CAA NZ ATPL Instruments & Navaids case studies
CAA NZ ATPL Instruments & Navaids · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Instruments & Navaids paper is one of the technical knowledge subjects a candidate must clear on the way to a New Zealand ATPL, and it sits at the point where physics, avionics and procedure meet. It is aimed at pilots who already hold a commercial licence and are moving to airline-level responsibilities, so questions assume fluency with basic instrument flying and build toward system-level reasoning: why a static port blockage produces the indications it does, how a multi-sensor navigation solution degrades, what a crew should do when a warning system disagrees with the other evidence. The CAA NZ ATPL Instruments & Navaids case studies are 5 cases and about 3,600 words.
1Blocked Static Source in the Climb
You are pilot flying a twin turboprop on a scheduled night IFR service from Christchurch to Auckland, in smooth air, climbing through FL150 for FL190 with the autopilot in IAS mode. Passing 14,800 ft the captain's airspeed begins to fall; a minute later it reads 165 kt while the first officer's display is steady at 212 kt, and torque, attitude and cabin conditions are unchanged.
752 words, about 4 min2Direct-Reading Compass at 46 Degrees South
You are the pilot in command of a twin turboprop whose slaved heading system has failed in flight, with heading flags on the HSI and flight director. You are now flying on the standby attitude indicator, the turn coordinator and the direct-reading magnetic compass.
743 words, about 4 min3Glideslope Capture From Above
You are pilot flying a twin-jet on the ILS RWY 23L approach at Auckland in IMC and moderate turbulence. You were kept at 7,000 ft for traffic and are cleared for the approach from 10 DME, well above the published profile.
713 words, about 4 min4RNP AR Approach With Cold Temperature and Degraded ANP
You are pilot flying a twin-jet on the RNP AR approach to Queenstown (NZQN) runway 05, in IMC, wind calm. The ATIS gives OAT -12°C and QNH 1022 hPa.
716 words, about 4 min5Terrain Alert After a QNH Mis-Set
You are pilot flying a night VOR/DME approach in IMC to a regional aerodrome with high ground close to the inbound track. The ATIS gives QNH 998 hPa, but both altimeters were set to 1008 hPa, the QNH from your departure aerodrome.
676 words, about 3 min