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UK CAA ATPL(A) · Subject 022

ATPL Instruments practice questions

Instrumentation (022) covers the sensors and displays a crew relies on: pitot-static instruments and air data computers, compasses and flux valves, gyroscopic instruments, inertial and satellite-aided navigation, autopilot and autothrottle, flight envelope protection, warning systems, FMS and electronic displays.

61original questions here
60questions in the practice paper
1 hour 30 minutestime allowed
Start a timed 022 paper Try sample questions

Free, no sign-up. The practice paper uses the question count and time limit from CAA guidance for this subject. Check the CAA for the current figures before your exam.

About the exam

What to expect in 022 Instrumentation

Questions test both how an instrument works and how it errs. Expect pitot or static blockages, compass turning and acceleration errors, gyro wander and autopilot mode logic.

In the practice desk you can sit a full 60-question paper under exam conditions, or drill one syllabus topic at a time. Questions you miss come back after 1, 3, 7, 16 and 35 days, so weak areas get repeated until they stick.

Syllabus

022 syllabus topics

Every topic below has practice questions, and you can drill any of them on its own.

  • 022 01Sensors and Instruments · 5 questions
  • 022 02Measurement of Air Data Parameters · 15 questions
  • 022 03Magnetism: Direct Reading Compass and Flux Valve · 4 questions
  • 022 04Gyroscopic Instruments · 5 questions
  • 022 05Inertial Navigation · 5 questions
  • 022 06Aeroplane: Automatic Flight Control Systems · 5 questions
  • 022 08Trims, Yaw Damper, Flight Envelope Protection · 3 questions
  • 022 09Autothrust: Automatic Thrust Control System · 2 questions
  • 022 10Communication Systems · 2 questions
  • 022 11Flight Management System (FMS) / Flight Management and Guidance System (FMGS) · 2 questions
  • 022 12Alerting Systems, Proximity Systems · 5 questions
  • 022 13Integrated Instruments, Electronic Displays · 2 questions
  • 022 14Maintenance, Monitoring and Recording Systems · 4 questions
  • 022 15Digital Circuits and Computers · 2 questions
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Sample ATPL Instruments questions

Five questions from the bank. Each one in the practice desk has a worked explanation like these.

Sample 1 · 022 01 · Sensors and Instruments

During a climb the static source becomes completely blocked. What will the airspeed indicator show?

  1. AIt falls to zero
  2. BIt under-reads
  3. CIt over-reads
  4. DIt reads correctly
Show the answer

Answer: B. It under-reads

The trapped static pressure is higher than the real outside pressure.

Sample 2 · 022 02 · Measurement of Air Data Parameters

An aeroplane climbs at constant CAS in the ISA troposphere. What happens to its Mach number?

  1. AIt increases
  2. BIt increases only above the tropopause
  3. CIt decreases
  4. DIt stays constant
Show the answer

Answer: A. It increases

TAS increases and the local speed of sound decreases.

Sample 3 · 022 03 · Magnetism: Direct Reading Compass and Flux Valve

In the northern hemisphere a pilot turns from east onto north using a direct-reading compass. When should the turn be stopped?

  1. AExactly when it shows north
  2. BAfter the compass passes north, because it leads
  3. CWhen it shows 020°
  4. DBefore the compass shows north, because it lags
Show the answer

Answer: D. Before the compass shows north, because it lags

Undershoot north, overshoot south.

Sample 4 · 022 04 · Gyroscopic Instruments

A force is applied to the rim of a spinning gyroscope. Where does the resulting movement appear?

  1. A180° from where the force is applied
  2. BAt the point where the force is applied
  3. C90° back against the direction of rotation
  4. D90° further on in the direction of rotation
Show the answer

Answer: D. 90° further on in the direction of rotation

Sample 5 · 022 05 · Inertial Navigation

How is lock-in avoided in a ring laser gyro?

  1. ABy mechanically dithering the gyro
  2. BBy aligning it with true north before flight
  3. CBy spinning the gyro at high speed
  4. DBy heating the laser cavity
Show the answer

Answer: A. By mechanically dithering the gyro

A small vibration keeps the two beams from locking together at low rotation rates.

Practise all 61 022 questions
Revision tips

How to revise Instrumentation

  • For every instrument, learn what it measures, how, and what happens when its input is blocked or wrong.
  • Work blockage questions with a simple table: pitot blocked, static blocked, climbing or descending, and the effect on each instrument.
  • Learn autopilot and autothrottle modes as pairs: what the pitch channel holds and what the thrust does.
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