CARC CPL Theory study plan
CARC CPL Theory · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Air Law, Regulations and Procedures
Map the Air Law syllabus into a one-page index of rule areas (licensing, airspace, rules of the air, documents) and mark where you are least confident
State from memory the privileges and limitations of the CPL and the validity/renewal rules for medical and ratings
Explain the classification of airspace and the associated entry, equipment and clearance requirements without notes
Define the document-carrying and record-keeping obligations for a commercial flight
Your checkpoint
A completed one-page Air Law index with confidence ratings and a 25-question self-test scored at 80% or better
Air Law, Regulations and Procedures & Radiotelephony and Communications
Apply rules of the air (right of way, cruising levels, signals, interception) to written conflict scenarios
Distinguish VFR from IFR minima and the conditions that require an ATC clearance
Construct standard phraseology for departure, en-route, approach and emergency calls with no filler words
Read back clearances accurately and identify which elements must always be read back
Your checkpoint
A written log of 15 simulated clearances read back verbatim, with errors corrected and annotated
Aircraft General Knowledge - Airframes, Engines and Systems
Trace the path of air, fuel and oil through a piston engine and describe what each component does
Explain the function and failure consequences of the electrical, vacuum/pressure and hydraulic systems
Interpret the meaning of the key engine and flight instruments and their common failure indications
Describe the purpose and operation of the aircraft's ice, fuel and pressurisation-related systems
Your checkpoint
A hand-drawn labelled systems diagram set (engine, electrical, pitot-static) with a written explanation of one failure scenario per system
Flight Performance, Planning and Loading
Compute take-off, landing and climb performance from given tabular data, correcting for pressure altitude, temperature, wind and mass
Calculate mass and balance and determine whether a given load sheet is inside the centre-of-gravity envelope
Produce a fuel plan including reserves and contingency for a given route
Explain how density altitude, wind and runway condition change the performance figures you calculated
Your checkpoint
A complete worked flight-planning package (performance, mass and balance, fuel) for one route, all figures checked against source data
Flight Performance, Planning and Loading & Human Factors and Pilot Decision Making
Solve timed numerical performance and loading problems under exam conditions
Describe the physiological effects of hypoxia, hyperventilation, spatial disorientation and fatigue, and the countermeasures for each
Apply a structured decision-making model to at least three in-flight scenario descriptions
Identify the human-factors traps (complacency, get-there pressure, plan continuation) in written accident narratives
Your checkpoint
A 30-question timed mixed set on performance and human factors, scored and with every wrong answer rewritten as a correct statement
Meteorology
Decode a written weather report and forecast and state the operational significance of each group
Explain the formation and hazards of the main cloud types, icing, turbulence and thunderstorms
Describe pressure systems, fronts and how each changes wind, visibility and ceiling
Interpret upper-wind and temperature information and apply it to a route decision
Your checkpoint
A written weather briefing for a chosen route and date, including a go/no-go recommendation with at least four supporting reasons
Navigation and Radio Aids
Convert between true, magnetic and compass headings and compute track, groundspeed and drift for given wind
Explain the principles and limitations of VOR, DME, NDB/ADF, ILS and GNSS and the errors affecting each
Read and use a chart to plan a route with waypoints, minimum safe altitudes and radio-navigation fixes
Identify what to do when a navigation aid fails or position becomes uncertain
Your checkpoint
A solved navigation problem set (10 wind-triangle and 10 radio-aid questions) with full working shown
Air Law, Regulations and Procedures & Aircraft General Knowledge - Airframes, Engines and Systems & Flight Performance, Planning and Loading & Human Factors and Pilot Decision Making & Meteorology & Navigation and Radio Aids & Radiotelephony and Communications
Sit two full-length timed mock exams and record the score per domain
Re-study only the two lowest-scoring domains and re-test them
Review every missed question and write the correct rule or formula in your own words
Confirm readiness by meeting a target overall score consistently across both mocks
Your checkpoint
Two completed mock exams with a per-domain score table and a written remediation list showing improvement on the retest
Milestones
Week 2: Score 80% or better on a 25-question Air Law and radiotelephony set, and read back 15 clearances with no critical-element errors
Week 4: Produce a flight-planning package with all performance, mass-and-balance and fuel figures matching source data to within rounding
Week 6: Deliver a defensible go/no-go weather briefing and score 75% or better on a mixed meteorology and human-factors set
Week 8: Score 75% or better overall on two full-length mocks with no domain below 70%, and show improvement on the remediated domains