DGCA CPL Air Navigation study plan

Convert between DMS and decimal coordinates and between the three common latitude/longitude notations without calculator error, solving 15 mixed practice conversions.

Compute great-circle distance and initial/final track using both the haversine expression and the approximate 'departure = change of longitude × cos latitude' method, then compare the two answers and state why they diverge near the pole.

Derive departure, change of longitude and change of latitude from a stated start point and a stated track/distance, sketching each case on a blank graticule.

Explain the difference between a great circle, a rhumb line and a small circle in terms of track behaviour and why the shortest path between two points is not a constant-heading path.

Convert between UTC, LMT and standard zone time for six worked scenarios, including cases that cross the International Date Line and cases where the date changes twice in one flight.

Calculate sunrise, sunset and civil twilight times for a given latitude and date using the standard tables/method, then verify one result by reasoning about the declination of the Sun and the observer's latitude.

Distinguish true, magnetic and compass direction, and compute heading given variation and deviation for five numerical examples, stating whether each value is east or west.

Explain how magnetic dip, the magnetic poles versus the geographic poles, and aircraft turning/acceleration errors affect a direct-reading magnetic compass, and describe the serviceable turning/acceleration error behaviour in a turn through north and through south.

Compare Mercator, Lambert conformal conic, transverse Mercator and polar stereographic charts by stating the properties preserved, the distortion introduced and the navigation use each suits.

Measure and convert chart distances and bearings on a given chart scale, correcting for scale change with latitude on a Mercator projection and stating the resulting percentage error.

Plot a four-leg route on a chart extract, extract coordinates for each turning point, and record tracks, distances and magnetic headings in a tabular log.

Identify chart symbology for controlled airspace, navaids, obstacles and elevation, and state the meaning of the chart's stated vertical limits for each class encountered.

Solve the wind triangle graphically and by the sine/cosine rule for six cases (given TAS, wind, and either track or heading) and state the resulting heading, ground speed and drift.

Build a full navigation flight plan for a two-leg route: fuel burn, leg time, ETA, and reserves, then recompute the plan with a 20-knot headwind on leg one and quantify the change in total fuel.

Apply dead reckoning to find a position from a known fix after a given time on a given heading, and then calculate the heading and time to intercept a stated track to a destination.

Describe the contents and purpose of a navigation log/PLOG and the pre-flight checks performed on it (fuel, ETA, alternate, minimum fuel) in a short written procedure.

Explain ADF/NDB operation: relative bearing, magnetic bearing, QDM/QDR/QUJ/QTE, and the causes and effects of coastal refraction, night effect, thunderstorm (static) effect and quadrantal error.

Compute true and magnetic bearings to an NDB from given relative bearings and heading for eight cases, including homing, tracking and drifting, and determine the wind correction required to maintain a fixed inbound track.

Describe VOR principles, radials, the CDI/OCI indications, the cone of confusion, and the difference between TO and FROM indications and how to intercept and track a radial.

Solve six VOR/DME problems combining a radial, a DME distance and a heading to establish position, including computation of distance and time to a station.

Explain DME operation, slant range versus ground range, the effect of altitude and station passage, and compute ground distance from slant range and height for four cases.

Describe ILS components (localizer, glidepath, markers, DME) and compute the approximate height at a given distance on a 3-degree glidepath, converting between fly-up/fly-down indications and deviation in dots.

Explain radar: primary versus secondary surveillance, transponder modes and codes, and how ATC uses radar vectors and separation; state the operational meaning of a squawk and of an SSR code change.

Interpret a stated approach plate's minima, missed-approach point and decision altitude in terms of the equipment and navaid used, without reference to any figure.

Compare RNAV, RNP and PBN specifications, stating what each requires of the aircraft and the navigation system, and what 'on-board performance monitoring and alerting' means in practice.

Explain GNSS: space, control and user segments, pseudo-range, why four satellites are needed for a position and time fix, and the sources of ionospheric, tropospheric, multipath, clock and ephemeris error.

Describe augmentation (ABAS, SBAS, GBAS) and receiver autonomous integrity monitoring, including the difference between RAIM availability and a RAIM warning, and what the crew must do when a RAIM prediction fails.

Explain inertial systems (INS/IRS) and FMS: alignment, drift and Schuler tuning in outline, waypoint entry, and how the FMS combines sensor inputs to produce a position and a track.

Sit three full-length timed mixed papers covering all four domains and log every wrong answer with the underlying concept it tested.

Re-work each logged error to a correct method and re-test the same concept with fresh problems until the error does not recur.

Revisit the two thinnest areas identified by the mock results and produce a one-page revision card for each.

Explain, in a short written summary, how the four domains connect in a single flight: chart and DR planning, ground-based aids for tracking, and GNSS/FMS for area navigation.