WQ Senior Meteorologist Ruby Warner took part in the PPL/IR Europe Spring Conference
Over the bank holiday weekend of the 23rd – 25th of May, Ruby, one of our Senior forecasters, took a trip to the Private Pilot Instrument (PPL/IR Europe) flying community Spring conference on the Isle of Guernsey. PPL/IR Europe is a non-profit organisation that assists with achieving and maintaining instrument qualifications on aeroplanes under EASA and UK-CAA certification [1]. Ruby flew out to Guernsey on a small aircraft, with conditions being bright and sunny. Once landed, Ruby underwent a tour of the Guernsey and Herm islands, before reaching St Pierre Park Hotel where the conference was being held.
The following day, Ruby delivered three two-hour long breakout sessions covering several meteorological topics relevant to aviation, including mid-latitude cyclone development and understanding tephigrams. The sessions focused on aviation hazards such as convection and how lightning and hail is formed, as well as cloud structure and icing. Ruby also highlighted some useful opensource resources which can be used to help identify potential meteorological hazards and gain confidence in the forecast.
Ruby had a fantastic time overall and found it incredibly rewarding sharing knowledge on understanding the weather pilots may be flying in, making aviation safer for all! Thank you PPL/IR Europe for hosting and allowing Ruby to take part!
- PPL/IR Europe, 2025 (https://pplir.org/instrument-flying/)
