ATPL · illustrated course

ATPL flight planning and monitoring course: 14 illustrated chapters

The ATPL flight planning and monitoring course follows the syllabus in 14 chapters: 106 key points explained in a few paragraphs, often with a diagram, what to remember and, for many, the classic exam trap. The first chapter, « Basic navigation calculations », can be read in full on this page.

Read chapter 1 The 906 questions of this subject

Each chapter explains, point by point, what the questions of the bank ask, with a « Remember » box and often the classic exam trap. The first chapter is free, below and in the app; the next ones are for ATPL subscribers.

1.Basic navigation calculations
Free
Headings and tracks, the wind triangle, air and ground distances, Mach, fuel units, TOC and TOD.
8 key points · 247 questions of the bank
2.Cruising levels and clearance margins
Subscribers
Semicircular rule, RVSM, pressure and temperature corrections, minimum level above terrain.
6 key points · 81 questions of the bank
3.IFR en-route charts
Subscribers
Jeppesen E(LO)/E(HI) charts, route designators, MEA/MOCA/MORA, radio aids, areas and direction of traffic.
8 key points · 259 questions of the bank
4.Charts and VFR planning
Subscribers
ICAO 1:500,000 chart, track and distance, minimum altitude, airspace and frequencies, minimum heights.
6 key points · 68 questions of the bank
5.Terminal charts: SID, STAR and approaches
Subscribers
Jeppesen index, SIDs and STARs, holding patterns, approach segments, minima, categories, MSA and gradients.
8 key points · 169 questions of the bank
6.Aeronautical information and meteorology
Subscribers
AIP, NOTAM, GNSS, TAF and METAR, significant weather charts, jet streams, wind charts and times.
8 key points · 125 questions of the bank
7.The ATS flight plan
Subscribers
Requirement and filing deadlines, items 7 to 19 of the ICAO form, amendments and the repetitive flight plan.
9 key points · 151 questions of the bank
8.Fuel policy (Air OPS)
Subscribers
Taxi, trip, contingency, alternate, final reserve, additional fuel, decision point and isolated aerodrome.
10 key points · 99 questions of the bank
9.Limiting masses and fuel uplift
Subscribers
Structural masses, maximum take-off mass, available payload, maximum fuel and tankering.
7 key points · 32 questions of the bank
10.Charts and planning tables
Subscribers
Fuel flow, endurance, specific range, integrated methods, climb, simplified planning, holding, piston engines.
9 key points · 208 questions of the bank
11.Equal-time point and point of no return
Subscribers
PET, PET with engine failure, PSR with safe endurance or different fuel flows, effect of wind, radius of action.
8 key points · 140 questions of the bank
12.ETOPS and critical fuel
Subscribers
ETOPS/EDTO principle, maximum distance, critical point, critical fuel scenarios, diversion.
5 key points · 24 questions of the bank
13.North Atlantic and polar navigation
Subscribers
NAT HLA, OTS tracks, oceanic clearance, contingency, grid north and polar calculations.
6 key points · 64 questions of the bank
14.Flight monitoring and replanning
Subscribers
Navigation log, fuel checks, decisions, leg recalculation, assigned Mach, totalisers, GNSS/FMS.
8 key points · 67 questions of the bank

Chapter 1: Basic navigation calculations

Headings and tracks, the wind triangle, air and ground distances, Mach, fuel units, TOC and TOD.

From true heading to compass heading

← Faites glisser le schéma →

True, magnetic and compass north: variation then deviation are applied in that order

Three norths coexist: True North (the meridian), Magnetic North (offset by the variation D) and Compass North (further offset by the aircraft's own deviation d).

With the sign convention East positive, West negative:

magnetic heading Cm = true heading Cv − D;
compass heading Cc = Cm − d.

In the opposite direction (from compass to true), you add: Cv = Cc + d + D. The same rule applies to tracks: magnetic track Rm = Rv − D.

Remember

Cm = Cv − D; Cc = Cm − d (E = +, W = −). "West is best, East is least" when converting from true to magnetic.

Exam trap

Do not mix up the order: deviation is applied to the magnetic heading, never to the true heading. And if the question gives a drift (INS "drift 9° right"), true track = true heading + drift to the right.

The wind triangle

← Faites glisser le schéma →

The wind triangle: heading/TAS + wind = track/ground speed

Planning always starts from the true track (Rv), because the forecast wind (TAF, wind charts, flight plan) is given relative to True North. Only the ATIS and tower wind is magnetic.

The true heading / TAS vector added to the wind vector gives the track / ground speed (GS) vector. The drift correction is applied on the side the wind comes from.

Example: Rv 017°, wind 340°/30 kt, TAS 420 kt. The wind comes from 37° to the left: headwind ≈ 24 kt, crosswind ≈ 18 kt. Drift ≈ 2.5° → correction of about −2° (heading ≈ 015°), GS ≈ 396 kt.

Remember

Forecast wind = True North → work with the true track. Apply the drift correction on the wind side.

Exam trap

The sign of the drift correction ("cor X"): negative if the wind comes from the left (you turn the nose left), positive if it comes from the right. The drift X has the opposite sign.

Effective wind outbound and inbound

← Faites glisser le schéma →

With a crosswind, the inbound effective wind is not the opposite of the outbound effective wind

The effective wind is the difference GS − TAS (positive = tailwind). With a crosswind, it does not simply reverse on the return leg: the crosswind component "costs" in both directions, because GS equals TAS × cos X ± the along-track component.

Consequences:

a full crosswind gives a GS slightly lower than the TAS in both directions;
outbound and inbound, the along-track component changes sign but the TAS × cos X term remains;
for an ETP or a PSR, calculate outbound GS and return GS separately with the computer.

Remember

GS = TAS × cos X ± along-track wind component.

Exam trap

ETP/PSR questions often give Rv and the wind: if the wind is along the track (same or opposite direction), GS = TAS ± W directly; if it is a full crosswind, the along-track component is zero and GS ≈ TAS.

Air distance and ground distance

← Faites glisser le schéma →

With a tailwind, the air distance is shorter than the ground distance

Performance tables (cruise fuel consumption, climb, "integrated range") are built in air distance (NAM), that is, the distance flown relative to the air mass. Since the flight time is the same:

D ground / GS = D air / TAS.

Tailwind: the air distance is shorter than the ground distance.
Headwind: the air distance is longer.

Example: 500 NM ground, TAS 450 kt, 50 kt headwind → GS 400 kt → D air = 500 × 450 / 400 = 562 NM.

Remember

D air = D ground × TAS / GS.

Exam trap

Never enter a ground distance in an "integrated range" table: convert first. Conversely, a climb distance read from a chart is an air distance.

Mach, speed of sound and TAS

← Faites glisser le schéma →

The speed of sound increases with temperature (square root of T in kelvins)

The speed of sound depends only on the air temperature: a = 38.94 × √T kt, with T = OAT + 273 (in kelvins). It is 661 kt at +15 °C and about 573 kt at −56.5 °C (standard tropopause).

TAS = M × a. Examples:

M 0.82 at −50 °C: a = 38.94 × √223 ≈ 582 kt → TAS ≈ 477 kt;
TAS 500 kt at −40 °C: a ≈ 595 kt → M ≈ 0.84;
M 0.90 at FL 350 at ISA +10 (−44 °C): TAS ≈ 530 kt, with a 70 kt tailwind GS ≈ 600 kt = 10 NM/min.

At constant Mach, warmer air gives a higher TAS.

Remember

a = 38.94 √T(K); TAS = M × a; ISA: T = 15 − 2 °C/1,000 ft down to −56.5 °C.

Exam trap

Above the tropopause (36,090 ft in ISA), the temperature stays at −56.5 °C: at constant Mach the TAS no longer varies with altitude.

Measuring distances, the 1 in 60 rule

← Faites glisser le schéma →

1 minute of latitude = 1 NM; 1° of error = 1 NM per 60 NM

One minute of arc of latitude is worth 1 NM everywhere. On a chart, a distance is therefore measured by transferring it to the scale of a meridian, at the mean latitude of the route (never on a parallel, whose minutes of longitude shrink with latitude).

Two airfields on the same meridian, 45°26' N and 41°43' N: difference 3°43' = 223' = 223 NM.

The 1 in 60 rule relates an angular error to a lateral offset: 1° of error gives 1 NM of offset for every 60 NM flown. A 2° error over 90 NM gives 3 NM.

Remember

1' of latitude = 1 NM = 1,852 m. Offset = D × angle / 60.

Exam trap

One minute of longitude is worth 1 NM only at the equator (× cos latitude elsewhere): never measure a distance on the longitude scale.

Fuel units and density

← Faites glisser le schéma →

Converting from volume to mass using density

An engine consumes a mass of energy: the flow in kg/h does not change when the density varies. The volume flow, however, varies inversely with density.

Example: 220 l/h at d = 0.80 is 176 kg/h. With d = 0.75: 176 / 0.75 = 235 l/h.

Ordering fuel in drums: tank 1,500 lb, 350 lb remaining → 1,150 lb = 522 kg; at d = 0.79: 660 l = 174 USG; with 45 USG drums you need 3.9, so 4 drums (always round up to the next whole drum).

Remember

kg = litres × density; 1 USG = 3.785 l; 1 imp gal = 4.546 l; 1 lb = 0.4536 kg.

Exam trap

US gallons and imperial gallons are not interchangeable (3.785 l versus 4.546 l). Read the unit on the drum or gauge carefully.

Top of climb and top of descent

← Faites glisser le schéma →

Placing the TOC and TOD from vertical speed and ground speed

To place the TOC (top of climb) and the TOD (top of descent):

time = altitude change / vertical speed;
ground distance = GS × time;
for a constraint "level X at n NM from a VOR", TOD = descent distance + n.

First bring all heights to the same reference: a VOR "at 2,000 ft QNH 1030" is at about 1,490 ft pressure altitude (1 hPa ≈ 30 ft). If the question gives an IAS, convert it to TAS at the mean altitude of the descent.

A climb chart gives an air distance: with a 30 kt headwind, 189 NM air in 30 min (mean TAS 378 kt) becomes 174 NM ground.

Remember

Distance = GS × Δh / Vz; Vz (ft/min) ≈ gradient (%) × GS (kt); 3° ≈ 5 % ≈ 318 ft/NM.

Exam trap

"The indicated airspeed remains constant during the descent" means that the TAS decreases: use the mean TAS (at mid-altitude), not the cruise TAS.

The course goes on with chapter 2, « Cruising levels and clearance margins ». It is read in the Course tab of the app with a ATPL subscription, and each chapter ends with the questions of the bank about it. See pricing

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Contents

Chapter 1: Basic navigation calculations

From true heading to compass heading

The wind triangle

Effective wind outbound and inbound

Air distance and ground distance

Mach, speed of sound and TAS

Measuring distances, the 1 in 60 rule

Fuel units and density

Top of climb and top of descent

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