RePL case studies
RePL · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Remote Pilot Licence (RePL) is the Australian qualification a person holds to fly remotely piloted aircraft - drones - for work rather than purely for recreation. Before a licence can be issued, candidates must pass an aeronautical knowledge examination, and that examination is what this page supports. The knowledge test is designed to confirm that a future remote pilot understands the regulatory, operational, technical and human-factors environment they will be flying in, rather than only how to control an aircraft. Our study material is organised around eight knowledge areas: air law, regulations and licensing requirements; drone safety rules and operating limitations; aerodynamics and remotely piloted aircraft performance; meteorology; navigation, airspace and charts; human factors and safety management; radiotelephony and communications; and operational planning and emergency procedures. The RePL case studies are 5 cases and about 4,265 words.
1The Quarry That Leans Into the Ring
You hold a RePL and fly a 6.4 kg multirotor on a stockpile survey at a quarry. The site gate is 5.9 km from the ARP of a controlled aerodrome whose tower operates 0600–2200 local.
837 words, about 4 min2Hot Day, Heavy Gimbal
Site elevation is 1,400 ft AMSL, QNH 1013 hPa, shade temperature 32 °C. Your 9.5 kg MTOW multirotor's published data gives hover at 62% of maximum thrust at MTOW in ISA sea-level conditions, with 25 minutes of hover endurance at that mass.
748 words, about 4 min3The Shelf Cloud at First Light
It is 0430 local (UTC+10) at a rural site; first light is 0600. The TAF for the aerodrome 25 km away, issued 231800Z, reads: '2318/2412 02008KT 9999 SCT030 TEMPO 2318/2402 3000 TSRA SCT010 FEW035CB'.
847 words, about 4 min4Rising Ground Under a Fixed Base
You are to photograph a 3 km stretch of riverbank. The launch point is 7.2 km from the ARP of a controlled aerodrome.
821 words, about 4 min5The Eleventh Hour
You are in the eleventh hour of a 12-hour day, finishing the last of six flights for a real-estate client at a non-controlled aerodrome with a CTAF of 126.7. The aerodrome operator has given permission to work from the eastern grass, 250 m from the runway centreline, at 30 m AGL.
1,012 words, about 5 min