CPL Helicopter study guide
CPL Helicopter · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Commercial Pilot Licence (Helicopter) - also written CPL(H) - is the credential that allows you to fly helicopters for hire or reward. It is aimed at pilots who already hold a Private Pilot Licence (Helicopter) and want to turn flying into a career, whether in charter, utility, instruction, emergency services or offshore operations. The CPL Helicopter study guide has 10 sections and about 2,501 words.
01Air Law and Operational Procedures
Know how the layers stack: ICAO Annexes set standards and recommended practices, the State's civil aviation regulations (for example EASA or FAA rules) implement them, and the operations manual converts them into company procedure. Questions love the distinction between a standard (binding unless a difference is filed) and a recommended practice .
294 words, about 1 min02Airframe, Systems and Powerplant
Understand the load paths: mast to transmission to airframe, and how the anti-torque system reacts torque. For articulated heads, know flapping hinges (relieve bending at the hub), drag hinges (relieve in-plane chordwise loads), and the feathering bearing.
285 words, about 1 min03Flight Performance and Planning
Helicopter performance is normally presented in categories (for example Category A and B) defined by the ability to continue or reject safely after an engine failure. Category A guarantees continued flight after failure at the critical decision point; Category B permits a forced landing.
273 words, about 1 min04Human Performance and Limitations
Understand vestibular illusions - somatogravic (false climb/descent under linear acceleration), somatogyral (leans from prolonged rotation), and the Coriolis illusion during head movement in a turn. Helicopter crews are especially exposed to vibration and low-frequency noise , which raise fatigue and degrade fine motor control.
234 words, about 1 min05Meteorology
Know the standard atmosphere, lapse rates, and how stability governs cloud type and turbulence. Unstable air gives cumuliform cloud, showers, and gusty surface wind; stable air gives stratiform cloud and smooth air but poor visibility in haze.
246 words, about 1 min06Navigation
Understand chart projections - Mercator (rhumb lines straight, scale varies with latitude) and Lambert conformal conic (great circles nearly straight). Know how to plot a position from VOR radials, NDB bearings, and DME arcs, and remember that VOR radials are from the station.
226 words, about 1 min07Operational Procedures
Understand the sequence of checks, the take-off decision point concept, and the briefing requirements for a confined area or elevated site. Know the difference between a clear area and a confined area and the reconnaissance requirements for each.
220 words, about 1 min08Principles of Flight – Helicopter
Understand how rotor thrust is generated and controlled through collective and cyclic pitch. Know induced flow , induced drag , and the power curve (profile, induced, parasite power) with its minimum at best endurance speed.
262 words, about 1 min09VFR/IFR Radiotelephony
Know the structure of a call: station addressed, own call sign, position, altitude, and intention. Learn the distress and urgency prefixes (MAYDAY, PAN PAN) and the use of the transponder codes 7700, 7600, 7500.
216 words, about 1 min10Helicopter-Specific Operations and Emergency Handling
Understand autorotation landing profiles, run-on landing, and the use of the dead man's curve (height-velocity diagram). Know the standard procedures for engine failure in the hover, in forward flight, and at altitude.
245 words, about 1 min