EasyPPL’s navigation practical test exam
I am not currently sure if it is in the same format as the actual theoretical exam. (noted, later found this to be NOT, this is a test with a real world example, useful for performing actual navigation)
It is not hard, but it does test my ability to perform overall planning well.
It gave me a location to and from, an alternate airport, and a starting magnetic deviation, wind direction, and speed (to standardize the test results, I suppose) on a Plog. The first task is to complete the planning on my own.
For the mock test, I had Clacton flying to Cranfield via Duxford overhead, with an alternate destination airfield of Sywell Northampton.
I feel it’s a good level of test. It forced me to recall set pieces learned throughout the course materials, such as using the whizz wheel, how to read aviation maps, legal and practical fuel reserves considerations, and figuring out deviations.
The test had 20 questions with a 100-minute time limit. I took around 90 minutes to complete.
Planning took the longest of course. Once done, questions 2-18 seem to revolve around it.
It’s not impossible to do. It certainly should be “mundane” once I’ve trained up.
A few points for improvement:
Airfield locations are marked in 3-5mm diameter circles. This means that on shorter distances, the true track may be off. On all three legs of my planning, I was out by 2 degrees. I was plotting between centers of each airfield marker. I’d probably plot from tangent to tangent edge next. I wonder what the downside might be?
Use really fine and brightly inked pens. (I got a set of Staedtler with medium tip, it smeared everywhere, and doesn’t lineup with any measurement)
I got TVMDC wrong! <remember it this way: True Virgins Make Dull Companions :>)
In summary, TVMDC are heading (where nose is pointing), not track (i.e., the real direction plotted on navigation map). When an aircraft is crabbing due to wind, then it has a different heading to the track.
T = True Heading
V = Earth’s Magnetic variation to true pole;
M = Magnetic Heading, i.e. True Hading + Variation correction
D = Deviation - erros introduced by the aircraft’s onto instrument
C = Compass Heading, it is magnetic heading + correction for aircraft’s deviation
