Meteorology for drone pilots: exam and flight essentials

1. Why meteorology is heavily examined

Roughly 15-20% of A2 questions and a similar share in STS relate to weather. Items are scenario-based: given METAR/TAF or conditions, decide whether to fly, postpone or change altitude.

Memorising definitions alone fails. You must connect wind, visibility and cloud limits to operational decisions.

2. Wind, gusts and turbulence

Manufacturer max wind values (often 10-12 m/s) are not always safe for every mission. Gusts can exceed mean wind by 30-50%.

Wind shear and building wake turbulence are common reasons for loss of control near structures. Exam questions often hide risk behind seemingly moderate averages.

• Check gusts, not only steady wind
• Increase separation near obstacles
• Reduce altitude in uncertain shear zones

3. Visibility and cloud separation (open category)

Learn the numeric limits used in EU open-category questions: typically 5 km visibility and defined horizontal/vertical cloud distances.

If a scenario places you close to cloud base or in reduced visibility, the safe answer usually postpones flight or changes the plan - not pushes limits.

• 5 km minimum visibility (typical exam figure)
• 1.5 km horizontal from cloud
• 100 m below / 1000 m above cloud (standard teaching values)

4. Reading METAR and TAF

METAR is a coded aerodrome report. Examiners expect you to decode wind direction/speed, visibility groups, cloud layers and temperature/dew point.

Example fragment: 27015KT means wind from 270° at 15 kt; 9999 means visibility 10 km or more; FEW030 scattered clouds at 3 000 ft.

Practice translating METAR into plain-language go/no-go decisions - that is what scenario questions test.

5. Temperature and LiPo performance

Cold reduces usable battery capacity and voltage sag under load. Exam questions link meteorology with battery safety: pre-warming packs, shorter flights, abort rules.

Combine this section with our LiPo safety guide - examiners treat them as one decision chain.

6. Two-week meteorology sprint

Week 1: limits, METAR groups, wind concepts. Week 2: mixed scenario drills in A2STS topic tests, then check error rate in full simulations.

Target <10% meteorology error rate before booking any NAA exam.

Frequently asked questions

How much of the A2 exam is weather?

Expect around 15-20% of questions - often embedded in multi-topic scenarios.

Do I need full aviation meteorology?

No - focus on UAS-relevant METAR elements, wind risk and open-category minima.

Where to practise?

A2STS topic tests and simulations include meteorology with explanations.