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. Students who have completed the corresponding external CASA exam and want to be exempt from Assessment 1 (Quizzes) should contact the Unit Coordinator.
Details
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 - 2026
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).
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
Assessment Overview
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.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
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 SUTE
Assessment feedback was insufficient.
Assessment answers should be discussed in tutorials after the assessment feedback
- 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 manoeuvres
- Explain the factors that affect the stall and spin characteristics of an aeroplane.
N/A. No external accreditation.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 40% | ||||||
| 2 - 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 - First Nations Knowledges | ||||||
| 11 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||||
Textbooks
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
Aircraft General Knowledge
- 2nd edition (2018) (2018)
- Authors: David Robson
- Aviation Theory Centre
- Brisbane Brisbane , QLD , Australia
- ISBN: ISBN: 978-1-875537-14-3
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
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing styles below:
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
d.copley@cqu.edu.au
Week 1
Begin Date: 09 Mar 2026Module/Topic
Introduction
Overview and Definitions
Aerodynamic Principles.
Chapter
Aerodynamics: Chapter 1
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 2
Begin Date: 16 Mar 2026Module/Topic
Lift and Lift Augmentation
Drag and L/D Ratio.
Chapter
Aerodynamics: Chapter 1
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 3
Begin Date: 23 Mar 2026Module/Topic
Stability and Control
Balance and Trim.
Chapter
Aerodynamics: Chapter 3 and 4
Events and Submissions/Topic
Practice Quiz 1 opened.
Week 4
Begin Date: 30 Mar 2026Module/Topic
Straight Flight
Turning Flight.
Chapter
Aerodynamics: Chapter 5 and 6
Events and Submissions/Topic
None
Week 5
Begin Date: 06 Apr 2026Module/Topic
Stalling
Spinning and Spiral Dives
Effects of Atmospheric Disturbances.
Chapter
Aerodynamics: Chapter 7 and 8
Events and Submissions/Topic
Practice Quiz 1 closes
Practice Quiz 2 opened.
Week 6
Begin Date: 13 Apr 2026Module/Topic
Powerplant and Systems
Chapter
Aircraft General Knowledge: Chapters 2, 3 and 4
Events and Submissions/Topic
Practice Quiz 2 closes
Practice Quiz 3 opened
Vacation Week
Begin Date: 20 Apr 2026Module/Topic
No lectures
Chapter
Review material from the first 5 weeks.
Events and Submissions/Topic
None
Week 7
Begin Date: 27 Apr 2026Module/Topic
Propellers, Lubrication and Cooling Systems.
Chapter
Aircraft General Knowledge: Chapter 5, 7 and 6.
Events and Submissions/Topic
None
Week 8
Begin Date: 04 May 2026Module/Topic
Electrical, Environmental, and Fire Protection Systems.
Chapter
Aircraft General Knowledge: Chapter 9, 11 and12
Events and Submissions/Topic
Practice Quiz 3 closes
Practice Quiz 4 opens
Week 9
Begin Date: 11 May 2026Module/Topic
Fuel Systems
Hydraulic Systems and Undercarriage.
Chapter
Aircraft General Knowledge: Chapter 8 and 10.
Events and Submissions/Topic
None
Week 10
Begin Date: 18 May 2026Module/Topic
Flight Instruments.
Chapter
Aircraft General Knowledge: Chapters 13, 14 and 15.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Practice Quiz 4 closes
Practice Quiz 5 opens
Week 11
Begin Date: 25 May 2026Module/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: 01 Jun 2026Module/Topic
Revision - Aerodynamics and AGK topics from Week 1-11
Final exam preparation
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Practice Quiz 5 closes
Exam Week
Begin Date: 08 Jun 2026Module/Topic
Final Exam
Chapter
All chapters covered in the Aerodynamics and AGK text plus tutorials and assignment review.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Exam
Vacation/Exam Week
Begin Date: 15 Jun 2026Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Online Quiz(zes)
Online Quiz at mid-semester, consisting of multiple-choice questions.
The quiz will cover all material from week 1 to 5.
NOTE: This assessment is exempted from the 72-hour submission grace period and must be completed by the stated submission date/time.
NOTE: AI ASSESSMENT SCALE - NO AI You must not use Al at any point during the assessment.
You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.
Other
Date and Time of Mid-Term Quiz will be promulgated in Week 2.
Students should be able to:
- 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 manoeuvres
- Explain the factors that affect the stall and spin characteristics of an aeroplane
- 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
- Determine the performance aspects of power, weight, and speed in flight manoeuvres
- Explain the factors that affect the stall and spin characteristics of an aeroplane.
Examination
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?
