Hi Bob, I am doing my Met exam tomorrow and am pretty well on top of it all having gone through your text and done all tests twice.

I am a bit perlexed (still) with question #5 which states:

VFR will arrive at YCAS at 0040Z - which of the following apply?

(a) No alternate
(b) Fuel for alternate
(c) 30 minutes holding
(d) fuel OR alternate

My answer is (c)

AIP ENR 1.1 57.2.1 says you must provide an alternate OR holding fuel for the various criteria listed as MINIMA.

The TAF for YCAS indicates that Minima are OK on arrival at 0040 however there is a FM indicating rain and BKN cloud at 2000' so that is OK

There is an INTER which takes effect at 1301 so arrival at 0040 must take that into account and the conditions are below both VIZ and Cloud so:

57.2.5 says an alternate is NOT required if you carry fuel to hold for 30 minutes.

Your answer is (d) carry fuel for alternate or hold.

Can you please explain this to me as I cannot see why according to the rules you would not just carry the 30 minues holding. Notwithstanding all that I'd certainly carry fuel for an alternate on a day like this as it is borderline anyway

Brenton,

AIP ENR 1.1 para 58.2.4 [latest issue], says that if the conditions are below the alternate minima, you need not plan for an alternate providing you carry 30 holding for INTER and 60 holding for TEMPO. In other words they are not saying you MUST carry 30 holding or you MUST go to an alternate - it's your choice. The Operational Requirement is to either carry holding or an alternate.

It is true that most pilots would opt for the holding instead of an alternate, however, if a question says 'what operational requirements apply to your arrival' the answer is EITHER holding OR an alternate.

Good luck with the exam - I'm sure you'll do well mate.

Thanks Bob. Just going in now to do the exam. Should be fine.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand??

Hi Ellzy and Bob. Well another one bites the dust. Couldn't get back into the site via my iPhone yesterday but now back home. Have to say I thought I'd do better than that but as usual CASA had some ba$%^&*rd questions. I'll spend some time posting details later but suffice to say - know your TAFs and ARFORs backwards - which I do and still got some wrong.

Of the 40 questions. 15 on ARFOR and TAF and all of them related to the VFR guide that they provide. (Bob can I please get one of these from you? How do I go about ordering one? Need it for NAV)

There questions were bizzare as they have you flying in cloud - not exactly VFR is is it? In cloud in TS and RS awith aweful winds with fronts crossing your flight path etc etc. And all over the mountains between Wagga, Canberra and the coast. Some of the worst country and weather in Australia. The rest were on icing effects on prop and airframe, QNH and temp from TAF, fog, inversions, sea breezes etc. There was one asking about Fohn winds.

On to Nav now and then only HPF and GK to go. So far so good thanks to Bob's great study texts. Cheers and thanks again.

Flying into Essendon and then on to Shepparton and back to Bairnsdale tomorrow - should be fun.

Beauty Brenton!

I agree some of the forecasts they present you with in CPL Met describe a day when you should be in bed with a good book - or someone who's read one!

You can order the Day VFR workbook from our on-line store

All the best with the others.

Cheers