ICAA CPL Theory case studies
ICAA CPL Theory · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) theory examination is the ground-school hurdle a candidate must clear before progressing toward a licence that permits flying for remuneration. It is aimed at pilots who already hold, or are completing, a private licence and now need the deeper technical and regulatory knowledge that commercial operations demand. The ICAA CPL Theory case studies are 5 cases and about 1,869 words.
1Fuel planning on a marginal VFR leg
You are flying a single-engine piston aircraft (cruise TAS 120 kt, fuel burn 34 L/h) on a VFR cross-country of 210 NM. Forecast wind gives a 15 kt headwind component for the whole leg.
461 words, about 2 min2Density altitude and take-off performance
You are departing a 4,200 ft elevation airfield on a day when the QNH is 1003 hPa and the OAT is +28 °C. The runway is 1,400 m long, asphalt, dry, with a 0.8% upslope.
405 words, about 2 min3Engine roughness after a long descent
During a descent from 9,500 ft to 3,000 ft in a carburettor-equipped piston aircraft, you have been at low power (approximately 15 in Hg MAP, 2,100 RPM) for 12 minutes in clear air at −2 °C OAT. The engine begins to run rough, RPM fluctuates ±80 RPM, and the EGT drops.
328 words, about 2 min4Wake turbulence on final approach
You are on a 3° ILS final at 140 kt groundspeed, 4 NM from touchdown, cleared to land behind a heavy four-engine jet that has just crossed the threshold. Tower reports the preceding aircraft as a heavy.
339 words, about 2 min5Lost comms and airspace infringement risk
You are on a VFR flight in Class D airspace, transponder Mode C, squawking assigned code. Your radio fails completely at 2,500 ft, 12 NM from the Class D boundary, 20 NM from your destination (a Class D aerodrome).
336 words, about 2 min