Instruments & Avionics for pilots
The instruments and avionics of the flight deck: the pressure instruments and air data, gyros and attitude systems, flight management, the autopilot and the warning and alerting systems, from EASA ATPL subject 022.
CPL · ATPL
Air Data Computer and Air Temperature
The air data computer and ADIRS architecture, pressure transducers and static source error correction, and how outside air temperature is measured and corrected for ram rise.
CPL · ATPL
Airborne Collision Avoidance System (ACAS / TCAS)
How ACAS/TCAS II tracks nearby traffic and issues traffic and resolution advisories, the different RA types, and sensitivity levels, display ranges and inhibitions.
CPL · IR · ATPL
Airborne Weather Radar
How airborne weather radar works, covering beam types, antenna tilt and gain, color coding, ground mapping, turbulence and windshear detection, attenuation and shadow, and other storm detection systems.
PPL · CPL · IR · ATPL
Airspeed Definitions: IAS, CAS, EAS, TAS and Mach
The chain from indicated to true airspeed: what each airspeed means, the errors that separate them, how to convert between them and when each matters.
PPL · CPL · IR · ATPL
Airspeed Indicator and Machmeter
How the airspeed indicator and Machmeter work, their color markings and bugs, the chain from IAS to CAS, EAS and TAS, the errors involved, and overspeed indication.
PPL · CPL · IR · ATPL
Altimeter Settings, Altitude and Height
QNH, QFE and standard pressure settings, transition altitude, level and layer, and what altitude, height, flight level, pressure altitude and true or geometric altitude each mean.
PPL · CPL · ATPL
Angle of Attack, Stall Warning and Stall Protection
How angle of attack is sensed and displayed, how stall warning systems use it, and how envelope protection works from AoA.
PPL · IR · ATPL
Attitude Indicator
The attitude indicator (artificial horizon) and vertical gyro, how they are built, erected and powered, and the acceleration and turning errors that affect them.
CPL · IR · ATPL
Autoland
Automatic landing, from coupled and dual-autopilot approaches to fail-passive and fail-operational systems, LAND 2 and LAND 3 status, flare, decrab and rollout guidance.
CPL · IR · ATPL
Autopilot
How an autopilot and automatic flight control system is built and works: channels, control loops, servos and actuators, gain scheduling, interlocks, yaw damping and runaway protection.
CPL · ATPL
Autothrottle
The autothrottle or autothrust system, its speed and thrust modes, TOGA thrust and the TO/GA switches, and the go-around mode with reduced go-around thrust.
CPL · ATPL
Avionics Computers and Data Buses
The computing basics behind avionics: processors, memory types, analog-digital conversion, software, built-in test and the ARINC 429 and AFDX data buses.
CPL · IR · ATPL
Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS)
How glass-cockpit displays are built and run: symbol generators and display units, CRT and LCD screens, the EFIS control panel, color conventions, synoptic pages, source selection, comparators and display reversion.
CPL · IR · ATPL
Flight Director and Autoflight Modes
The flight director and the lateral and vertical autoflight modes, including armed versus engaged modes, localizer and glideslope capture, mode reversion and the flight director comparator.
CPL · ATPL
Flight Management System
The FMS and FMC architecture, how the CDU is used, the navigation and performance databases, the initialization pages, and the dual, single and independent FMC modes.
CPL · ATPL
Flight Recorders
Cockpit voice and flight data recorders, the units that collect their data, quick access recorders, underwater locator beacons and aircraft condition monitoring systems.
CPL · ATPL
Flight Warning and Alerting Systems
How central warning systems rank and present alerts, including master warning and caution, aural prioritization, the takeoff configuration warning and the altitude alerting system.
CPL · IR · ATPL
FMS Navigation and Position Updating
How the FMS builds and flies a route, from discontinuities, direct-to and pilot-defined waypoints to position updating from radio and GPS sensors, ANP and EPU, VNAV modes and required time of arrival.
CPL · IR · ATPL
Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS / TAWS)
The GPWS basic alert modes 1 to 7 and the enhanced terrain awareness functions of EGPWS/TAWS, including look-ahead alerting, terrain display, obstacle and runway awareness, and related systems.
PPL · CPL · IR · ATPL
Gyroscopic Principles
The properties of gyroscopes, how gyros are classified and mounted, and the drift, wander, topple and gimballing errors that affect gyro instruments.
CPL · IR · ATPL
Head-Up Display and Vision Systems
Head-up displays and HUD landing systems, enhanced and synthetic vision systems, and para-visual guidance displays.
PPL · IR · ATPL
Heading Indicators and Compass Systems
The magnetic compass and direction indicator, and how remote indicating compass systems use a flux valve and slaving to give stable magnetic or true heading.
CPL · ATPL
Inertial Navigation System (INS)
How inertial navigation works out position from accelerometers and gyros, covering gimballed and strapdown platforms, ring laser gyros, Schuler tuning and hybrid GPS-inertial solutions.
CPL · ATPL
Inertial Reference System Alignment and Modes
How an IRS is aligned on the ground by gyrocompassing, the modes selected on the mode select unit, and the position drift that builds up in flight.
PPL · CPL · IR · ATPL
Instrument Layout and Scan Technique
How flight deck instruments are laid out and color coded, and the scan, cross-check, partial panel and unusual attitude techniques used in instrument flying.
PPL · IR · ATPL
Navigation Displays and Indicators
Horizontal navigation instruments, from the RBI, RMI and CDI to the HSI and the EFIS navigation display, including ND modes, map orientation and the vertical situation display.
PPL · CPL · IR · ATPL
Pitot-Static System
How pitot and static pressures are sensed and piped to the air data instruments, and how blockages, leaks and position error affect what those instruments show.
PPL · CPL · IR · ATPL
Pressure Altimeter
How the pressure altimeter measures altitude with aneroid capsules, the different altimeter types and displays, and the barometric, temperature, lag and system errors that affect it.
PPL · IR · ATPL
Primary Flight Display
The layout and symbols of the PFD and EADI: the attitude display and pitch ladder, the speed and altitude tapes, moving tapes against dials, and the flight path vector and flight path angle.
CPL · IR · ATPL
Radio Altimeter
How the radio altimeter measures height above the terrain using FMCW signals, how it drives automatic callouts, autoland and warning systems, when radio rather than barometric minimums apply, and how it fails.
PPL · CPL · ATPL
Sensors, Transducers and System Indicators
The transducers that measure and transmit position, pressure, speed, fuel and electrical values, and the indicators that display them on the flight deck.
PPL · CPL · IR · ATPL
Standby Instruments
The standby flight instruments and integrated standby systems that stay available after a primary display or electrical failure, including the standby compass.
PPL · IR · ATPL
Turn and Slip Indicators
The turn and slip indicator, turn coordinator and slip-skid ball, how rate gyros show rate of turn, how balance is shown, and how to fly timed turns.
PPL · CPL · IR · ATPL
Vertical Speed Indicator
How the VSI derives rate of climb or descent from changing static pressure, why it lags, and how the instantaneous VSI and the cabin rate-of-climb indicator differ.
Test yourself on Instruments & Avionics
The v1prep banks cover this topic in Instrumentation (022), with a worked explanation for every answer.
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