This module is designed to cover the syllabus required to pass the flight training theoretical knowledge topics covering Principles of Flight, Aircraft Performance, Flight Planning and Monitoring, Meteorology and Communications. These topics are considered to be the core subjects for flight operations and the content is designed and approved by the UK Civil Aviation Authority. The assessment is conducted by BCFT and replicates the format and structure of the Theoretical Knowledge assessment of the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
All the teaching is delivered by specialist ground school instructors, the majority of whom have many years' experience both with the teaching of this material but also in its practical application either in military or civil aviation. The majority of the teaching will be classroom based with specialist training aids used where appropriate. Use of flight simulators will be made if possible where it is considered that this will add value to the learning experience.
In conjunction with the theoretical training, students will also completing practical training in real aircraft involving instructor led flying. Whilst the practical flying is not formally part of the module, the principles learnt in the classroom will be reinforced in a live flight training environment which will aid students understanding and knowledge.
The use of operational charts and diagrams will be used to explain the process of flight planning and meteorology.
| Definitive UNISTATS Category | Indicative Description | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 88 two hour lectures 37 two hour tutorials | 176 74 |
| Independent study | 50 | |
| Total (number of credits x 10) | 300 | |
Summative assessment is made up entirely of six multiple-choice examination topics as follows:
These topics are taught so that students fulfil the requirements of EASA for the issuance of an, industry recognised, ATPL licence. Upon completion of all the topics listed above, students would normally sit individual, online, multiple-choice examinations for each of the topics externally at a CAA approved assessment centre. For the purposes of this module any external CAA assessment is not recognised by the University and as such University regulations do not apply to those assessments.
To ensure that students have achieved the University learning outcomes of this module, the module teaching team at BCFT internally generate, paper-based, multiple-choice examination papers. These examination papers are designed to replicate the exact structure, format, duration and rigour of the multiple-choice examination assessment conducted externally by the UK CAA. Parity of the KU assessment with those of the CAA is to ensure that students are not over assessed and to ensure that effective summative assessment of the learning outcomes is enabled. Internally generated examination papers by the BCFT teaching team also enable transparency of the assessment so as to fulfil the important function of quality assurance and oversight.
The six multiple-choice examination papers are sat following completion of the teaching of the complete module content. The delivery of the module content takes approximately 10 weeks. Throughout the 10 weeks, students are prepared for the summative assessment through a series of formative computer-based training
resources and practice examination papers. This enables both the students and the teaching team to monitor progress and provide additional ongoing support as required. Further remedial training is provided to those students who have failed the summative assessment at the first attempt.
External multiple-choice examinations conducted by the UK CAA require a mark of 75% or more to be recognised as a pass. The six, internally generated, multiple choice question papers are each marked in line with the CAA, however the pass mark of 75% is not in line with the University's undergraduate module pass mark of 40%. As a result a conversion table and function is used to determine the students KU module mark. The conversion has been formulated to correspond to the University's Academic Guidance Document 7 - University Grade Criteria at Level 5. The conversion table and the associated conversion formula is as follows:
| CAA Exam Mark | Equivalent Kingston University Assessment Mark |
KU Letter Grade |
| 90 | 85 | A+ |
| 83 | 75 | A |
| 80 | 70 | A- |
| 78 | 67 | B+ |
| 75 | 63 | B |
| 73 | 60 | B- |
| 71 | 57 | C+ |
| 69 | 53 | C |
| 67 | 50 | C- |
| 65 | 47 | D+ |
| 62 | 43 | D |
| 60 | 40 | D- |
| 57 | 35 | F5 |
The summative assessment outlined above is aligned to closely match the University's Undergraduate Academic Regulations and is intended to operate as follows:
| Learning Outcome | Assessment Strategy |
|---|---|
| Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the theory of flight and perform basic calculations related to simple manoeuvres. | Multiple Choice Examination |
| Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of how factors such as aircraft mass, atmospheric conditions and aircraft design impact the performance of fixed-wing aircraft. | Multiple Choice Examination |
| Demonstrate how to plan a flight in terms of routing, airspace structure and fuel requirements. | Multiple Choice Examination |
| Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics of the Earth's atmosphere, its role in the generation of weather patterns and the interaction between pressure, temperature and density. | Multiple Choice Examination |
| Identify the hazards to flight operations due to icing, turbulence, wind shear, convective thunderstorms and lightning. | Multiple Choice Examination |
| Analyse and interpret weather charts and information and explain the various meteorological services available to commercial flight crew. | Multiple Choice Examination |
| Demonstrate the method of communication to be used to transmit information across aeronautical radio networks using the correct phraseology. | Multiple Choice Examination |
| Description of Assessment | Definitive UNISTATS Categories | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Written Exam | Six Multiple Choice Examinations | 100% |
| Total (to equal 100%) | 100% | |
It IS a requirement that the element of assessment is passed in order to achieve an overall pass for the module.