Atpl Books/editions
 

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone could tell me if the Oxford 4th edition Atpl manuals are up to date for the current Atpl exams. I did the exams in 2005 and had to stop training shortly afterwards. I'm thinking about sitting the exams again and finishing up my training. As far as I know I can "self-certify" for the Atpl exams so I want to know that I'm re-learning valid information. If they are not suitable, could someone let me know their opinion on the best study material. I'm 35 now so time is ticking!!! Thanks in advance everyone,

Folks,

Just a general question. A lot of talk about new changes to exams this year by EASA, its making me a bit nervous. I'm currently with BGS, I'm working through CBT and plan to hit the QB hard before I show up for my first set of exams. What I'm wondering is - are the questions asked on the ATPL exams the same at every CAA venue across the world (I understand things might be different if you sit your exams under a different european regulator). In other words if I'm studying the BGS CBT & question bank and then sit my exams at a different CAA venue than Bristol, will I still be adequately prepared, or are there other things I need to be doing to prepare myself?

There might be an obvious answer to this, but just checking for peace of mind!

The questions are different for every candidate - even the person next to you will have different questions and annexes. But they will all come from the same place.

It does appear that different Authorities are introducing new questions at different rates, and that many Authorities are less critical than the UK CAA of new questions that are defective. In other words your chances of successfully appealing a defective question may be higher in the UK than elsewhere. In the UK it is normal for a number of papers to be remarked each month following appeals by schools or candidates so that, when a defective question is identified, anyone who got that question 'wrong' according to the marking scheme is credited, whether they appealed in person or not. This usually just leads to a new mark for those that passed, but in some cases can turn a 'fail' into a 'pass'. Where this process would lead to a 'fail' just being recorded as a 'fail' with a higher percentage the UK CAA do not adjust either adjust the marks or notify the affected students.

Flight Planning
 

Alex, Paco et al, can you advise on the following for the FLight Planning exam pls.

What is PDP and Decision Point Procedure? Thanks.

Hi there, been reading this forum for a while. Due to head to bristol this autumn for MOD 1 revision course. Im working through the CBT and am averaging anywhere between 40 & 70% in most of progress tests, I only pass the odd PT on the first try. I was always pretty good at maths so I'm not struggling with the Gen Nav equations as you might assume, just struggling with remembering the sheer amount of info, especially with MET.

I've worked out that I should have at least three weeks between finishing the CBT and going to bristol to practice the question banks. Do you think if I work at the question banks before going to bristol, will it be enough to bring my scores up to a good level? Just worried that I won't be up to standard in time for the exams!!!

Everyone has the same worries. Do the coursework, if you don't pass the PT first time, revise, do it again. Go through the question bank on the app or online, once you have seen all the questions try practice exams without a time limit initially, then set the timer. Try and get yourself to a pass standard in all papers. If there are gaps in your understanding we will work on that on the revision course.

You'll find that most of the people with you in the room on day 1 of the revision course have the same doubts and fears - its normal. If you have done the distance learning work and had a reasonable stab at the question bank you should be OK.

Just like playing the guitar - speed comes with practice. Every time you do a test, it will be just that bit quicker than the previous one. Just don't try to rush, because your mental focus will be on finishing in time rather than on the material, i.e. in the wrong place.

Thanks folks, sounds like I'm more or less on the right track! I would guess that the CBT pushes you hard to ensure that you are well prepared for the exams.

That's what it's for...... :)

Cold air is denser than warm air, but why does the airflow become warmer and denser at the same time in a shockwave? Is it because of skin friction?

To understand what is happening we need to look at the basics and work from there.

Density = Mass / Volume, so if the volume of a fixed mass of air increases, its density must decrease. If its volume decreases then its density must increase.

If we take a mass of air and warm it slowly, it will tend to expand. If the air is held within a container it will be unable to expand, so its pressure will increase. We will still have the same mass of air in the same volume, so the density will be unchanged. If we now reduce the volume of the container, the pressure, temperature and density of the air will all increase simultaneously.

If we now take the top off the container the air will be free to expand. As it expands it will take up a greater volume. We will now have the same mass of air in a greater volume, so the density will be lower. The pressure and temperature will also decrease as the air expands. So as the air expanded the pressure, temperature and density all decreased.

A shock wave is an instantaneous pressure increase. So when air flows through a shockwave it suddenly finds itself in an area of higher pressure. This causes the air to be instantaneously compressed until its pressure is equal to that immediately behind the shockwave. This sudden compression of the air causes its volume to decrease, so its density must increase. The sudden compression of the air also causes its temperature to increase. So we have a situation in which the pressure, temperature and density all increase simultaneously.

So passing the air through a shockwave causes it to behave as if it were inside a container which suddenly shrunk in volume.

Clear explanation, thanks.

Hi all

Taking AGK, instruments and ops this coming week. My last 3 so mixed feelings at the moment - been distance studying for 2 years now so looking forward to enjoying some free time again!

Has anybody got some recent feedback on any of these subjects from the exams as I'm aware there was a bit of an issue earlier in the year with ops in particular.

Not looking for questions and answers of course, just hoping to find out if there were any nasty surprises that weren't fully anticipated from the LO's.

Thanks

Whilst I'm here - Keith, Alex, Paco and numerous others - there has been some excellent support on here over the past few years and I'm sure many have gone on to understand some topics a little bit better thanks to your input. Thank you very much for taking the time to lend your support.

A read of doc 965/2012 from EASA would be a good start for ops.

Glad to help, BTW - anything to beat the system :)

I am going to ask this question here as I've been unable to post on atpforum.eu due to technical problems.

Hopefully someone who has access to Bristol GS CBT can help me as this is a question in the Grid Navigation Progress Test.

I am having trouble solving this question and don't really understand the last part of the explanation in the CBT.
I have no problem in solving the first part of the question as it is just matter of subtracting 8° (480 NM/60) from 90° to find the 82°N latitude, however I am not understanding how to get to the final solution and I don't understand the last part of the explanation which says to use the latitude scale to measure this 300 NM but I am provided with no scale.

What am I missing?:sad:

300 nm is going to be roughly 5 degrees at that latitude (the cosine is very small) - try a pair of compasses centred on the new location then see which answer fits? :)

Red Bull you are missing a paper annex which looks like a north PS chart maybe with the scale you require printed on it. You then have to physically plot (on paper) the two position lines both in terms of direction and distance at the end you should be at 80 80 approx. Regretfully I don't have a copy to attach here.

Just to double clarify the answer to your last sentence, RedBull, there is no separate scale printed on the chart because you are expected to know that one minute of arc on a great circle is 1NM. Meridians are great circles so if you measure one degree of latitude change along a meridian you are measuring 60NM and, as Paco says, 300NM is 5 degrees of latitude change.

I printed the annex paper of course.
I did some research and they key to solving this question was to assume 1cm=100NM.

If that worked it was only by chance. There was no scale given other than the meridian. The explanation was:

(Refer to Diagram)

From the North Pole on the diagram the aircraft flies down the 110°East meridian.

The meridians are shown every 10° of longitude.

The distance travelled is 480 NM which is equal to 8° of latitude.

Use the latitude scale to measure the distance flown from the pole down the 110° East meridian.

The aircraft is now at 82°N 110°E.

At this point draw in grid North parallel to the Greenwich meridian and plot a track of 154° Grid from 82°N 110°E.

The aircraft travels 300 NM along this track which is equal to 5° of latitude.

Use the latitude scale to measure this 300 NM, plot it onto the chart and you should find the aircraft will be at or close to 80°N 080°E.

I couldn't understand just the last row of the explanation as that was the final point where I was stuck, however now it's crystal clear.

Just a couple of quick questions.

I am switching to a Jeppesen CR flight computer and noticed in the manual that it is possible also to calculate so called pressure patterns problems. Since I have not find a lot about it in my ATPL notes, am I right in assuming it is not part of the syllabus?

Second question is, are temp rise questions part of the syllabus?

Don't bother banging your head against those sort of questions.

Some of them are just written poorly and are quite vague in what they ask for.
There are some ultimately you'll just have to remember.

No pressure pattern, but temperature rise, what Jeppesen calls the "new method" of TAS calculation.

Why a downgoing wing generates more lift without dihedral?
 

Hi there!

I´m revising my notes about spins and I don´t find a proper explanation.

Any comment will be very welcome!

Thanks.

As with any downgoing wing, the relative airflow comes more from underneath and increases the angle of attack.

If describing a force instead of saying "higher angle of attack" is horrible, I think we´ll have to burn all the books about aerodynamics on earth...

Anyways, if you read the title with attention you´ll realize that I´m talking about wings without geometric dihedral. In other words, in case of sideslip, why does the downgoing wing have a higher angle of attack?

I understand this scenario when we have an aircraft with physical dihedral, however, It seems that "I don´t see" the vectors involved when it comes to an aircraft without dihedral.

That´s not sarcasm. It´s just an objective fact as you were talking about dihedral and the title is clear (without dihedral). On the other hand, you say vaguely-expressed, I say briefly-expressed -Paco got it at first try-.

As far as the technical content of your answer, do you affirm that the relative airflow (downgoing wing in a sideslip) won´t be inclined upwards, increasing its effective angle of attack/lift?

That´s what the books say literally and you say that the amount of lift is the same. Now I understand nothing.

Thank you, PDR1.

Paco, I think you are right, but I don´t find any graphic with vectors to see that distribution of forces.

Hi folks,

someone heard about the change of the exams in April ? Apparently 20% will be written?

Thanks

In the UK, February. As usual, 1500 new questions, and 2000 reviewed.

Hi Paco,

Could you give us more information about what will change in the ATPL in 2017.
What do you mean by written questions ?

Hello

I would have a question about the computers.
Do they all do the same things ? I have a CRP5 whereas my school recommends an aviat 617.

Are they really used in real life ? (i.e. in flight)
Obviously they are not useful on any modern jetliner, but what about powerful older aircraft ?
I learned tonight most of the computations mine can do, and I was pleasantly surprised with all it can do, and the simplicity of its use (it seemed a bit daunting initially)

Or are they just used during the ATPL exams ?
Is it allowed to have a calculator during the ATPL exams ?
If so, what's the computer for ? (my calculator could easily do everything that the computer does, since it is programmable)

Thank you

Hello KayPam,

You have to check with your local CAA for which tools you are allowed to bring to the exams. In Germany, you are only allowed to bring to the ATPL exams pens, pencils, ruler, and a flight computer (ie. Aviat 617). They provide notepaper for calculations as well as a REALLY SIMPLE (read: non-programable) caculator. You probably would find the 617 more useful than a CRP5 since it also has MACH numbers on it. Once you pratice with the 617, you have an answer faster than with an electronic calculator esp. wind calculations, PSR & PET are super fast and easy, calculating MACH with IAS and different temperatures is a snap, etc. As for real world application, my IFR FI also flies executive jets and uses his almost daily to double check the caclulations he receives from dispatch.