CPL Navigation case studies
CPL Navigation · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The CPL Navigation examination is one of the theoretical knowledge exams that a candidate must pass on the path to an Australian Commercial Pilot Licence, administered within the flight crew licensing examination system overseen by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. It suits aspiring commercial pilots who have completed the required ground training and are working through the CPL subject set, and it rewards candidates who can apply navigation theory to practical flight-planning scenarios rather than merely recall definitions. The CPL Navigation case studies are 5 cases and about 3,315 words.
1Fuel reserve decision with a headwind that grows with altitude
You are planning a VFR cross-country in a single-engine piston aircraft. Still-air cruise fuel burn is 34 L/h at 6,500 ft and 30 L/h at 9,500 ft.
671 words, about 3 min2DR position after a forecast wind that was wrong
You departed A at 10:00 UTC with a planned TAS of 120 kt on a magnetic track of 085° (variation 12°E, deviation +2° on the current heading). Forecast wind was 340/20.
772 words, about 4 min3GNSS outage on an overlay approach with a minimum that depends on it
You are flying a published area-navigation (RNAV/GNSS overlay) non-precision approach to a regional aerodrome. The approach minima table shows two lines: LNAV minima of 480 ft and 1,600 m visibility, and LNAV/VNAV minima of 380 ft and 1,200 m.
619 words, about 3 min4Alternate selection when the destination forecast is marginal
You plan a 2-hour VFR flight to destination D, arriving at 17:30 local. The TAF for D reads: BKN 1,500, visibility 8 km, temporarily 17:00–19:00 visibility 3,000 m in mist, BKN 800.
625 words, about 3 min5Track error and closing angle from a single fix
You are on a leg from A to B, 120 NM apart, planned magnetic track 270°, TAS 115 kt, forecast wind 200/15. After 40 minutes you obtain a fix from a VOR/DME that places you 8 NM right of the planned track and 62 NM from A along track.
628 words, about 3 min