Meteorologist Badge?

[blacktriangle]

From where i sit, it sounds alot like Air Ops to me. Sure, some Met techs are employed in other situation but i would venture to say that th majority of positions are ISO air operations. I will have a look at EMAA just to educate myself.

I just took a look at a diagram of 2 CMBG G2 organization (not sure if it is still current), and it had one met tech WO out of about 23 pers in the G2 staff. I'm not sure how large of a trade Met tech is, so it is hard to tell if that is as insignificant as it seems. Until recently, I had no idea that Met techs were even employed outside the AF...

On a weather related note...what a disappointing summer...  ;D

 

[Miss.Meteo]

Yeah I am kind of scared to tell people I am a soon to be meteorologist...Especially after this summer  :

 

[Occam]

Yeah I am kind of scared to tell people I am a soon to be meteorologist...Especially after this summer  :

You shouldn't be telling people that you're going to be a meteorologist - you're not.  You'll be a Meteorological Technician.  There's a huge difference in the amount of training required for each.  Meteorologists require at least a Bachelor's degree.

 

[aesop081]

I just took a look at a diagram of 2 CMBG G2 organization (not sure if it is still current), and it had one met tech WO out of about 23 pers in the G2 staff. I'm not sure how large of a trade Met tech is, so it is hard to tell if that is as insignificant as it seems. Until recently, I had no idea that Met techs were even employed outside the AF...

A quick look at EMAA positions shows a vast majority of position are either in support of flying positions or on ships where......well......they support flying operations as part of their duties there. There are several out-of-trade type positions and a good number of army positions ( alot of which are vacant). thats as far as i could tell, someone from the trade can redirect me if they wish.

On a weather related note...what a disappointing summer...  ;D

Not around here.

 

[Furniture]

Positions on ship only support Air Ops when there is an Air Det on board, most of the time Met Techs sail with no Air Det so most of their work is directly in support of Navy operations.

After a quick count on EMAA I found more positions whose primary role was not in support of Air Ops, than I found positions whose primary role is supporting Air Ops.

 

[Good2Golf]

I just took a look at a diagram of 2 CMBG G2 organization (not sure if it is still current), and it had one met tech WO out of about 23 pers in the G2 staff. I'm not sure how large of a trade Met tech is, so it is hard to tell if that is as insignificant as it seems. Until recently, I had no idea that Met techs were even employed outside the AF...

On a weather related note...what a disappointing summer...  ;D

popn, the Brigades have ballistic met techs in the guns and some HQ positions...shells have a decent time of flight and the atmospherical effects are not insignificant.

Occam, perhaps what you meant to say was that there is a "notable difference in training required"...not amount, and not huge...folks train and work at fairly comparable levels within a particular discipline.  Yes, an ophthalmalogical technician or optometrist is not an ophthalmologist...

G2G

 

[Fishbone Jones]

You shouldn't be telling people that you're going to be a meteorologist - you're not.  You'll be a Meteorological Technician.  There's a huge difference in the amount of training required for each.  Meteorologists require at least a Bachelor's degree.

At least they're right half the time

 

[Occam]

Occam, perhaps what you meant to say was that there is a "notable difference in training required"...not amount, and not huge...folks train and work at fairly comparable levels within a particular discipline.  Yes, an ophthalmalogical technician or optometrist is not an ophthalmologist...

What I probably should've said was "huge difference in the amount and complexity of training", and the difference is indeed huge.

From QL3 through QL6B, a Met Tech will have taken 188 training days of formal training.  At that level, they'll still only be a Met Briefer and short-range (12 hour) aviation weather forecaster.  In my personal opinion, I would say the difference between that level of training, and the level of training one obtains in pursuit of a degree in meteorology is huge - and I've formed that opinion based on what Met Techs have told me.

According to the CWOS website:

A suggested (undergraduate meteorology) program might include:

dynamic meteorology, physical meteorology, general meteorology, synoptic meteorology, plus courses in climatology, micro-meteorology, hydro-meteorology and other related disciplines;

general physics, mechanics, electricity and magnetism, plus one or more courses in fluid mechanics, optics, or advanced mechanics;

calculus, differential equations, linear algebra, statistics, computer science and at least one in numerical analysis, matrix algebra or computer systems.

 

[Occam]

At least they're right half the time

Only because they're allowed to make forecasts using symbols that look like this:

That's the "We've ruled out the possibility of snow" icon...  ;D

 

[Furniture]

Most forecasters I have had to work with do not hold degrees in meteorology, most have a math degrees... So they can do some fancy math if required... The training meteorologists receive is only a year long, so between time spent at CFSMET and time on OJT a Met Tech will do about the same amount of actual met training.

Forecasts are produced using computer generated models of the atmosphere... anybody taught the most basic interpretation of them could produce a public forecast. A QL6B Met Tech is just as capable of producing a longer range aviation forecast as the EC meteorologists are, but due to the rules created by Transport Canada they are not allowed. To write a 30 hour TAF for civilian use you must be a Meteorologist... to be a Meteorologist you must hold a degree(any will do)... The military will not pay for degrees for Met Techs.