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ATPL subject 032

ATPL Performance: what it covers and how to study it

Performance (subject 032) covers how far and how fast the aeroplane can go, and what limits it, at each stage of flight: take-off, climb, cruise and landing, for Class A and Class B aeroplanes.

By Matthew Dowell, airline training captain and Chief Flight Instructor. A revision guide, not approved by any regulator. Your training organisation sets the syllabus and exam rules, and regulations always take precedence.

What the Performance paper covers

• Take-off: the distances and the limits that apply
• Climb and the factors that change it
• Cruise and range
• Descent and landing
• Class A and Class B requirements

Where students find it hard

Performance asks you to read the right table or graph and apply the right correction in the right order. Students lose marks by choosing the wrong chart, missing a correction or working in the wrong units. The questions are not hard in principle, but they punish carelessness.

How to study Performance

• Practise reading each type of chart until you can pick the right one quickly.
• Write out the order of corrections for each calculation and follow it every time.
• Check units and whether the result is reasonable before you commit to an answer.

The Mastering ATPL book for this subject

The Mastering ATPL Performance book is available on Amazon and through the Other stores links.

Mastering ATPL · Subject 032

Performance

Take-off, climb, cruise and landing performance for Class A and B aeroplanes.

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Also on Amazon in Europe: Amazon.de · Amazon.fr · Amazon.es · Amazon.it · Amazon.nl

How this book is organised

The book follows the topics listed above, in turn, starting with take-off; climb and the factors that change it; cruise and range, so you can see which part of the paper you are covering at any point. It is a complete revision guide and question bank built on the full published learning objectives for the subject, and it ends with a mock examination weighted as the real one. Work through a section, test yourself on it, and keep the mock examination for the end, under timed conditions.

Related subjects

• ATPL Mass and Balance
• ATPL Flight Planning

See also: all 13 ATPL subjects and 14 study guides · how the EASA ATPL exams work · what order to study and sit the papers · Performance in the airline technical interview.