ATPL Navigation (Sri Lanka CAA Pilot Licence Examinations) study guide
ATPL Navigation · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The ATPL Navigation examination is one of the theoretical knowledge papers that a candidate must pass to hold an Airline Transport Pilot Licence. It is aimed at pilots working towards a professional licence, whether through an integrated course or a modular route, and it assumes a solid grasp of mathematics, physics and basic instrument work. The ATPL Navigation study guide has 5 sections and about 1,689 words.
01General Navigation
General Navigation tests your ability to work with the Earth's geometry, chart projections, tracks and time - not simply to quote definitions but to compute the numbers a flight crew uses. The exam favours short calculations in which one wrong assumption (true versus magnetic, departure versus change of longitude) eliminates every answer option.
371 words, about 2 min02Radio Navigation
Radio Navigation tests the principles and in-flight use of ground-based and satellite aids: what each system measures, which errors matter, and how to turn a cockpit indication into a track, a distance or a height. VOR gives a magnetic radial from the station; the indicator shows the selected course with a TO/FROM flag.
318 words, about 2 min03Flight Planning and Flight Monitoring
Flight Planning and Flight Monitoring tests the fuel, time and diversion calculations behind the operational flight plan, and your ability to check that the plan is holding up in flight. Expect triangle-of-velocities work, fuel policy and equal-time-point questions.
336 words, about 2 min04Instruments
Instruments tests how cockpit indications are produced, what they actually represent, and how they fail. The questions link pitot-static theory to altimetry, airspeed and Mach indications, and cover gyroscopic and electronic systems such as IRS, AHRS and EFIS.
340 words, about 2 min05Mass and Balance
Mass and Balance tests the loading calculations that keep the aircraft within structural and CG limits, and the performance and handling consequences when it is not. You must be fluent with moments, index units, %MAC and the effect of fuel burn.
324 words, about 2 min