Definition
An FAA Advisory Circular that serves as the primary reference document on aviation weather for pilots. It explains weather theory, atmospheric processes, and the weather phenomena most relevant to flight, and is one of the official sources the FAA points to for weather knowledge required of certificated pilots.
Plain English
AC 00-6 is the FAA's official guide to aviation weather. It is the book the FAA wants pilots to read to learn how weather works and how it affects flying.
Context Anchor
Pilots encounter AC 00-6 when studying aviation weather in FAA training material or when an instructor points them to a deeper weather reference.
Derivation
AC stands for Advisory Circular, the FAA's series of non-regulatory guidance documents. The number 00-6 is its catalog identifier within that series. Documents numbered 00-xx cover general subjects that apply across all of aviation rather than one specific area.
Why Pilots Care
Weather is one of the leading factors in general aviation accidents. AC 00-6 is a free, authoritative source written specifically for pilots, so it is one of the most direct ways to build the weather knowledge needed for safe flight and for written and practical exams.
Intuition Check
Do not read AC here as air conditioning or electrical current. In this context, AC means Advisory Circular, which is an FAA guidance publication.
Example Sentence 1
Before her checkride, she reviewed AC 00-6 to refresh her understanding of fronts, icing, and thunderstorm development.
Example Sentence 2
Chapter 12 points readers to AC 00-6 for deeper coverage of cloud formation and turbulence.