EASA ATPL · subject 022 guide

EASA ATPL Instrumentation (022)

Instrumentation (subject 022) is the EASA ATPL theory exam that explains how an aircraft measures, displays and automates flight — from the sensors behind the air-data and gyroscopic instruments to the autoflight, flight-management and electronic-display systems that fly a modern flight deck. This guide breaks the syllabus into its 14 official topic areas, shows how the systems connect, and sets out a study plan to pass the exam at the 75% mark.

Practise Instrumentation questions How the 13 exams work

What Instrumentation covers

Instrumentation is the subject that explains the flight deck itself. It starts with how raw quantities — pressure, temperature, magnetic heading, rates of rotation — are sensed and turned into the readings on an instrument, then builds up to the automated systems that fly the aircraft: the autopilot, the autothrust, the flight-management system and the electronic displays that tie everything together. It is more about understanding systems than calculation, so the reward comes from knowing how each component works and how it can fail.

EASA structures the 022 syllabus into fourteen topic areas, progressing from individual sensors and instruments, through compasses, gyros and inertial systems, to the autoflight, flight-management, alerting and recording systems of a modern aircraft. The sections below walk through each one.

The 14 Instrumentation topics

These are the official EASA topic areas for subject 022, in syllabus order. They broadly move from sensing a parameter to the systems that use it, so working them roughly in sequence helps the later automation topics make sense.

01Sensors and InstrumentsThe building blocks of aircraft instrumentation: how physical quantities are sensed and turned into usable signals, and the difference between direct-reading and remote-sensing instruments.

02Measurement of Air Data ParametersThe pitot-static system and air-data computers: how pressure altitude, airspeed, Mach number, vertical speed and temperature are derived, and the errors that affect each reading.

03Magnetism, Direct-Reading Compass and Flux ValveEarth and aircraft magnetism, the direct-reading compass and its turning and acceleration errors, and how the flux valve feeds a remote-indicating compass system.

04Gyroscopic InstrumentsGyroscopic principles — rigidity and precession — applied to the attitude indicator, directional gyro and turn coordinator, plus rate gyros and modern solid-state alternatives.

05Inertial NavigationInertial Navigation and Reference Systems (INS/IRS): accelerometers and gyros, platform and strapdown architectures, alignment, and how position is computed and how it drifts.

06Automatic Flight Control SystemsThe autopilot: control laws, modes and the inner and outer loops that hold or capture attitude, heading, altitude and a navigation path.

07Autothrust / Automatic Thrust Control SystemsHow autothrottle and autothrust manage engine power to hold a target speed or thrust, and how they integrate with the autopilot and flight-management system.

08Trims, Yaw Damper, Flight Envelope ProtectionAutomatic trimming, the yaw damper that suppresses Dutch roll, and the flight-envelope protections that keep a fly-by-wire aircraft within safe limits.

09Flight Management Systems (FMS) / Flight Management and Guidance System (FMGS)The FMS/FMGS as the integrating brain of the flight deck: navigation database, flight planning, performance optimisation and lateral and vertical guidance.

10Alerting Systems, Proximity SystemsCrew alerting and warning systems together with terrain and traffic protection such as GPWS/EGPWS and TCAS/ACAS, and the alerts and resolution advisories they generate.

11Integrated Instruments, Electronic DisplaysThe glass cockpit: the EFIS primary flight and navigation displays, engine and warning displays, and how data is integrated and presented to the crew.

12Communication SystemsOn-board communication equipment, including the principles behind voice and data links and how communication is managed across the flight deck.

13Digital Circuits and ComputersThe fundamentals of the digital electronics behind modern avionics: logic, data buses and the computers that process and exchange information between systems.

14Maintenance, Monitoring and Recording SystemsBuilt-in test and central maintenance computers, system monitoring, and the flight data and cockpit voice recorders used for monitoring and investigation.

How to study and pass 022 at 75%

Every EASA ATPL theory subject is passed at a minimum of 75%, and each subject is passed independently. For a broad, systems-heavy subject like Instrumentation, the most reliable route to that mark is understand-then-drill:

Learn one system at a time. Cover how a parameter is sensed (air data, magnetism, gyros) before the systems that consume it (autoflight, FMS, displays) — the automation topics assume the sensing ones.
Focus on errors and failure modes. The exam loves compass turning errors, air-data system failures and INS drift — knowing how an instrument goes wrong is tested as much as how it works.
Drill ECQB-aligned questions on each topic and read every explanation, especially for the answers you got wrong.
Use spaced repetition so earlier systems stay fresh while you add new ones, then rehearse with full mock exams at the real 75% pass mark before you sit the official paper.

Note: Exam rules — the pass mark, sittings and attempt limits — are set by EASA Part-FCL and applied by your national authority (NAA). Always confirm the current figures with your ATO/NAA before you plan, as they are periodically updated.

How ATPL Training helps

ATPL Training is an all-in-one platform for the theory phase: an ECQB-aligned question bank with worked explanations, structured lessons, built-in spaced-repetition review, and an AI tutor that explains the reasoning behind every answer — at around half the price of the established providers. For a systems-led subject like Instrumentation, that combination turns the theory into exam marks.

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The rules behind the exam

Every ATPL paper is scored under the same Part-FCL rules: a 75% pass mark, four attempts per subject, six sittings, an 18-month completion window, and seven years of theory validity. See each figure with its Part-FCL reference and EUR-Lex source.

Frequently asked questions

What is EASA ATPL Instrumentation (022)?

Instrumentation, EASA learning-objective subject code 022, is the ATPL theory exam covering how an aircraft measures, displays and automates flight — air-data and gyroscopic instruments, compasses, inertial navigation, autoflight and autothrust, flight-management systems, electronic displays, alerting and recording systems. It is examined as one of the 13 EASA ATPL theory subjects.

What topics are in the Instrumentation syllabus?

The 022 syllabus is built around 14 topic areas: Sensors and Instruments; Measurement of Air Data Parameters; Magnetism, Direct-Reading Compass and Flux Valve; Gyroscopic Instruments; Inertial Navigation; Automatic Flight Control Systems; Autothrust; Trims, Yaw Damper and Flight Envelope Protection; Flight Management Systems (FMS/FMGS); Alerting and Proximity Systems; Integrated Instruments and Electronic Displays; Communication Systems; Digital Circuits and Computers; and Maintenance, Monitoring and Recording Systems.

What is the pass mark for the ATPL Instrumentation exam?

Like every EASA ATPL theory subject, Instrumentation is passed at a minimum of 75%. Each subject is passed independently, so you only re-sit the exams you do not pass. Exam rules are applied by your national authority (NAA), so confirm the current figures with your ATO/NAA.

Is Instrumentation a hard ATPL exam?

Many students find 022 demanding because it is broad and systems-heavy — it asks you to understand how a wide range of instruments and automated systems work and interact, from basic sensors to the FMS. Working a large bank of exam-style questions with worked explanations, system by system, is the most reliable way to turn the theory into exam marks.

How should I study for ATPL Instrumentation?

Learn each system in context, then drill questions on it: start with how a parameter is sensed (air data, magnetism, gyros) before moving to the systems that use it (autoflight, FMS, displays), make sure you understand the failure modes and errors of each, then practise ECQB-aligned questions and review every explanation. Spaced repetition keeps earlier systems fresh while you add new ones.

Master Instrumentation the smart way

Drill ECQB-aligned 022 questions with worked explanations, track your readiness across all fourteen topics, and rehearse with full mock exams at the real 75% pass mark.

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