Commercial Pilot License (CPL) 2026 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

Calibrated airspeed (CAS) is defined as indicated airspeed that has been corrected for position and instrument errors. When pilots read the airspeed on their instruments, it reflects the airspeed as registered by the pitot-static system. However, this reading can be affected by various errors, including inaccuracies in the instrument itself or discrepancies caused by the aircraft's design and the airflow around it. By making the appropriate corrections for these errors, pilots arrive at the calibrated airspeed, which provides a more accurate representation of the aircraft's performance and is crucial for ensuring safe and efficient flight operations.

The other options represent different concepts related to airspeed. The reading from GPS signals pertains more to groundspeed, which differs from calibrated airspeed as it accounts for the aircraft's actual movement over the ground rather than through the air. The true airspeed encompasses the actual speed of the aircraft through the air, factoring in air density but does not correct for instrument errors, making it distinct from calibrated airspeed. Finally, the speed that considers the effects of temperature on air density refers to true airspeed again, which reflects how varying atmospheric conditions can influence the aircraft's performance but does not involve the corrections made to indicated airspeed.