CQUniversity Unit Profile
AVAT12006 Commercial Pilot Licence Aerodynamics & Aircraft General Knowledge
Commercial Pilot Licence Aerodynamics & Aircraft General Knowledge
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The information will not be changed unless absolutely necessary and any change will be clearly indicated by an approved correction included in the profile.
Corrections

Unit Profile Correction added on 27-02-24

The Unit learning outcomes (amended to include AGK syllabus) 1. Explain the aerodynamic properties of an aerofoil and application of Coanda effect and Bernoulli's theorem. 2. Examine the forces, moments and the factors that affect the stability and control of an aircraft in flight. 3. Determine the performance aspects of power, weight, and speed in flight maneuvers including stalls and spin. 4. Explain the operation and construction of aircraft piston engine power plants. 5. Describe the operation and function of a typical small aircraft's mechanical systems, pressure/gyro flight instruments and aeronautical radio systems. 6. Convert between various airspeeds such as Indicated Airspeed, Rectified Airspeed, Calibrated Airspeed, Equivalent Airspeed, and True Airspeed

General Information

Overview

This unit will provide you with the knowledge of aerodynamics relevant for low altitude, sub-sonic flight in piston engine aircraft and the knowledge of small commercial aircraft power plants and systems. You will cover the aeronautical knowledge requirements of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority Commercial Pilot Licence aerodynamics as well as the General Aeronautical Knowledge syllabus. You will study the aerodynamic properties of an aerofoil and how it produces lift and drag. You will also study the forces and moments acting on an aeroplane in flight and how these affect an aeroplane's stability and controllability. Normal and abnormal flight characteristics and performance will also be studied. Topics you will study in depth include piston engine power plants and propellers. You will learn about aircraft electrical and hydraulic systems, fuel systems, and ice and rain protection systems. You will also become familiar with flight and navigation instruments.

Details

Career Level: Undergraduate
Unit Level: Level 2
Credit Points: 6
Student Contribution Band: 8
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load: 0.125

Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Students must meet all requisites: 1. AVAT11002 Basic Aeronautical Knowledge OR (AVAT11012 Aviation Practice AND AVAT11013 Introduction to Aviation); AND 2. AVAT11005 Flight Fundamentals; AND 3. AVAT11010 Aviation Safety Fundamentals OR AVAT11007 Flight Planning, Performance, and Operation.

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Offerings For Term 1 - 2024

Cairns
Online

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Class and Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Class Timetable

Bundaberg, Cairns, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton, Townsville
Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Assessment Overview

1. Written Assessment
Weighting: 20%
2. Online Quiz(zes)
Weighting: 20%
3. Examination
Weighting: 60%

Assessment Grading

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.

Previous Student Feedback

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Feedback from Lecture and email

Feedback

Require more worked examples

Recommendation

Add more worked examples and discuss them in tutorials.

Unit Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
  1. Explain the aerodynamic properties of an aerofoil
  2. Apply the Coanda effect and Bernoulli's theorem to demonstrate and calculate how an aerofoil produces lift and drag
  3. Examine the forces and moments acting on an aircraft in all stages of flight
  4. Discuss the factors that affect the stability and control of an aircraft in flight
  5. Determine the performance aspects of power, weight, and speed in flight maneuvers
  6. Explain the factors that affect the stall and spin characteristics of an aeroplane.

N/A. No external accreditation.

Alignment of Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Graduate Attributes
N/A Level
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Professional Level
Advanced Level

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes

Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 - Written Assessment - 20%
2 - Online Quiz(zes) - 20%
3 - Examination - 60%

Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes

Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 - Communication
2 - Problem Solving
3 - Critical Thinking
4 - Information Literacy
5 - Team Work
6 - Information Technology Competence
7 - Cross Cultural Competence
8 - Ethical practice
9 - Social Innovation
10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures
Textbooks and Resources

Textbooks

Prescribed

Aerodynamics for Private and Commercial Pilots Licences

Edition: 1st (2015)
Authors: David Robson
Aviation Theory Centre
Australia
ISBN: 978-1-8755-37-83-9
Binding: Paperback
Supplementary

Flight Physics

(2002)
Authors: E Torenbeek and H. Wittenberg
Springer
London London , United Kingdom
ISBN: 978-1-4020-8663-2 and e-978-1-4020-8664-9
Binding: Hardcover

IT Resources

You will need access to the following IT resources:
  • CQUniversity Student Email
  • Internet
  • Unit Website (Moodle)
Referencing Style

All submissions for this unit must use the referencing styles below:

For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.

Teaching Contacts
Aruna Ranganathan Unit Coordinator
a.ranganathan@cqu.edu.au
Will Njagi Unit Coordinator
w.njagi@cqu.edu.au
Schedule
Week 1 Begin Date: 04 Mar 2024

Module/Topic

Introduction

Overview and Definitions

Aerodynamic Principles.

Chapter

Aerodynamics: Chapter 1

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 2 Begin Date: 11 Mar 2024

Module/Topic

Lift and Lift Augmentation

Drag and L/D Ratio.

Chapter

Aerodynamics: Chapter 1

 

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 3 Begin Date: 18 Mar 2024

Module/Topic

Stability and Control

Balance and Trim.

 

Chapter

Aerodynamics: Chapter 3 and 4

 

Events and Submissions/Topic

Quiz 1 opened.

Week 4 Begin Date: 25 Mar 2024

Module/Topic

Straight Flight

Turning Flight.



Chapter

Aerodynamics: Chapter 5 and 6

 

Events and Submissions/Topic

None

Week 5 Begin Date: 01 Apr 2024

Module/Topic

Stalling

Spinning and Spiral Dives

Effects of Atmospheric Disturbances.

Chapter

Aerodynamics: Chapter 7 and 8

Events and Submissions/Topic

Quiz 1 closes

Quiz 2 opened.

Vacation Week Begin Date: 08 Apr 2024

Module/Topic

No lectures

Chapter

Review material from the first 5 weeks.

Events and Submissions/Topic

None

Week 6 Begin Date: 15 Apr 2024

Module/Topic

Powerplant and Systems

Chapter

Aircraft General Knowledge: Chapters 2, 3 and 4

Events and Submissions/Topic

Quiz 2 closes

Quiz 3 opened

Week 7 Begin Date: 22 Apr 2024

Module/Topic

Propellers, Lubrication and Cooling Systems.

Chapter

Aircraft General Knowledge: Chapter 5, 7 and 6.

Events and Submissions/Topic

None


Written Assignment Due: Week 7 Monday (22 Apr 2024) 11:59 pm AEST
Week 8 Begin Date: 29 Apr 2024

Module/Topic

Electrical, Environmental, and Fire Protection Systems.

Chapter

Aircraft General Knowledge: Chapter 9, 11 and12

 

Events and Submissions/Topic

Quiz 3 closes

Quiz 4 opens

Week 9 Begin Date: 06 May 2024

Module/Topic

Fuel Systems

Hydraulic Systems and Undercarriage.

Chapter

Aircraft General Knowledge: Chapter 8 and 10.

Events and Submissions/Topic

None

Week 10 Begin Date: 13 May 2024

Module/Topic

Flight Instruments. 

Chapter

Aircraft General Knowledge: Chapters 13, 14 and 15.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Quiz 4 closes

Quiz 5 opens

Week 11 Begin Date: 20 May 2024

Module/Topic

Automatic Flight

Radio Waves and Aeronautical Radio Telephony.

Chapter

Aircraft General Knowledge: Chapter 16 and 17.

Events and Submissions/Topic

None

Week 12 Begin Date: 27 May 2024

Module/Topic

Revision - Aerodynamics and AGK topics from Week 1-11

Final exam preparation

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Quiz 5 closes

Review/Exam Week Begin Date: 03 Jun 2024

Module/Topic

Chapter

Past exam papers.

Events and Submissions/Topic

None

Exam Week Begin Date: 10 Jun 2024

Module/Topic

Final Exam

Chapter

All chapters covered in the Aerodynamics and AGK text plus tutorials and assignment review.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Exam

Term Specific Information

Additional Textbook (recommended).

Aircraft General Knowledge,2nd edition (2018)
Authors: Robson, D
Aviation Theory Centre
Brisbane , Queensland , Australia
ISBN: 978-1-875537-14-3
Binding: Paperback

Assessment Tasks

1 Written Assessment

Assessment Title
Written Assignment

Task Description

Select an aircraft accident pertaining to any aircraft . This may be anything from a light aircraft to a commercial airliner.

Ensure that the accident involves an element relating to aerodynamics or an aircraft systems issue. For example, loss of control due to stall or spin.

Critically analyse the accident. Include in your paper:

· Accident description (what, when, why, etc);

· The aerodynamics and aircraft systems factors contributing to this accident;

· The actions or lack of actions by the pilot.

. The safety analysis and recommendations.

If there is limited information available about the accident, you may express your own opinion but ensure you justify your reasoning.


Assessment Due Date

Week 7 Monday (22 Apr 2024) 11:59 pm AEST

22/04/2024 11:59 PM AEST


Return Date to Students

Week 9 Monday (6 May 2024)

via Moodle


Weighting
20%

Assessment Criteria

The paper should be written in a report format with a title page, executive summary, introduction, main body, conclusion / recommendations.

Referencing required is Harvard style or APA style 7th edition.

Number the pages and include a table of contents.

You may add section and sub section numbers and headings.

Use maps and diagrams if appropriate.

Use Arial or Calibri (Body) 11 or 12 font. Remember that presentation is very important

Assessment will be based on evidence of a thorough search of the available literature, the general presentation of the report, clarity of English, spelling, punctuation and correct arrangement of sentences and paragraphs (i.e. well written English). The development of the narration, explanation and the resulting conclusions. 


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Submission Instructions
Submit through Moodle

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Explain the aerodynamic properties of an aerofoil
  • Apply the Coanda effect and Bernoulli's theorem to demonstrate and calculate how an aerofoil produces lift and drag
  • Examine the forces and moments acting on an aircraft in all stages of flight
  • Discuss the factors that affect the stability and control of an aircraft in flight
  • Determine the performance aspects of power, weight, and speed in flight maneuvers
  • Explain the factors that affect the stall and spin characteristics of an aeroplane.


Graduate Attributes

2 Online Quiz(zes)

Assessment Title
There will be 5 online quizzes throughout the term contributing 20% to final assessment. They will be tackled online and be due at approximately 2 week intervals as given in the Moodle site

Task Description

Each quiz consists of 10 questions with 4 possible answers. You must select what you think is the correct solution. These are short questions and answers, for example, Qn . What gives an aircraft the basic Lift it needs to fly?

Four Possible Answers are:  (1) the shape of the tailplane; (2) the imbalance of pressure on the upper and lower surfaces of the wings; (3) the inclination of the chord line to the horizontal; (4) the upward angle of the aircraft nose to the vertical.


Number of Quizzes

5


Frequency of Quizzes

Fortnightly


Assessment Due Date

Due dates for each quiz are detailed on Moodle and will be reaffirmed in the Lectures


Return Date to Students

As specified after the closing date for each quiz.


Weighting
20%

Assessment Criteria

This a simple correct or incorrect answer.


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Apply the Coanda effect and Bernoulli's theorem to demonstrate and calculate how an aerofoil produces lift and drag
  • Explain the factors that affect the stall and spin characteristics of an aeroplane.


Graduate Attributes

Examination

Outline
Complete an invigilated examination

Date
During the examination period at a CQUniversity examination centre

Weighting
60%

Length
120 minutes

Minimum mark or grade
50

Exam Conditions
Restricted

Materials
Dictionary - non-electronic, concise, direct translation only (dictionary must not contain any notes or comments).
Academic Integrity Statement

As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.

Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.

When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.

Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.

As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.

What is a breach of academic integrity?

A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.

Why is academic integrity important?

A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.

Where can I get assistance?

For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.

What can you do to act with integrity?