ATPL 022 Instrumentation study guide
ATPL 022 Instrumentation · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
ATPL 022 Instrumentation is one of the fourteen theoretical knowledge subjects in the EASA Airline Transport Pilot licence syllabus. It is aimed at aspiring professional pilots and integrated or modular ATPL students who need to understand how aircraft measure, present and use flight data. The ATPL 022 Instrumentation study guide has 11 sections and about 4,829 words.
01Sensors and Measurement Fundamentals
Domain 1 tests the measurement vocabulary and sensing hardware that every other instrumentation topic depends on: what accuracy, precision, resolution and drift actually mean, how a physical quantity becomes an electrical signal, and how that signal is conditioned, converted and used in a closed loop. Questions are mostly definitions plus short numerical reasoning.
454 words, about 2 min02Pressure Instruments and Air Data
Domain 2 covers the pitot-static system and everything derived from it - airspeed, altitude, vertical speed, Mach - plus the air data computer that combines them. The exam tests the pressure relationships, the definition of each speed and altitude, the error sources, and the operational rules such as transition altitude and RVSM.
460 words, about 2 min03Temperature and Ice Detection
Domain 3 covers temperature measurement in air and engines, and the detection and treatment of icing. The exam asks which sensor suits which range, why TAT differs from SAT, how anti-ice and de-ice systems differ, and what happens when a probe ices up.
422 words, about 2 min04Gyroscopic Instruments and Heading Systems
Domain 4 covers the gyroscope as a sensing element - attitude, rate of turn and heading - and the heading systems built on it. The exam tests the two properties (rigidity and precession), the difference between attitude and rate gyros, drift and its causes, and the turn-performance numbers.
485 words, about 2 min05Magnetic Compasses and Heading References
Domain 5 covers the direct-reading magnetic compass and the remote-indicating systems that replaced it as the primary heading source. The exam tests the compass errors, the flux-valve/slaved-gyro arrangement, and the arithmetic of variation and deviation.
425 words, about 2 min06Inertial and Satellite Navigation Systems
Domain 6 covers inertial navigation (INS/IRS) and satellite navigation (GNSS), the two systems that give position without ground aids. The exam tests INS principles and error behaviour, GNSS segments and error sources, integrity monitoring, and the meaning of DOP.
418 words, about 2 min07Flight Director, Autopilot and Autothrust
Domain 7 covers the flight director, autopilot and autothrust - the automatic flight control system. The exam tests the control-loop structure, the modes and their arming/capture/engagement logic, autoland capability, and the interaction between speed control by elevator and by thrust.
439 words, about 2 min08Electronic Displays and Alerting Systems
Domain 8 covers the glass cockpit: display units and their symbol generators, the alerting hierarchy, and the warning systems - TCAS, EGPWS and stall/overspeed. Questions test reversion and failure logic, colour philosophy, and the priority of aural and visual alerts.
452 words, about 2 min09Engine and System Monitoring
Domain 9 covers engine and system indication: which parameters are displayed, what they mean, what the limits are, and how FADEC and the monitoring systems use them. The exam tests parameter definitions, start limits and system-page interpretation.
418 words, about 2 min10Data Buses, Computers and Power
Domain 10 covers the digital backbone: data buses, the computers that exchange data, and the electrical power that keeps them alive. Questions test bus characteristics, word structure, redundancy and the power architecture of a transport aircraft.
413 words, about 2 min11Instrument Failure, Degradation and Warnings
Domain 11 pulls the course together: what happens when a sensor, computer or display fails, what the crew sees, and how the aircraft degrades safely. The exam favours the classic pitot-static failures, display reversion, and the logic of redundancy, voting and warning prioritisation.
443 words, about 2 min