Climatology for Airline Pilots [Paperback]

Roy Quantic (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0632052953 | ISBN-13: 978-0632052950 | Publication Date: March 13, 2001 | Edition: 1

Climatology - particularly the study of difficult and demanding weather conditions - is of major importance to pilots now that aeroplanes fly over previously unavailable routes such as the North Pole and take direct routes over very large oceans.

Existing books on climatology address physical, biological or cultural environments and do not supply adequate information for the pilot. Nor do the present books on aviation meteorology provide sufficient detail on subjects such as arid climates, tropical storms and upper tropospheric winds and temperatures.

This new book concentrates on aspects of climatology that are important for modern aviation, including temperature, precipitation, solar radiation, winds and regional climatic environments from around the world.

Although the book has been written with the airline pilot in mind, it will also be an essential reference for Air Transport Pilot Licence training staff and for ATPL students. It will also be of interest to operational route planning staff and students of climatology.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Climatology - particularly the study of difficult and demanding weather conditions - is of major importance to pilots now that aeroplanes fly over previously unavailable routes such as the North Pole and take direct routes over very large oceans.

Existing books on climatology address physical, biological or cultural environments and do not supply adequate information for the pilot. Nor do the present books on aviation meteorology provide sufficient detail on subjects such as arid climates, tropical storms and upper tropospheric winds and temperatures.

This new book concentrates on aspects of climatology that are important for modern aviation, including temperature, precipitation, solar radiation, winds and regional climatic environments from around the world.

Although the book has been written with the airline pilot in mind, it will also be an essential reference for Air Transport Pilot Licence training staff and for ATPL students. It will also be of interest to operational route planning staff and students of climatology.

About the Author

Roy Quantick FRAeS, FRMetS was a former RAF pilot and airline captain and operated the world air routes. He holds the British Airline Transport Pilots License and Flight Navigators License. For 15 years he specialized in crop protection and insect control, working as Operations Manager and Aviation Manager in large programmes for the chemical industry and the UN and becoming Director of the International Agricultural Aviation Centre based at the Cranfield Institute of Technology. He has published a number of papers on the safety aspects of this industry, both in aircraft design and the use of toxic chemical formulations, and is author of two books, published in 1985, The Handbook for Agricultural Pilots and Aviation in Crop Protection and Insect Control.

Roy Quantick has taught for over 20 years at the Cranfield Institute of Technology and since 1985 has been an approved CAA instructor at training schools on the campus of Cranfield University, teaching ATPL students meteorology and other subjects.

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition (March 13, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0632052953
• ISBN-13: 978-0632052950
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,401,407 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Some good information, overpriced by at least 300%, October 5, 2011

By 

Brad T. Crosier "Tristar" (Indiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Climatology for Airline Pilots (Paperback)

I write this review as an international airline pilot for well over a decade now, and as an armchair meteorologist. The concepts of global circulation and other topics covered in the first few chapters of this book are very well explained and worthwhile.

The second portion, where the author delves excessively into the climatology of specific routes is of little value for an actual line pilot. It might be of some use to someone developing the airlines overall route structure and schedule, but it's actual application to line flying is virtually nil. It doesn't matter that city X typically receives 30mm of rainfall during April and May and that the winds are out of the southwest - what matters as a line pilot is what the weather actually WILL BE when I am arriving or departing on a given day, and what it will actually be while I am enroute. To that end, the latter portion of this book is virtually worthless. It fails to offer any useful information to assist one in utilizing the observed weather and prognostic information and reconciling that with the climatological patterns to promote a deeper understanding of the atmospheric dynamics on a given day. Instead it presents the information as if it should be memorized and filed away for rote recall. Really useless trivia.

The volume would be worthwhile for the presentation of the concepts in the first portion, for perhaps $20 to $30. The going price on this book bears no relation to the usefulness of the information presented.

I've attempted to post this review two times previously, hopefully this time it will stay up in spite of the fact that it is rather critical of this volume. If the sellers or publisher don't like the review, perhaps they should alter the price or the content.