AAK ATPL (Kazakhstan) study guide
AAK ATPL (Kazakhstan) · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) theoretical knowledge examination is the written stage of the professional pilot licensing pathway in Kazakhstan, administered by the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan (AAK). It is intended for pilots who already hold, or are completing, the commercial pilot training required for an ATPL(A) - typically graduates of an integrated course or CPL holders building experience towards the full licence. The AAK ATPL (Kazakhstan) study guide has 12 sections and about 3,698 words.
01Air Law: ICAO framework, annexes and national rules
International air law rests on the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago, 1944), which created ICAO. ICAO adopts Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) as Annexes; a Standard is a binding "shall" requirement for Contracting States, a Recommended Practice is a "should" whose uniform application is desirable.
320 words, about 2 min02Aircraft General Knowledge: airframe, systems, powerplant, equipment, instruments
The airframe is semi-monocoque: skin carries shear, stringers and frames stiffen it, wing spars carry bending. Know load paths, the meaning of fail-safe and damage-tolerant design, and where fatigue-critical areas (window corners, spar caps, pressurisation cycles) are inspected.
317 words, about 2 min03Mass and Balance: moments, CG envelope and %MAC
Mass and balance uses a datum, arms measured from it, moments (mass × arm), and the CG as total moment divided by total mass. Know BEM/DOW, MZFW, MTOW, MLW, MRW, and the difference between maximum and operating masses.
327 words, about 2 min04Performance: declared distances, V1 and climb gradients
TORA (takeoff run), TODA (takeoff distance, may include clearway), ASDA (accelerate-stop distance, may include stopway), LDA (landing distance). Balanced field length exists when the one-engine-inoperative distance to continue equals the distance to stop - that is where V1 sits for a given mass.
295 words, about 1 min05Flight Planning and Monitoring: fuel policy and in-flight replanning
Commercial planning splits fuel into: taxi fuel, trip fuel, contingency (typically 5% of trip, or 3% with an en-route alternate), alternate fuel, final reserve, and additional/extra fuel. The final reserve is not usable in normal planning - it may only be tapped in a genuine emergency, after which a MAYDAY or PAN is due.
320 words, about 2 min06Human Performance and Limitations: physiology, illusion, CRM
Above about 10 000 ft without supplementary oxygen, hypoxia develops. Time of useful consciousness is roughly 20–30 minutes at FL180, 3–5 minutes at FL250, 1–2 minutes at FL300, 30–60 seconds at FL350 and 15–20 seconds at FL400; rapid decompression shortens these figures.
280 words, about 1 min07Meteorology: atmosphere, altimetry, systems and reports
ISA: sea level 15 °C, 1013.25 hPa, lapse rate 1.98 °C per 1 000 ft to 36 090 ft (tropopause), then isothermal to 65 000 ft. Pressure falls roughly 1 hPa per 27 ft near sea level and about 1 hPa per 100 ft near FL180.
310 words, about 2 min08General Navigation: Earth, magnetism and the wind triangle
Latitude and longitude; the great circle is the shortest distance, the rhumb line has constant track and is easier to fly. One minute of latitude = 1 nautical mile; one minute of longitude = 1 nm × cos(latitude) - the commonest numerical question.
304 words, about 2 min09Radio Navigation: VOR, DME, ILS, RNAV and surveillance
VOR gives a radial from the station; the CDI shows deviation from the selected radial, set with the OBS. VOR is line-of-sight with a cone of confusion overhead.
318 words, about 2 min10Operational Procedures: SOPs, MEL, minima and emergencies
SOPs and checklists structure the flight: briefing, challenge-and-response, and the sterile flight deck below 10 000 ft. The MEL defines what may be inoperative and under what conditions; the CDL covers missing items such as a panel.
290 words, about 1 min11Principles of Flight: lift, drag, high speed and stability
Lift = ½ρV²SC L, arising from the pressure distribution around the aerofoil. C L rises linearly with angle of attack up to the critical angle, then falls - the stall.
323 words, about 2 min12Communications: RT phraseology, distress and clearances
Standard RT uses the standard words: AFFIRM, NEGATIVE, ROGER, WILCO, STANDBY, CLEARED, HOLD, CHECK, RECLEARED, LINE UP AND WAIT, TAKE-OFF. Position reports give identification, position, time, altitude, and the next position with ETA.
294 words, about 1 min