
market where we had a small aviation business. Having completed
this task, Trevor immediately began writing the first of the Air
Pilot Manuals for the United Kingdom market and this project
began in earnest on 5th December 1985.
Both Trevor Thom and Robert Johnson commenced the task
in my office at Feldon. By the end of the following year, all four
volumes were complete and were published in February 1987. By
the end of that year, we estimated that 95% of all the UK Flying
Schools were using our manuals. Volumes 5, 6 and 7 followed, so
completing the full series.
Unfortunately, Trevor Thom had a serious accident at home
which prevented him from continuing with the editing of the
manuals. His rights were eventually sold to David Robson,
another experienced pilot and natural teacher, who progressively
improved the drawings and brought colour into the manuals for
the first time.
Over the years there have been many assistant editors, in
particular Peter Godwin, whose help I first asked for in the very
early days with Trevor Thom and which continued until quite
recently. The rights in the Air Pilot Manuals are now vested with
the Pooley family and they continue to be edited and published
from our offices and the school at Shoreham Airport.
The Air Pilot Manuals have an outstanding reputation for
accuracy and are continuously updated. They are recommended
CAA reading material and are referred to extensively in the CAA
examination answer booklet.
Robert Pooley
CStJ FRIN FRAeS
viii
 ix

Preface to the Thirteenth Edition

K eeping up to date with legal changes is almost impossible,

because the law is changing all the time. In this latest edition,
we have expanded on the European regulations which are in a
transitional period of implementation. We have included the
European rules of the air where relevant. Please be aware that
there are almost daily changes to some aspects of aviation law, so
you must check the CAA website frequently.
To highlight the difference between UK CAA material and
ICAO or EASA material, we use a lighter typeface for the ICAO
material.

NOTE Please check our websites for updates and links to

references mentioned in the text. Please refer to
www.pooleysapp.com and to the Pooleys websites:
www.pooleys.com and www.pooleysfis.com.
x
Section One

Air Law

Chapter 1

Aviation Law and Legislation ................................................. 3

Chapter 2

Rules of the Air ...................................................................... 17

Chapter 3

Aerodromes ............................................................................ 37
Chapter 4

Altimeter-Setting Procedures ............................................. 63

Chapter 5

Airspace ................................................................................... 77
Chapter 6

Air Traffic Services .............................................................. 101

Chapter 7

Visual Flight Rules (SERA.5005) ....................................... 119

Chapter 8

Instrument Flight Rules (SERA.5015) .............................. 127

Chapter 9

Registration and Airworthiness ........................................ 131

Chapter 10

Pilots’ Licences ..................................................................... 145

Chapter 11

Operation of Aircraft .......................................................... 173

2 AIR LAW

Chapter 12

Distress, Urgency, Safety and Warning Signals ............. 189

Chapter 13

Search and Rescue (SAR) ................................................... 193

Chapter 14

Accident Investigation Regulations .................................. 201

Chapter 15

ICAO Annex Terminology ................................................. 205