DGCA Air Navigation: Syllabus, Study Plan and Practice Questions
The paper most CPL students find hardest. Here is what it covers and how to prepare.
Quick answer
DGCA Air Navigation is one of five CPL theory papers. It covers the earth and charts, direction and magnetism, dead reckoning, the navigation computer, flight instruments, radio aids like VOR, NDB, DME and ILS, and flight planning. You need 70% to pass. Most students rate it the hardest paper because it is calculation heavy.
What is the DGCA Air Navigation paper?
Air Navigation tests whether you can get an aircraft from one place to another safely and on time. It mixes theory with a lot of calculation.
Expect questions on charts, headings, wind triangles, time and fuel, plus how radio and satellite aids work.
- It is one of the five DGCA CPL theory papers. You need 70% to pass.
- Papers are taken online through DGCA's PARIKSHA system, in sessions DGCA announces through the year.
- You can sit it only after you register on eGCA and get your DGCA computer number.
See how all five papers fit together in the DGCA exams for CPL guide.
DGCA Air Navigation syllabus by topic
The table groups the syllabus into the topics ground schools teach. Weightage changes between sessions, so cover every topic.
| Topic | What it covers |
|---|---|
| The earth and position | Shape of the earth, latitude and longitude, great circles and rhumb lines, distance in nautical miles |
| Direction and magnetism | True, magnetic and compass direction, variation and deviation, the magnetic compass and its errors |
| Charts and projections | Mercator, Lambert conformal and polar charts, scale, chart reading and plotting |
| Time | Local mean time, UTC, standard time, sunrise, sunset and twilight |
| Dead reckoning | Triangle of velocities, heading, track, drift, groundspeed, wind finding, use of the navigation computer |
| Altimetry | QNH, QFE, QNE, pressure and density altitude, transition altitude and level |
| Flight instruments | Pitot static system, airspeed indicator, altimeter, VSI, gyro instruments |
| Radio navigation | NDB and ADF, VOR, DME, ILS, radar, GNSS and RNAV basics |
| Flight planning | Fuel planning, point of no return, critical point, navigation log, climb and descent planning |
Source: DGCA CPL ground examination syllabus, as taught by DGCA approved ground schools. Checked on 1 Nov 2026.
Radio navigation and dead reckoning carry many of the calculation questions. Practise them until they feel routine.
Why is Air Navigation the hardest DGCA paper?
Students who clear the other papers in one attempt often need two for Air Navigation. The reasons are practical:
- It is calculation heavy. Wind triangles, time, speed and distance, and fuel questions all need working.
- Errors stack. A wrong variation sign gives a wrong heading, which gives a wrong groundspeed and a wrong time.
- Time pressure. Calculation questions take longer than recall questions.
- Concepts like convergency, chart projections and critical point are abstract until you practise them.
- Radio aids need both theory and interpretation of instrument readings.
How to prepare: a study plan for Air Navigation
Most students prepare alongside ground school. This plan assumes about two hours a day.
- Weeks 1 and 2: the earth, latitude and longitude, direction, variation and deviation.
- Week 3: charts and projections. Plot simple routes by hand.
- Week 4: time conversions and sunrise and sunset problems.
- Weeks 5 and 6: dead reckoning and the navigation computer. Do 20 wind triangle problems a day.
- Week 7: instruments and altimetry, then radio navigation.
- Week 8: flight planning, then full timed practice papers and revision of every wrong answer.
Common study material students use:
- Your ground school notes and question banks
- Air Navigation by R.K. Bali, widely used in Indian ground schools
- Oxford ATPL Navigation and Radio Navigation manuals for deeper theory
- A manual flight computer (CRP or E6B style) for practice
Booking your training seat? Plan your loan
Find the loan that fits and what you pay each month, before you pay the school.
10 practice questions on Air Navigation
Try each question before reading the answer. These match the style of the DGCA multiple choice paper.
One degree of latitude is approximately how far?
Options: 30 nm / 60 nm / 100 nm / 111 nm
Answer: 60 nm. One minute of latitude is one nautical mile, so 60 minutes give 60 nm.
True heading is 090 and variation is 5° West. What is the magnetic heading?
Options: 085 / 090 / 095 / 100
Answer: 095. Variation west, magnetic best. Add west variation to true to get magnetic.
Two places are 30° apart in longitude. What is the difference in their local mean time?
Options: 30 minutes / 1 hour / 2 hours / 3 hours
Answer: 2 hours. The earth turns 15° an hour, so 30° equals 2 hours.
An aircraft has a groundspeed of 120 kt. How long does it take to fly 180 nm?
Options: 1 h / 1 h 15 min / 1 h 30 min / 2 h
Answer: 1 h 30 min. 180 divided by 120 is 1.5 hours.
On a Mercator chart, a straight line represents what?
Options: A great circle / A rhumb line / A small circle / An isogonal
Answer: A rhumb line. Mercator shows rhumb lines, which cross every meridian at the same angle, as straight lines.
In which frequency band does a VOR operate?
Options: LF / MF / VHF / UHF
Answer: VHF. VOR uses the VHF band, between 108 and 117.975 MHz.
The ADF in the aircraft receives signals from which ground station?
Options: VOR / NDB / DME / ILS localiser
Answer: NDB. The automatic direction finder points to a non directional beacon.
What does DME measure?
Options: Groundspeed / Horizontal distance / Slant range / Bearing
Answer: Slant range. DME measures the straight line distance from aircraft to station, which includes height.
With QNH set on the altimeter, what does it read on the ground at an aerodrome?
Options: Zero / Aerodrome elevation / Pressure altitude / Density altitude
Answer: Aerodrome elevation. QNH gives altitude above mean sea level, so on the ground it shows elevation.
You fly from high pressure towards low pressure without resetting the altimeter. Where is the aircraft compared with the indicated altitude?
Options: Higher / Lower / The same / It depends on temperature only
Answer: Lower. High to low, look out below. The altimeter over reads, so the aircraft is lower than shown.
What this costs
The theory papers are a small part of the total. The flying is where most of the money goes.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Air Navigation paper, regular session | ₹2,500 per attempt |
| Air Navigation paper, on demand | ₹5,000 per attempt |
| All five CPL papers, regular session | ₹12,500 per attempt |
| Full CPL in India, all stages | ₹55 lakh to ₹75 lakh |
Source: DGCA PARIKSHA fee as listed in October 2026. Confirm on the DGCA portal before booking. CPL total from The Flying Engineer, updated 22 Oct 2026. Checked on 1 Nov 2026.
Ground school fees vary by school and are often bundled into the CPL package. Ask each school for an itemised fee sheet before you pay.
The other DGCA CPL papers
How to pay for pilot training
Most families use an education loan. There are three ways to do it, and the right one depends on two things: whether you have property for collateral, and whether a sponsoring airline has given you an LOI.
| Government bankWith property as collateral | NBFC, with an airline LOINo property needed | NBFC, without an LOINo property needed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interest rate | Around 9.5%, linked to the RBI repo rate. Around 8.5% if you pay simple interest during the course | Around 11% to 13%, based on income | |
| During training | Nothing to pay (full moratorium), or monthly simple interest for the lower rate | A fixed partial EMI each month | The full EMI on the amount paid out so far |
| After training | Full EMI starts | The same EMI continues | |
| How much is funded | 85% of the fees. You pay 15% yourself (the margin) | 100% of the fees, up to ₹1.5 crore | |
| Processing fee | 1%, refunded later apart from about ₹10,000 | About 1% | |
| Loan insurance | About 1% to 2.5% of the loan | About 2% to 8% of the loan | |
| Co-borrower income | Checked by the bank | A minimum yearly income, set by the loan amount | Monthly income about ₹30,000 more than the EMI |
| Speed | Slow (weeks) | Faster | |
What is an LOI, and why does it matter?
An LOI (Letter of Intent) is a conditional pre-employment letter from a sponsoring airline. It promises you a future role with that airline once you finish training and meet its conditions.
Because a job is lined up, lenders see the loan as low risk. So they offer a partial EMI without collateral: a fixed amount each month during training, with the full EMI only after you finish. Without an LOI, the full EMI starts from the first payment to the school.
Not every government bank gives a full moratorium on pilot training loans, and government banks are usually slow because of property checks. If you need a fast sanction and an easier process, talk to the FundMyCampus team first.
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers to what students and parents ask us about pilot training
Plan your pilot training loan
Tell us where you will train, whether you have property and whether you have an LOI. A counsellor will call you with the loan that fits and what you pay each month.
FundMyCampus is a loan facilitation platform. Loans are sanctioned by the lending bank or NBFC at its discretion. Rates are approximate and change with the RBI repo rate and your profile. We never promise approval or a rate.