PLT263: Hazardous Weather
What code PLT263 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study Hazardous Weather before your checkride.
Recall hazardous weather - fog / icing / turbulence / visibility restriction
What this means for your checkride
This groups the weather that most threatens light aircraft: fog and low visibility, structural and induction icing, and turbulence. It covers how each forms, the conditions that signal it, and the actions that keep you clear, from choosing an alternate to avoiding the conditions that produce ice.
These hazards drive a large share of weather accidents, so the FAA tests whether you can recognize the setup for each and make a go, no-go, or divert decision.
Pilots underestimate fog because the sky above may be clear. Radiation fog can form quickly on a calm, clear night as the ground cools and the temperature meets the dewpoint, dropping visibility below minimums at the surface.
Where to study it
A code on your test report is an area of deficiency. An authorized instructor must review it with you and endorse that review before you take the practical test, and the examiner may revisit it during the oral. Study it until you can explain it out loud, not just recognize the answer.