NZ CAA PPL Navigation study plan
NZ CAA PPL Navigation · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Flight planning and navigation preparation & Dead reckoning, map reading and in-flight navigation
List every element of a VFR flight plan and the NZ CAA filing, opening, and closing requirements, then explain each element's operational purpose from memory
Compute a full fuel plan for a 2.5-hour VFR cross-country using taxi, climb, cruise, descent, and fixed 30-minute reserves, showing each line of arithmetic
Read a NZ 1:500,000 topographical chart and identify at least 15 symbols including controlled airspace boundaries, danger areas, and obstacles
Derive true track and distance for three legs using a protractor and scale on a printed chart, then convert to magnetic with the published variation
Your checkpoint
One complete handwritten flight-planning worksheet for a 3-leg VFR cross-country (tracks, distances, headings, times, fuel, mass and balance) checked against a second independent calculation
Flight planning and navigation preparation & Dead reckoning, map reading and in-flight navigation
Construct a navigation log from scratch with columns for true and magnetic heading, groundspeed, leg time, ETA, and fuel remaining, and defend each column's purpose
Calculate density altitude and take-off/landing distance for three aerodromes at varying temperature and pressure, using the aircraft flight manual charts
Prepare a mass and balance calculation that keeps the centre of gravity inside limits while maximising usable payload
Explain the difference between true, magnetic, and compass heading and compute a deviation correction from a sample compass swing card
Your checkpoint
A signed-off navigation log and mass-and-balance sheet for a 2.5-hour cross-country, with a short written justification of fuel reserves and alternate selection
Dead reckoning, map reading and in-flight navigation & Meteorology and winds affecting navigation
Apply the 1-in-60 rule to calculate off-track error and closing angle, and derive a heading correction for six worked examples
Compute wind triangle solutions by both the mental dead-reckoning method and the flight computer for the same five problems and compare the answers
Interpret a NZ MetService area forecast and a winds and temperatures aloft chart to extract wind for three flight levels
Describe how pressure, temperature, and wind shear alter the actual track and groundspeed flown versus the planned values
Your checkpoint
A one-page wind-triangle and 1-in-60 problem set of ten questions solved twice (mental method and computer) with a table of discrepancies under 3 degrees and 2 knots
Meteorology and winds affecting navigation & Flight planning and navigation preparation
Decode a METAR and TAF for a NZ aerodrome and state whether the conditions permit the planned VFR flight and why
Identify the four main NZ weather systems (fronts, depressions, anticyclones, and the Föhn effect) and predict their effect on visibility, cloud base, and wind at a chosen route
Revise the flight plan from week 2 using a real forecast wind and recalculate headings, groundspeeds, ETAs, and fuel
List the operational triggers that force a diversion or return, and state the decision point and alternate for each
Your checkpoint
A weather-and-diversion briefing for one planned route, including decoded METAR/TAF, winds aloft, a revised navigation log, and three named en-route decision points
Radio navigation aids and GNSS
Explain the operating principle of VOR, DME, NDB/ADF, and ILS, and state what each provides to a VFR pilot
Interpret the VOR omni-bearing selector and CDI indications for eight sample radials and state the aircraft's position relative to the station
Describe how GNSS position fixes are derived, and list the failure modes and integrity-monitoring limitations relevant to VFR navigation
Read the NZ en-route and terminal charts to identify navaid frequencies, identifiers, and class of airspace along a planned route
Your checkpoint
A navaid reference card for the planned route listing each station, frequency, identifier, usable range, and the radial or bearing to be tracked, plus five CDI interpretation answers
Radio navigation aids and GNSS & Dead reckoning, map reading and in-flight navigation
Plan a route using a mix of ground references and radio navaids, and state the primary and backup navigation method for each leg
Calculate time and distance to a VOR station from a single radial crossing plus a second bearing, and from DME readings
Explain GNSS waypoint entry, track guidance, and the effect of a wrong datum or wrong waypoint on navigation
Describe lost-procedure actions in order, including the 1-in-60 diversion to a known feature and the use of ATC assistance
Your checkpoint
A radio-navigation flight log for the route with primary and backup methods per leg, plus a written lost-procedure checklist in the order you would execute it
Flight planning and navigation preparation & Dead reckoning, map reading and in-flight navigation & Radio navigation aids and GNSS & Meteorology and winds affecting navigation
Assemble a full pre-flight package for one cross-country: charts, weather, NOTAMs, fuel, mass and balance, navaid frequencies, and alternates
Solve ten mixed exam-style problems covering flight planning, dead reckoning, navaids, and weather under timed conditions
Review every wrong answer from the timed set and write the correct reasoning in your own words
Re-derive the wind triangle and 1-in-60 solutions that caused errors, without reference notes
Your checkpoint
A complete pre-flight package plus a timed 20-question mixed set scored and fully corrected, with a written error log
Flight planning and navigation preparation & Dead reckoning, map reading and in-flight navigation & Radio navigation aids and GNSS & Meteorology and winds affecting navigation
Complete two full-length timed practice papers under exam conditions and record the score per domain
Target the two weakest domains with focused revision and re-test those domains only
Recite the flight-planning and fuel-reserve rules, the 1-in-60 method, and the lost-procedure sequence from memory
Confirm readiness by scoring consistently above your pass target on mixed sets
Your checkpoint
Two completed timed papers with per-domain scores, a revised weak-area action list, and a final one-page summary sheet of formulas and rules
Milestones
Week 2: Produce a complete navigation log and mass-and-balance sheet with no arithmetic errors and all headings within 3 degrees of an independent check
Week 4: Correctly decode a METAR and TAF and revise a flight plan for forecast wind, with all groundspeeds within 3 knots of the recomputed values
Week 6: Score at least 70% on a 15-question navaid and dead-reckoning set, and state primary and backup navigation for every leg of the planned route
Week 8: Score at least 80% on two full timed mixed papers with no domain below 70%