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Commercial Pilot Licence · Subject 22, AC61-5

CPL Principles of Flight & Performance practice exam.

PoF and Performance is 45 questions in two hours, and it is the CPL paper where the formulas matter most: the lift equation, load factor in the turn, stall speed with bank, power required, glide range, and the performance charts for take-off, climb, cruise and landing. Our bank of 250 questions covers all 17 sub-topics of Subject 22 of AC61-5, with the working shown for every calculation.

The theory half is here too: stability, control, propellers, asymmetric flight, range and endurance, and the atmosphere the aircraft flies in.

Questions45
Time120min
Pass mark70%
Question bank250
Sit a CPL PoF & Performance paper · $9.99 CPL bundles from $6.67 an exam
What the paper covers

Subject 22 topic by topic.

The syllabus areas below are the ones the CAA lists for Principles of Flight & Performance, and every question in the bank carries the code of the item it tests.

  • Aeroscience: the maths and physics the subject is built on
  • The atmosphere and the International Standard Atmosphere
  • Basic aerodynamic theory, lift and drag
  • Lift augmentation: flaps, slats and slots
  • Flight controls and control effectiveness
  • Stalling and spinning
  • Straight and level flight, climbing and descending
  • Turning: load factor, stall speed and radius
  • Propellers and propeller effects
  • Static and dynamic stability
  • Asymmetric flight and the critical engine
  • Range, endurance and performance charts
Where the marks go

What catches people in PoF & Performance.

  1. Load factor and stall speed in a level turn: n = 1 / cos(bank) and Vs multiplied by the square root of n.
  2. What doubles when speed doubles: lift and drag go with the square of speed, power required with the cube.
  3. Stability signs: what a forward or aft centre of gravity does to longitudinal static stability and to manoeuvrability.
  4. Glide range from height and lift-to-drag ratio, and why wind changes the range but not the best glide angle of attack.
From the bank

Sample PoF & Performance questions.

Four questions as they appear in a paper, with the answer and the reasoning you get in the de-brief. Options are shuffled in the real thing.

CPL · Syllabus 22.8.4Sample 1 / 4

From the lift formula L = CL half rho V2 S, the effect on lift of increasing wing area by 20% at the same speed and angle of attack is that lift becomes:

  1. A0.8 times the original lift
  2. B1.2 times the original lift
  3. C1.44 times the original lift
  4. DThe same as the original lift
Show the answer and why
1.2 times the original lift

L = CL x half rho V2 x S: lift is proportional to the lift coefficient, to the air density, to the square of the true airspeed and to the wing area. Doubling V quadruples lift; halving rho at the same TAS halves lift, but at the same IAS the dynamic pressure (half rho V2) is unchanged so lift is unchanged; a 20% larger wing gives 20% more lift. Reference: syllabus 22.8.4; FAA-H-8083-25 Ch. 5.

CPL · Syllabus 22.18.8Sample 2 / 4

In level flight at a TAS of 95 kt the total drag is 1500 N. The power required is approximately:

  1. AAbout 37 kW (49 hp) of thrust power
  2. BAbout 147 kW (197 hp) of thrust power
  3. CAbout 73 kW (98 hp) of thrust power
  4. DAbout 142 kW of thrust power
Show the answer and why
About 73 kW (98 hp) of thrust power

Power required = drag x TAS = 1500 N x 48.9 m/s = 73302 W = 73 kW (98 hp). Because propeller efficiency is only about 80%, the engine must deliver roughly 92 kW of shaft power to provide it. Power required rises with the cube of speed at high speed because drag rises with speed squared and is multiplied by speed. Reference: syllabus 22.18.8; FAA-H-8083-25 Ch. 11.

CPL · Syllabus 22.20.14Sample 3 / 4

An aircraft with a best glide ratio (L/D) of 11:1 suffers an engine failure at 4500 ft above the terrain. Its gliding range is:

  1. AAbout 11.0 NM in still air
  2. BAbout 12.2 NM in still air
  3. CAbout 24.8 NM in still air
  4. DAbout 8.1 NM in still air
Show the answer and why
About 8.1 NM in still air

Glide ratio equals L/D, so the aircraft glides 11 ft forward for every 1 ft of height: 4500 x 11 = 49500 ft = 8.1 NM (1 NM = 6076 ft) in still air at the best glide speed. Reference: syllabus 22.20.14, 22.20.16; FAA-H-8083-25 Ch. 11.

CPL · Syllabus 22.2.12Sample 4 / 4

The trigonometric functions sine, cosine and tangent of an angle in a right-angled triangle are:

  1. ASine, cosine and tangent are all equal to the angle expressed in radians
  2. BSine = hypotenuse / opposite; cosine = hypotenuse / adjacent; tangent = adjacent / opposite
  3. CSine = opposite / hypotenuse; cosine = adjacent / hypotenuse; tangent = opposite / adjacent (= sine / cosine)
  4. DSine = adjacent / hypotenuse; cosine = opposite / hypotenuse; tangent = hypotenuse / opposite
Show the answer and why
Sine = opposite / hypotenuse; cosine = adjacent / hypotenuse; tangent = opposite / adjacent (= sine / cosine)

Useful values: sin 30 = 0.5, cos 30 = 0.866, tan 30 = 0.577; sin 45 = cos 45 = 0.707, tan 45 = 1; sin 60 = 0.866, cos 60 = 0.5, tan 60 = 1.73. They appear throughout the subject: the load factor in a turn is 1/cos(bank), the wind components are wind speed x cos and sin of the angle off the runway, and the glide ratio relates to the tangent of the glide angle. Reference: syllabus 22.2.12; FAA-H-8083-30 Ch. 1.

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PoF & Performance questions

Asked about this exam.

Straight answers. If yours is not here, email support and a person replies.

Our paper is 45 questions in 120 minutes, matched to the Aspeq CPL Principles of Flight and Performance sitting. Pass mark 70%.

Performance is half the subject. Our chart-style questions state the chart values in the stem so they can be worked without the chart in front of you, and the de-brief shows each step.

No. PPL Tech touches aerodynamics briefly; CPL Subject 22 is the full principles of flight and performance syllabus, with calculations throughout.

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