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WIND — DGCA CPL Aviation Meteorology
Chapter J06 of the Aviation Meteorology paper. 45 practice questions in the Avielevate bank, every one with its answer key, filterable into a timed set on this chapter alone.
What this chapter covers
The learning objectives we file WIND questions under, and how many sit behind each. These come straight out of the bank and are regenerated whenever it changes — they are what is there today, not a claim.
| Learning objective | In the bank |
|---|
| __GEN__ General | 45 questions |
Sample WIND questions, answered and explained
Real questions from this chapter, with the answer marked and the reasoning written out — the same explanations you get inside the app.
0315012 · WIND
Squalls are distinguished from gusts by their:
- AShorter duration
- BLonger duration
- CLower wind speed
Why that is the answer
**Concept**
The wind is never perfectly steady. Short-lived changes in speed are described by how big they are and, above all, **how long they last**.
**Explanation**
- A **gust** is a brief, sudden increase in wind speed above the mean, lasting only **a few seconds**. Gusts are caused by mechanical turbulence (wind flowing over buildings, trees and rough ground) and by thermal turbulence on hot days.
- A **squall** is a sudden, marked increase in wind speed that lasts for **minutes**, usually with a change in direction, and then dies away fairly suddenly. By the WMO definition, the speed must rise by at least 16 kt, reach at least 22 kt and stay there for **at least one minute**. Squalls are usually linked to the downdraughts and gust front of a **cumulonimbus**, a line squall or a cold front.
Look at the graph: the gust is a narrow spike, the squall is a long plateau.
**Applying it to the question**
Squalls are distinguished from gusts by their **longer duration**. A squall is not lower in speed than a gust; both can be strong, and squalls are often stronger.
**Remember for DGCA:** gust = seconds; squall = minutes (at least 1 minute); gale = a persistent strong mean wind (34 kt or more) for hours, linked to a deep depression. In a METAR a squall is reported as SQ.
0315043 · WIND
True or false: in the Northern Hemisphere, for the same isobar pattern, the surface wind backs and weakens from day to night.
- ATrue
- BFalse
Why that is the answer
**Concept**
The **surface wind** is slower than the wind at about 2,000 ft and, in the northern hemisphere, is **backed** from it (turned anticlockwise, towards low pressure) because of friction. How strongly the surface feels the faster wind above depends on **mixing** (turbulence) in the lowest layer of the atmosphere.
**Explanation**
- **By day:** the sun heats the ground and the air near it becomes unstable. Thermals and turbulence mix the lower layers, bringing faster-moving air from above down to the surface. The surface wind therefore **strengthens** and **veers** towards the 2,000 ft wind direction. Gusts are common.
- **By night:** the ground cools by radiation, a surface inversion forms and the air becomes stable. Mixing stops, the surface air is cut off from the faster air above and friction acts on it alone. The surface wind **weakens** (it may become calm) and **backs** further away from the 2,000 ft direction.
Look at the diagram: at night the surface wind moves further from the 2,000 ft arrow, by day it moves closer.
**Applying it to the question**
For the same isobar pattern, in the northern hemisphere the surface wind **backs and weakens from day to night**, so the statement is **True**.
**Remember for DGCA:** NH: day = surface wind veers and increases; night = surface wind backs and decreases. Meanwhile the wind just above the night-time inversion can strengthen, creating low-level wind shear at night. In the SH the turning directions are reversed.
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Frequently asked
How many WIND questions are there for the DGCA CPL Aviation Meteorology paper?
Avielevate's bank carries 45 published WIND questions for Aviation Meteorology, mapped across 1 learning objective. Every one has its answer key, and explanations are being written across the whole bank.
How much of the Aviation Meteorology paper is WIND?
The DGCA does not publish a per-chapter breakdown of its papers, so nobody can honestly tell you — and we will not guess. What we can tell you is what students who have just sat a paper reported meeting, which is measured rather than rumoured: that is the exam recall report inside the app.
What is the best way to revise WIND?
Sit a short timed set on this chapter alone, tag how sure you were of each answer, then drill the two that actually leak marks: the ones you got right while guessing, and the ones you got wrong while confident. Avielevate does that tagging for you and puts anything you got wrong back in front of you on a spaced schedule.
The rest of the Aviation Meteorology paper
One account covers every chapter of every paper.
← All Aviation Meteorology chapters · All six DGCA CPL papers