Definition
An FAA Advisory Circular that provides pilots with educational guidance on thunderstorms, including how they form, the hazards they present, and recommended practices for avoiding them. Advisory Circulars are non-regulatory documents issued by the FAA to share information, guidance, and best practices on aviation topics.
Plain English
An official FAA booklet about thunderstorms — what they are, why they're dangerous to aircraft, and how pilots should stay clear of them. It's guidance, not a rule.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA weather study material, especially when a chapter points the reader to more information about thunderstorms.
Derivation
AC stands for Advisory Circular. The number 00-24 is the FAA's filing code: the '00' series covers general information, and '24' is the specific circular within that series. The suffix letter (e.g., AC 00-24C) indicates the revision.
Why Pilots Care
Gives pilots practical information to recognize and stay clear of thunderstorms that can produce severe turbulence, icing, and wind shear.
Intuition Check
AC here does not mean air conditioning or alternating current. In this FAA context, AC means Advisory Circular, an official FAA guidance document.
Example Sentence 1
Before her cross-country flight through summer convective weather, she reviewed AC 00-24 to refresh her thunderstorm avoidance procedures.
Example Sentence 2
The chapter summary points readers to AC 00-24 for more detail on thunderstorm development stages.