ATPL REVISION NOTES GENERAL NAVIGATION – REFRESHER REVISION NOTES
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These ATPL revision guides have been written and refined by experienced ATPL instructors and airline pilots to support structured, efficient study across all ATPL subjects. The content is deliberately condensed into a clear, easy-to-read format, focusing on the knowledge and understanding required for exam success without unnecessary detail. Each guide is designed to help students build confidence, reinforce key concepts, and revise effectively across the full ATPL syllabus.
Product description
General Navigation – ATPL Revision Guide builds the foundations of how position, direction, distance, speed and time are defined and used for practical flight navigation. It starts with the Earth model used in aviation: geoid vs ellipsoid, WGS-84 as the reference for coordinates, and the key geometry of latitude/longitude. You learn how Earth’s rotation and axis tilt affect daylight and seasonal variation, and how this links to global navigation concepts.
The subject then develops the core direction and movement tools used in planning and monitoring flight: true, magnetic and compass references (including variation and deviation), tracks vs headings, drift and wind correction angle, and standard mental methods such as the 1-in-60 rule and the triangle of velocities (TOV). You practice calculating crosswind/headwind components, ground speed, revised ETAs, and climb/descent gradients and vertical speeds using both formulae and rule-of-thumb techniques.
You also cover distance and speed fundamentals, including NM definitions on the WGS-84 ellipsoid, unit conversions, graticule distance calculations, and air miles (NAM) versus ground miles. This is applied to dead reckoning (DR) and practical navigation in climb and descent using average TAS and wind concepts.
The syllabus expands into real-world navigation methods through VFR navigation, focusing on map reading, landmark selection, visual checkpoints, plotting lines of position, and handling uncertainty (diversion, unsure of position, lost). Finally, it introduces great-circle vs rhumb-line routing, Earth convergence, and charting principles—covering ICAO chart requirements, projections (Mercator, Lambert, polar stereographic), scale variation, and practical chart use (measuring tracks/distances and plotting using VOR/DME/NDB). It concludes with essential time knowledge, including UTC/LMT, standard time/daylight saving, the International Date Line, and sunrise/sunset/civil twilight interpretation for flight planning.