Self Study for DGCA exams - resources, books, notes, questions
 

Planning on self-study for the DGCA exams. Can anyone advise which books are recommended and other resources such as question banks, notes etc.

Anyone gone this route and been successful?

@shon - I did that.. and id urge everyone whose got exams to go study themselves.
I finished both conversion exams aka CPLCG AIR NAV COMPOSITE & REGS in the 2nd attempt. The first attempt was just a trial as i had just landed back frm training like 2 days before the exam so thats like a negligible attempt.

Anyways i studied using GSP's (Ground Studies for Pilots) for NAV / Radio Aids / Flight Planning & MET(4 books), RK Bali's book for AIR REGS and also Reading up DGCA CAR's / AIP / Act of 1937 etc.

Books are available at English Book Store in Delhi. You can buy the GSP for NAV and Air Regs by RK Bali primarily then once done with those go onto Flight Planning and Radio Aids

It took time and lots of looking here n there and a lot of breaking the head on the wall lol. but i did get thru..

To pass the DGCA Exams you also need lotsa luck by your side.. !
But anyways go ahead with this. Im sure a lot of people have done this and aced. If you work hard nthn will be able to stop you from getting done with the exams.

GOOD LUCK :)

for self study, the following text-books and materials have been tried and trusted :


1. Air Regulations : Air Regs by Wing Cmdr. Bali , a/c Act 1937 from the DGCA website

2. Meteorology : Meteorology by Grp.Cpt. I C Joshi, GSPs,

3. Navigation/Radio Aids : GSP, notes of wing.cmdr(rtd)S.K.Buti, Seth or capt. Surinder's. (Especially for problems on PET, PNR)

Try K C Duggal's(Dy Dr DGCA, Ret) notes, worked out for a lot of us. But you never know what DGCA might ask on each specific paper. Last year a composite paper had lots of POF questions in it and this year one of the reg exam was full of human factors.
So better arm yourself with everything you can find.
All the best.:ok:

cpl books
 

can any body help me in procuring cpl books, another doubt is regarding the validity of papers. Are all the papers valid for 5 years?

@ Arun..Yup the validity has been changed to 5 years :ok:
Duggal is an awesome option for Navigation..go through his 3 books..general Nav..radio Nav..and Instruments..!

Looking for more books..
 

Hi,

I was wondering what other books can I read up on for Met and powerplants related topics.. :confused:
Just GSPs doesnt quite do the trick for me!

Besides from what has been mentioned above & in some other threads, Can someone pls shed some light on what is being asked more recently??

Has anyone appeared recently in DGCA CPL exams for Nav & Technical escpecially in the OCT 2011 session when the exams are all on Computer??

If someone who has recently cleared regular CPL papers for NAV & TECH, not the conversion exams, pls suggest some reading material or books for NAV & TECH gen exams.

Is the "flight plan" & CP PNR questions still being asked in NAV??

Pls help guys.......

I personally feel that the GSP's are very poorly written....I prefer reading up from oxford for better understanding of the topic...The matter is well written and includes some humour here and there....
For examination point of view go through question banks e.g. Pooley's, volare, PPSC ( i am trying to find this one out....last attempt tech. paper was from this one )....
Websites like exams4pilots (Met. last 2 attempts) and turbinesturbines
The list is long....So get your hands on as much material as you can and keep reading everything you lay your hands on.
If there is any specific topic you need info on, Let me know, I'll be glad to assist with regards to the reading material...

Cheers

P.S. CP PNR questions are still being asked...Flight planning not so sure..

i have Surinder`s book lying around in Mumbai. If anyone needs to photocopy it then send me a text on 9757-212-553. I might have Duggal as well. Have to check.

@VTASM; Thanks for the tips. What is PPSC??

How'z the 1000 questions by Williams??

I just wanted to know about the CP PNR & Flight plan if I needed to build my speed up for filling the flight plan like old days.

@Dushrox, are U still in Mumbai.. When is a good time to call you??

Pls keep the sugesstions coming guys.......

Oxford-Jeppesen books would be a better choice than GSP..
they 'explain' it all and not just state..pretty good for self study. And that be for any topic, except Indian Met.

Good luck.

@ pilotbaba...

No sweat dude...
I find KW good but not enough.....
PPSC is a JAR question bank that I am trying to lay my hands on.....
Lot of questions from that in this exam....

Cheers !

1) Is Surinder Sing's / Capt Arvind Bhatt's Navigation notes suffice to clear the DGCA exams??

2) Are the contents in GSP NAV, Radio Aids and Flight planning beyond what is specified in the DGCA syllabus?

hello friends, i have surinder singh's regs questionere on email if any1 wants it. but its like very old ( 3 years)

i have to giv regs exam. thats the only one left. i have r.k bali 2010 part 1 and 2.

do u think only rk bali is enough for me ?

thnx

VT-ASM,

The UK company PPSC closed for business many years ago now. Therefore anything you find produced by them will not be current in the context of JAA questions but will always provide excellent practice on basic concepts.

Rob

regarding Question (Softcopy)
 

Hi,
Can u share the soft copy of the questions with me at [email protected]

I am still working on my ppl abroad, and I am planning to start preparing for knowledge test and I want to give the test when i visit home/India.

Thanks

Has anyone here given a Technical Paper for the PA-34 Seneca? What are the books I can study from? Any help?

Preparing for the next DGCA schedule
 

Hey guys, I would love to have the soft copy of rk Bali. Would be swell to rummage through it on the iPad :ok:

[email protected]

hello guys....
whatever u have, for ATPL preparations, kindly mail on my id - [email protected]

plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

NEW ONLINE SESSION
 

i appeared in the Jan session and i m doing self study didnt managaed to clr this time this was my 4th attempt and didnt reffrered any books coz was giving exams online for the 1st time and have seen lots of things changed before there used to cp,pnr for 5 marks now there for 1 marks each last exam had 10-12 cp,pnr's. as it online exams now they are also adding picturial question regarding interpretation of Nav instruments.

@JAY, can u post some expereince regarding the difficulty level of questions asked in the Jan Attempt for NAV MET REG or TECHNICAL

Does Anyone know when the DGCA portal will open for the APRIL 2012 Session.?? Can someone pls post here when it opens.

Thanks in advance..

Hi guys,

I did self study and cleared my exams on my very first attempt (Met and Reg), Navigation two attempts, in my view its just one attempt because I hardly had around 6weeks time as I has just returned from my training in abroad, so I solely focused on Met and Reg and didn't break my head on Nav.

Don't solely go over the previous exam questions, you can never trust DGCA, Jan session had a bunch of question about ICAO flight plan and various High performance Airspeed definitions. there were fewer question about PNR and CP tho which was a complete surprise and seldom seen in DGCA papers.

Exams are tough but its not impossible, and I feel its over rated, if you really work hard and stay focused its just going to be a cake walk. Make sure you study for at least 6-8hours a day, give more importance to text books than notes. I have gone through every single page in GSP thoroughly at latest 4-5times. make a list of the important points and formulas and go through it every day. Do as many PNR and CP problems as you can if you have done it all start doing the same ones over and over again. If you are still finding it hard don't shy away from taking classes, it just makes the whole process so much easier and pleasurable.

Every time I opened my books this was my motto and so should be yours

" I love all Aviation subjects:), I'll work harder than ever only because I want to be a better pilot not just for the sake of clearing DGCA exams "

Good Luck:ok:

Great attitude there aviator86 kudos !
Glad to hear from people like you who're not just in it for the money ( and we're deprived of that even nowadays )
Guys I'm giving the nav attempt this april and it helps to cough up some interest in what you're actually reading rather than just do it for the sake of clearing dgca. IMO !

DGCA accepting applications for the April 2012 session now

http://dgca.nic.in/PN-Online0412.pdf

Here are my suggestions

Keith Williams ( very very important )

1. General Navigation
2. Instrumentation
3. Performance
4. Mass and Balance

Books 1&2 are the most important . Books 3&4 while not that important are now part of the DGCA syllabus so you can expect questions .

IC Joshi should be more than enough for MET

For Instrumentation refer to the Oxford ATPL ( Refer to oxford ATPL for other topics also )

For REGS RK Bali or V Krishnan . Dont forget that REGS also has human factors included . For this best to refer to the JAA ATPL Human Factors / performance books .

The most important part about studying for the DGCA exams is using the knowledge to solve as many questions as you can . Learning the theory is not enough . Only if you put it into practice will you discover the silly mistakes and other tricks

I have given a download link to a free JAA question bank that you can use to study ( sometimes the very same questions are asked )

BayFiles

Also the following website is useful for practice .

Aviation Training

All the above mentioned books and links can also be used for the DGCA ATPL exams as well as to study for airline written exams

And lastly dont forget to refer to the DGCA syllabus so that you make sure you havent forgotten to study a particular topic .
http://www.dgca.nic.in/cars/D7B-B4.pdf

Good Luck :ok:

hey cyril, thanks a lot for the links, you are really a saviour! btw let me tell me u, i gave the last online navigation general paper(jan 2012), and i had thouroghly studied keith williama all the 4 books, but hardly anything came from these books! i guess dgca has realized that almost everyone is studying keith williams, hence they have stopped asking from there! and to my knowledge they neither asked anything from oxfrod or gsp! but anyways i stiil not goinf to lose hope, will try harder this time!

@ramkiarchu

You mentioned that on Jan 2012 session, there were very little questions from Keith williams or GSP or Oxford....

Then where did the questions come from... I don't think there is any other books except the ones you have mentioned...

Is it possible that since everyone is studying from the JAA heavyweights like OXFORD or KEITH WILLIAMS, DGCA decided to change the stratagy & ask simpler question which may just leave everyone confused......

@ramkiarchu

The reason I strongly recommend the Keith Williams books is so that you develop a solid foundation in solving problems . He also clearly explains how the answers are solved or obtained something which is not available in other books


@Pilotbaba

The oxford books and Keith williams books does not cover the entire JAA question bank . If you want more JAA questions have a look at the following

Aviation Jobs | AviationTire.com
This website although not free is worth the investment as it lets you practice

This is the official JAA CQB v15

EASAbank.eu, the free QCB v.15 for european airplane pilots

self study
 

@ pilotbaba

Well i don't think oxford and keith williams are the only books available for JAA, the JAA is very vast, there are other questions banks as well for example.. bristol.gs.. iam sure DGCA will keep on surprising candidates with their questions, otherwise their shop will close :ugh:

I am sorry for any confusion caused but What I meant to say/ask was

1) If not Oxford Or GSP or Kieth Williams, then what was the THEORY source of those bouncer questions..??? Are there any other Books which are more detailed than OXFORD that one can read or did DGCA write a new book.......!!!!

My question still remains open for discussion.....

"Will the OXFORD Books & Kieth Williams 1000Q's be enough to give any normal person, a very good unerstanding on the subjects, which can be used to answer or attempt any question bank...."

I know DGCA is known to surprise people by throwing a short pitch bouncer in every innings.......

So Good luck to all preparing for the April session......

@pilotbaba, yes more than sufficient. if you are still anxious then go through the GSP as well!

Ok so the intake has started for the April attempt, however I cannot seem to find it on the website .

Also , as far as the documentation is concerned are they still asking for a copy of the logbook (attested) these days while submitting the papers to give the attempt ?

thanks in advance.

Where can i purchase Kieth Williams books from ?
are they worth it ?
Dgca seems to have changed the syllabus and I know nothing about it...
If i start studying from today( read work hard ) do i have a shot at clearing the exams ??

@clearblueskyy

Here's the Link to the DGCA Notice...

http://dgca.nic.in/public_notice/PN-Online0412.pdf

By the way, I hope you are already signed up for the online registering/ application system of the DGCA, if not here is the link.

http://udaan.nic.in

The online portal opened over 3 days ago & last day is April 23 2012.

You will need to have the Demand draft numbers ready before you can complete the online application........

Make sure you follow the DGCA instructions & make sure you write the correct draft numbers on each application.......

The single biggest cause of rejection for applications is wrong draft number or amount and 2nd cause is not attaching supporting docs, if any; such a small mistake can waste an attempt.....

RE: The kieth Williams, they are worth every penny...... Every question/ answer is explained, why it happens, how it happens......

If you are in Delhi, English book store & , sterling book house in Mumbai is the best place to get it.... VERY cheap in India as compared to anywherre in the world, but again, worth every penny even if paid in British Pound Sterling....

You can always order from pooleys.com

ATPL / CPL Training Courses | ATPL/CPL Practice Exam Papers | JAR--- | 1000 Questions, Answers & Explanations - Williams

Hi there pilotbaba , thankyou for a prompt response . I've submitted the online application ,thankyou !

I already have the keith williams for general navigation would this be enough ??

Also for submitting the hard copy of the application , are they still asking for atttested copies of the logbooks ?

Many thanks in advance ,

Cheers !

Technical exam ,Help!
 

Hi,
I am planning on convering my foriegn CPL to the indian and due to the new rules i think it just a safer option to do my multi endorsement in india.i want to do my endorsment on the p-68c.I just wanted to know to fly that in india I have to write the dgca technical general and specifis or only the specific?
I also was wondering where i can get study material for the same and how to prepare.I want to give this april attempt so any advice would be appreciated?

@indgirl
 

If you do multi - engine flying in india, you have to write the technical specific paper only for that aircraft. You can obtain the P68 material from the flight school who is operating it. Technically it makes no difference, whether you fly it from india or abroad. As long as you are converting a foreign license, you still need to carry out a skill test in india. The safer bet for students flying abroad, is to get a single engine CPL and instrument first and then get a multi engine add on (don't get multi engine CPL).. on returning to india you can give a skill check on a single engine aircraft and apply for license. If you fly the multi- engine from india, you must convert your foreign CPL to indian CPL prior to that, only then the multi engine can be endorsed on your indian license.

you can find it on internet , you need to study AFM/POH most of question will be asked from same. if you planning to multi from india , you have to carry 3 checks for multi endorsement its included in 10-12 hrs package in flying school and rest 2 checks on same multi will fill your skill test requirement.
u need spl and frtol pass of technical specific exam in order to commence your multi .

now you have to check what is most cost effective and easy method for you

all the best

@cruisepatron
Thanks a lot for the help.I was planning on converting my cpl with IR on single engine first and then getting the multi add on.
@blue_ingle
Thanks.I was looking for the material online but cant seem to find it.Do you have a link by any chance?

Requirements for hard copy in these guidelines. You don't need attested copies of logbook.