Commercial Pilot Licence Aeroplane (CPAER) study plan

Build a one-page index of the Canadian Aviation Regulations parts and subparts that govern commercial aeroplane operations, tagging each entry with the real flight situation in which it applies.

State the privileges and limitations of the Commercial Pilot Licence - Aeroplane, including the experience, recency and medical-validity conditions that must be true on the day of a flight.

List the documents and records that must be carried or retained for a commercial flight, and name who is responsible for producing each one.

Distinguish the medical category validity rules that apply to a CPL holder acting as pilot-in-command versus acting as co-pilot.

Explain pilot-in-command responsibility and the right-of-way, minimum-altitude and cruising-altitude rules by working through ten short conflict scenarios.

Complete a full weight-and-balance calculation for a commercial aeroplane, confirming maximum take-off weight, maximum zero-fuel weight and that the centre of gravity stays inside the envelope throughout the flight.

Solve twenty dead-reckoning time-speed-distance and fuel-burn problems by hand, writing the formula chain before substituting numbers.

Describe how airspace classes, special-use airspace and aerodrome control zones change the pilot's clearance and radio obligations on a commercial cross-country.

Resolve the wind triangle graphically and by calculator for twelve wind/true-airspeed combinations, deriving true heading, groundspeed and drift angle.

Convert between true, magnetic and compass directions for planned legs, applying variation and deviation correctly in both directions.

Produce a navigation log for a 300-nautical-mile cross-country that includes checkpoint times, fuel burns and a legal reserve.

Revise an in-flight estimate after an unexpected wind shift, recalculating the revised heading and estimated time of arrival.

Decode thirty METAR, TAF and graphical area forecast products into plain-language flying conditions, including cloud base, visibility and wind.

Interpret surface pressure patterns, fronts and upper winds to predict the wind, cloud and visibility a planned leg will actually encounter.

Explain how altimeter setting errors and cold-temperature corrections affect true altitude and terrain clearance.

Identify from a written description the conditions favouring airframe icing, low-level wind shear and clear-air turbulence, and state the avoidance action for each.

Explain atmospheric stability and lapse rates, and predict cloud type, tops and shower activity from a given temperature and dewpoint profile.

Classify the four main fog types by formation mechanism and state the conditions and season in which each is most likely.

Trace the life cycle of a thunderstorm and list the hazards to a commercial aeroplane at each stage, with the associated avoidance rule.

Describe how mountain wave, lee turbulence and diurnal heating change the surface wind and turbulence on a planned route.

Compute take-off and landing distances from performance data for five density-altitude and runway-condition combinations, applying all required corrections.

Explain how load factor changes with bank angle, and calculate stall-speed increase and load factor for 30, 45 and 60 degrees of bank.

Describe the factors that shift the centre of gravity and the effect of a forward versus aft centre of gravity on stability, cruise speed and rotation.

Explain static and dynamic stability about all three axes, and relate each to a handling characteristic you would notice in flight.

Draw from memory a simplified schematic of the fuel, electrical, hydraulic and pressurization systems and label the failure indications for each.

Explain the operation of the constant-speed propeller and the effect of a governor failure on manifold pressure, RPM and engine handling.

Rehearse the immediate actions for engine failure after take-off, engine fire, pressurization failure and electrical smoke, stating the memory items in order.

Apply a decision-making model to three accident scenarios and identify the point at which the chain of errors could have been broken.

Sit two full-length timed mock examinations under exam conditions, one early in the week and one at the end.

Rebuild the personal error log from all eight weeks and re-study the three weakest sub-topics in each domain.

Explain aloud, in two minutes each, ten randomly drawn concepts spanning the four domains to test recall without notes.

Confirm that every deferred or uncertain item carried forward through the plan has been resolved or flagged for further review.