Avionics, Navigation and Warning Systems

Start with collision avoidance

The Airborne Collision Avoidance System (ACAS) mind map is a starting point for the warning-system material on this page. It describes a system that operates independently of ground-based equipment and air traffic control, and warns pilots about other aircraft that may present a collision threat.

Read the map first and note the role of the system. Then use the questions in the flashcards and quizzes to practice identifying terms and information. Return to the map when you want to look at its overview again.

Practice warning and navigation terms

The GPWS flashcards ask about warning-system categories, TAWS classifications and alerts. Another flashcard deck covers navigation, warning systems and radar, with questions about ADIRS alignment and panel indications. You can study these after the mind map to move from an overview to individual terms and questions.

Work through a few cards at a time. Say your answer before checking it, then revisit the cards you want to study further. The decks offer different ways to focus on the warning and navigation material listed on this page.

Try the quizzes

A quiz on runway heading, gyro drift, machmeters, radio markers and angle-of-attack alarms offers a route into instruments and navigation. Another quiz asks about Boeing 787 Toolbox information and an ATA code. Choose the quiz whose questions match the material you want to practice.

After a quiz, return to the relevant flashcards or mind map and compare the terms you encountered. You can then take the quiz again as part of your studying.

Use the Aircraft Systems unit

This topic is part of the Aircraft Systems unit in Aviation. The resources bring warning systems alongside navigation, instruments and aircraft information, so you can approach the section from more than one angle. Pick a resource that matches your focus and use it alongside the rest of your work in the unit.