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Flight Instruments — DGCA CPL Technical General
Chapter 06 of the Technical General paper. 235 practice questions in the Avielevate bank, every one with its answer key, filterable into a timed set on this chapter alone.
What this chapter covers
The learning objectives we file Flight Instruments questions under, and how many sit behind each. These come straight out of the bank and are regenerated whenever it changes — they are what is there today, not a claim.
| Learning objective | In the bank |
|---|
| 0411 Flight Instruments | 235 questions |
Sample Flight Instruments questions, answered and explained
Real questions from this chapter, with the answer marked and the reasoning written out — the same explanations you get inside the app.
040088 · Flight Instruments
Gimballing error in a directional gyro indicator (DGI) is caused by:
- Aan imbalance in the gyro system
- Bthe geometry of the gimbal system
- Cexcessive gyroscopic precession
- Dfriction in the gimbal bearings
Why that is the answer
Gimballing error in a gyroscopic instrument arises when the mass distribution of the rotor and gimbal assembly is not perfectly balanced about the spin axis and pivot points. This unbalance of the gyro system causes small out-of-plane torques to act on the gimbal rings as the instrument's case is tilted or manoeuvred, producing a false displacement reading even though the rotor is otherwise maintaining rigidity in space. It is distinct from apparent or transport wander, which are earth-rate related effects, and from precession caused by an externally applied deliberate torque; here the error is purely a mechanical consequence of imperfect balance within the gimbal structure itself, which is why careful dynamic balancing of the rotor and gimbals during manufacture is essential to minimise it.
040115 · Flight Instruments
If the pitot tube becomes blocked, the vertical speed indicator will
- AShow a lower reading than actual.
- BShow a higher reading than actual.
- CContinue to read normally.
- DFreeze at the reading it displayed at the moment of blockage.
Why that is the answer
According to the answer key, if the pitot tube becomes blocked, the vertical speed indicator (VSI) will over-read, as stated in option (b). The VSI's diaphragm compares current static pressure against a delayed reference pressure held in a calibrated leak/reservoir to sense the rate of pressure change; a pitot blockage is treated in this question as disturbing that pressure differential such that the VSI displays a rate of climb or descent greater than actually occurring. Option (a), under-reading, describes the opposite erroneous trend and is not the effect identified here. Option (c), reading normally, would be correct if the VSI's pressure source were entirely isolated from the pitot system, but that is not the outcome indicated by this key, which specifically flags an over-reading fault under the blocked-pitot condition.
040149 · Flight Instruments
Compass swinging is performed to minimise, as far as possible:
- Avariation, or regulation
- Bacceleration
- Cdeviation
- Dturning error
Why that is the answer
Compass swinging is the practical procedure of orienting the aircraft on a series of known headings on a compass base/rose and comparing the direct-reading compass indication against the known correct magnetic heading. Any discrepancy found is due to deviation — the local magnetic influence of the aircraft's own structure, wiring and equipment on the compass. The swing produces a deviation card/curve that the pilot then applies as a correction. Variation (geographic difference between true and magnetic north) is a separate, chart-based quantity unrelated to the individual aircraft and cannot be reduced by swinging a compass. 'Regulation' and 'acceleration' are not properties reduced by this procedure at all. Hence the correct purpose of compass swinging is to reduce deviation as much as possible, matching option d.
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Frequently asked
How many Flight Instruments questions are there for the DGCA CPL Technical General paper?
Avielevate's bank carries 235 published Flight Instruments questions for Technical General, mapped across 1 learning objective. Every one has its answer key, and explanations are being written across the whole bank.
How much of the Technical General paper is Flight Instruments?
The DGCA does not publish a per-chapter breakdown of its papers, so nobody can honestly tell you — and we will not guess. What we can tell you is what students who have just sat a paper reported meeting, which is measured rather than rumoured: that is the exam recall report inside the app.
What is the best way to revise Flight Instruments?
Sit a short timed set on this chapter alone, tag how sure you were of each answer, then drill the two that actually leak marks: the ones you got right while guessing, and the ones you got wrong while confident. Avielevate does that tagging for you and puts anything you got wrong back in front of you on a spaced schedule.
The rest of the Technical General paper
One account covers every chapter of every paper.
← All Technical General chapters · All six DGCA CPL papers