Air Law, Navigation and Human Factors
Air law
Know the Canadian Aviation Regulations structure relevant to commercial operations: licensing and ratings, aircraft equipment requirements, maintenance and journey log requirements, and the rules of the air. Understand VFR weather minima in controlled and uncontrolled airspace, the purpose of a transponder and altitude encoding, and the requirements for a flight plan or itinerary. Know the meaning of the 24-hour and 12-hour currency requirements and the medical validity periods.
Navigation
Be comfortable with pilotage, dead reckoning, and radio navigation. Understand VOR radials and the difference between the OBS setting and the actual bearing to the station, and how to intercept a track. Know the basics of GPS RAIM and why it matters for approaches.
Human factors
Understand hypoxia, hyperventilation, spatial disorientation, and fatigue, and how each degrades decision-making. Know the hazardous attitudes and their antidotes, and the role of situational awareness and workload management.
Traps
Law questions often hinge on a single word - shall versus should, or may versus must. Navigation questions frequently present a VOR with the reciprocal of the intended radial set. Human factors questions sometimes describe a physiological symptom that mimics another condition.
Worked example
A pilot sets the OBS to 090 with a FROM indication and the CDI centres. The aircraft is on the 090 radial, east of the station, tracking outbound. If the pilot instead wanted to fly to the station, the reciprocal 270 with TO would be required.