This year I met several newly minted flight instructors and flight instructors in training who wish to do more than build their hours from the right seat. They want to be good teachers of flight. I really hope they meant what they said.

Training the Trainers

One of my great joys is working with CFI applicants who share the mindset that instruction is important and not just a way to build hours.

I will train teachers, not time builders. To do otherwise would be a disservice to future pilots.

The Problem With Shortcuts

We compared notes about applicants we’d encountered who had gone through accelerated training programs for CFIs.

While there are people who do very well with “quick ticket” training,  the fact is a few day courses don’t really teach you how to be a teacher. The only thing that does this is experience.

We all start out green. Time and practice is the only way to achieve seasoning.

Nearly everyone had a story to tell about the CFI applicant who wanted to take shortcuts just to pass the check ride.

They didn’t know how to organize a lesson, create a lesson plan, or offer a critique, but they had memorized the check ride. They parroted things they read off the internet. The mindset was “you’ll learn to teach after you get the ticket.”

This is unfair to the person who you are supposed to be teaching. They are paying for instruction, and you should be able to deliver. If you cannot do that, get out of the right seat.

Options to Improve CFI Training

Ideas were floated on improving the quality of flight instruction in the U.S.

The top suggestion was to increase CFI pay to entice them to stay on the job for more than one year. That’s the average time spent teaching for the pilot who is building their hours toward ATP minimums.

The theory is that spending more time as a CFI would enable these people to become better teachers. More experience doing something does tend to improve your performance. I submit, however, that unless that person really wants to be a CFI, this amounts to putting lipstick on a pig. 

If the candidate thinks flight instruction is beneath them—and there are some who do—no amount of money in the world is going to change that. Often their attitude comes across in the cockpit and the classroom.

Also, many smaller flight schools don’t have the revenue to support this business model, or they see all CFIs easily replaceable, saying their lack of experience justifies the low pay.

In many cases, working full-time as a CFI is too financially challenging. And even though they are good teachers and enjoy the job, many CFIs leave the profession for higher paying careers in other industries. 

Quality Over Quantity

Another suggestion was to create a training metric for CFIs, such as a set number of hours logged as dual instruction received post-commercial certificate to qualify for the CFI check ride, or be paired up with a CFI with more experience in a mentoring relationship before you are permitted to endorse anyone for a check ride. For example, the newly minted CFI would need 100 hours dual before they can sign off a client. 

These are intriguing ideas, but I am reasonably certain that in the U.S. with the pilot shortage and the “hurry up” mentality of so many flight students, any FAA rule changes would go over like a skunk on the dance floor at prom. Frankly, it would be too cumbersome and limiting in the training environment we have today.

CFI Responsibility 

There were also discussions about stressing the role of the CFI as a teacher and a coach.

Our job is to guide the learner in all facets of training air and ground. The learners don’t know what they don’t know, and no CFI or flight school should take advantage of their lack of experience.

There was a particularly painful story about a private pilot candidate who was at a school that provided both Part 141 and Part 61 training. The learner was flying under Part 61 and limited to flying just once a week, although they had the money and time to fly more frequently. 

According to the learner, as they compared flying lessons to music lessons, which are often just once a week, they didn’t know that flying more frequently would accelerate the learning process.

The CFIs—there were several—were fine with the once-a-week lesson, and according to the learner, never suggested an increase in lesson frequency. The learner allegedly spent thousands of dollars and several months “taking rides with multiple CFIs” but never soloed. 

If a CFI determines they cannot teach a particular client, the ethical thing to do is terminate the relationship. If you’re both frustrated, it’s in both of your best interests. It is far better if your CFI says, “I am not the right instructor for you,” than for them to keep showing up and taking your time and money. Often this breeds resentment.

Flight Training Is a Partnership

Sometimes CFIs encounter pilot applicants who have a participation trophy mindset when it comes to flight training.

Just showing up and going through the motions is not enough in aviation. We need to be clear that both the CFI and learner need to apply themselves and be accountable for their performance.

For learners who are successful in other aspects of their lives, this self-reflection can be painful at times. If you don’t meet performance standards as put forth in the ACS, it doesn’t make you a bad person. It just means you need more practice or a different approach to learning.

You won’t enjoy every part of your training— there will be days it seems tedious and difficult. There will be the dreaded learning plateaus that will make you question your life choices. There will also be those days with “aha!” moments, where the stars align, and the knowledge and skill come together.

You will get a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that a relatively few in the human population achieve. This is particularly true when the designated pilot examiner (DPE) hands you your temporary certificate.

But to get there you need to work with your CFI—and they need to work with you.

The post Improving CFI Training Remains a Never-Ending Goal appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Often the instructor leaves a space or empty line to record a dual instructional flight—or forgets to sign it off because the end of the lesson was hurried. Either the CFI, learner, or both had someplace else to be. There was the intention to sign off on the flight time later, but before this could happen the CFI moved on.

Without the instructor’s signature, those hours of dual don’t count toward the experience requirements for a certificate or rating. In essence, the learner may end up paying for these hours twice.

Both the learner and CFI need to take responsibility for this. Structure the lessons so that you have at least five minutes to fill out and sign the logbook—if you are going to be late, you are going to be late. This is that important.

Log the Time Correctly

Logging the flight incorrectly can also void the experience. FAR 61.51(b) provides the details on what should be logged in a “manner acceptable to the administrator,” and that includes total flight or lesson time, type and identification of aircraft, flight simulator or training device, and flight or ground training received.

The logbook is a legal document, and precision counts. Write out what maneuvers were done, how long the flight was, and include any ground discussion—your logbook might read 1.2 flight, climbs, turns, descent, 0.2 under hood, and then note the number of takeoffs and landings.

Flight instructors should also include the time spent in pre- and post-flight briefing. I denote this with a “G” and a description of what was discussed—for example, 0.3 G “ground reference maneuvers.”

• READ MORE: Make Flight Reviews for CFIs Worthwhile

If the lesson is all ground discussion, that should also be logged, and some logbooks have a preprinted section for this. Again, give details. “Review aircraft systems” is too vague. Instead, go with “aircraft systems for Cessna 172N, pitot static vacuum, electrical, engine, oil, gyroscopic.” If the logbook doesn’t have a predetermined section for ground instruction, create one—the same can be done for AATD instruction.

Make sure to have the CFI clearly label instruction given in any “areas found deficient” from the knowledge test, as this is required and needs to be appropriately accounted for. The examiner will want to see that during the check ride.

Details, Details

Do you remember the first time you put the details of the flight in your first logbook? Some flight schools have the learners do this from day one. The CFI tells the learner what to write, then the instructor reads the entry to make sure it is correct and signs. Some CFIs learn the hard way not to sign and then let the learner fill in the details. While most people are honest, there are some learners who take advantage of the instructor’s trust and pad their hours.

If the learner believes the CFI is looking for shortcuts, the learner will likely be looking for them too. It’s not uncommon to find a logbook filled with line after line of “pattern work,” “practice area,” or “VFR maneuvers” under both dual instruction and solo flights. What maneuvers? Please be specific. Was one of those flights completed for currency? A proficiency flight? A particular solo lesson from the syllabus? Label them as such.

• READ MORE: Who Is Teaching? Low Time and Social Media Make for a Bad Combo

Learners and pilots, please take ownership of your training—initial or recurrent. As you fill up a page in your logbook, total the numbers, check your math, and then go back through the FAR/AIM to the experience section for the rating or certificate sought and determine what requirements have been met, what needs to be done, and then discuss with your CFI how to meet them.

The Long Goodbye

“When he gets back in town, we’re going to fly again,” the learner said. His CFI was now flying right seat for an air ambulance company. His schedule was two weeks on, one week off. If your CFI is being pulled in multiple directions, you need to be realistic about whether this business relationship still meets your needs.

Learners can get very attached to their CFI and won’t want to fly with anyone else. If the CFI is only available once a week, the training spreads out, with very little skill progression. It’s like going to the gym just once a week and expecting to see results. The lack of progress leads to frustration, which often evolves into apathy and sometimes the termination of training.

• READ MORE: Practice Crosswind Landings Whenever You Can

The CFI can suggest someone for the learner to fly with, and a meeting between the involved parties will make sure the transition is seamless. But even this doesn’t guarantee a good fit. A learner who had a good relationship with a professional CFI may find themselves in the clutches of a time builder who ignores the previously logged experience and demonstrated skills and makes them repeat it. It is particularly egregious if the learner is enrolled in a Part 141 program, where the change of CFI should be seamless, but there are some sleazy flight schools that insist learners repeat the training so they can pad the bill.

Under Part 61 the learner should insist on a stage check using the syllabus and airman certification standards (ACS) as the performance metrics. Sadly, there are some instructors who eschew the syllabus because they weren’t trained with one and will say the ACS is not required until the check ride. If this is the attitude you encounter, keep looking.

Plan the Departure

If you are the CFI who intends to move on, let your learners know your plan and work together to get the learner to a hard-stop point, such as the check ride, past solo, or particular stage check before you go.

No matter what, advise the learner to expect a skill evaluation with the replacement CFI. This should consist of both a ground session as well as flight. Remind the learners to manage their expectations. They shouldn’t anticipate a single flight to lead to a solo endorsement for check ride signoff. That’s just not realistic.

Working Around the Gap

As a final note, if you have a gap like this and the CFI is no longer locally available, reach out to your former instructor to see if they are comfortable writing out the required entry and signing off then taking a digital image of it and emailing it to you. Some DPEs are comfortable with that means to document experience. You can also call the local Flight Standards District Office for guidance.

This column first appeared in the April 2024/Issue 947 of FLYING’s print edition.

The post Separation Anxiety: When Your Instructor Moves on, Your Logbook Tells the Story appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

To take advantage of the so-called pilot shortage, many schools and independent instructors have adopted the check-the-box style of instruction, and when the applicant has completed the tasks listed in FAR 61.109 and passed their knowledge test, they are sent to the designated pilot examiner (DPE) for their check ride. According to examiners across the country, there is a trend of only half of the applicants passing the check ride on the first try—despite having logged the experience, they don’t know the material. And there are others who don’t meet the experience requirements for the certificate, which is often found during a review of the applicant’s logbook and should have been caught much earlier.

I am not a DPE, but for several years I have been a check pilot providing mock check rides for applicants at the request of their CFIs.

The culture of many flight schools and some independent instructors is “train them quickly.” As such, many applicants go into their check rides with minimum experience and abilities because they were trained by an instructor with minimum experience and abilities. This can lead to blind spots and soft spots in the applicant’s skills and knowledge. FLYING offers a few tips to help you avoid this.

Use a Syllabus

Preparation for a successful check ride begins with the use of a syllabus. It provides guidance and a clear path to certification as each lesson has competition standards. You know when you have done well if you meet these standards. Required in a Part 141 environment, highly recommended in Part 61, have it with you for all lessons be they in the air, in the classroom, or AATD.

If your instructor wasn’t trained using a syllabus, they may be reluctant to use one. Insist on it.

When a Part 61 learner says, “I think my instructor is using one,” it makes me want to cry out like someone just blew up Alderaan. If you haven’t seen it, or if you don’t have a copy of it during the lesson, you’re not using one.

• READ MORE: Is a Medical Certificate Required for a Private Pilot Check Ride?

Use the ACS from Day One

Utilize the private pilot airman certification standards (ACS) from the get-go. These are the minimum standards the applicant must meet in order to achieve their certificate. To put it into perspective, meeting the metrics of the ACS is like getting a “C” in a class. C grades may still result in a degree, but strive to do better.

For example, if the ACS states that during takeoff the applicant will “maintain V_X/V_Y as appropriate +10/-5 knots to a safe maneuvering attitude,” focus on nailing the airspeed. Every time. If the POH says V_X is 67 knots, fly at 67 knots.

While it is unlikely that you will meet the ACS metrics the first time you fly a maneuver or demonstrate knowledge, it is much easier to train to the metric rather than trying to clean up a sloppy performance later. Sadly, many private pilot applicants are told they don’t “need the ACS yet” when they begin their training. Establishing a criteria for what are acceptable standards from the first lesson can help both the learner and CFI stay on track and keep the learner engaged in the process.

CFIs: Remember many learners drop out of training because they don’t know what is expected of them or if they are doing it right. The ACS, coupled with the syllabus, answers these questions.

Aim High

The four levels of learning are rote, understanding, application, and correlation. Aim for correlation, and understand the what, why, and when of a topic. So, for example, if you are asked to provide a scenario when V_X is appropriate, be able to answer the when and the why, such as “short field takeoff technique is appropriate when there is an obstacle off the departure end of the runway.”

Application, correlation, and understanding are critical when it comes to aircraft systems. You can tell when an applicant is responding by rote, such as if the pilot of a fuel-injected aircraft suggests that an uncommanded loss of engine power they experienced in flight is probably because of “carburetor” icing.

• READ MORE: Use Study Guides for a Better Check Ride Experience

Update Your Logbook

There’s a running joke at flight schools that you know when some is getting ready for a check ride because they are playing catch-up, totaling their logbook. Doing this in a rush is when mistakes happen. It is much better to total up page by page, checking the math twice before you commit it to ink.

All instruction received should be logged, per FAR 61.51: flying, AATD, and ground. It’s all valuable. Periodically go through your logbook, noting your experience acquired and the requirements for private pilot certification as stated in FAR 61.109.

Double-check that you both have the experience and that it is properly logged, as incorrectly logged experience can nullify a check ride before it begins.

For example, logging “night flight” on a line means the applicant flew at night. The night requirement for the private pilot candidate is more than “three hours of night.” There is also a cross-country and 10 takeoffs and landings with the caveat that the landings must be full stop. Make sure your logbook reflects this.

Your instructor is responsible for making sure you have all the endorsements necessary for the check ride. The examiner will look for the TSA endorsement, first solo, initial cross-country, subsequent solo endorsements, additional cross-country flights, satisfactory aeronautical knowledge, additional training in areas found deficient on the knowledge test, three hours of check ride prep within two calendar months in preparation for the practical test, and flight proficiency for the practical test.

A list of the endorsements and appropriate language can be found in Advisory Circular 61-65. Although your logbook may have preprinted endorsements, the savvy CFIs will refer to the language in the AC and defer to it.

Make sure your solo endorsement is current as well.

Prep for the Knowledge Test

The minimum passing score is 70—but the better you do on the test, the easier the check ride can be.

When the examiner receives your application (filed electronically with the help of your instructor), they review your knowledge test score to develop a plan of action for the check ride. A wrong answer is considered an “area found deficient,” and that is often where the oral exam begins.

The test codes are found in the ACS, so you should know where your soft spots are.

You may have only missed one question in the area— like aircraft performance—but your CFI should drill you on it, as the DPE will be using your knowledge exam results to tailor the check ride.

Use Your Reference Material

While there is an awful lot of information for a pilot to remember, one of the most important skills you can have is knowing where to look up something to verify the information. The VFR sectional has a legend, so you don’t have to guess at what kind of airspace that is. Chapter 3 in the AIM has details on dimensions of airspace, cloud clearances, and visibility.

Whether electronic or paper, there are certain things you want tabbed to make it easier to find— for example, in the FAR/AIM Part 1 definitions, 61.109, aeronautical experience required for a private pilot, Chapters 3 and 7 of the AIM (Airspace and Meteorology), etc.

A good pilot knows how to use these resources to look up the information and takes the initiative to do this. If you cannot or will not do this, flying is not for you.

Verify the Aircraft Paperwork

Before a check ride can happen, the applicant and DPE must go through the aircraft maintenance logbook to make sure it meets the airworthiness requirements. Sadly, the check ride is often the first time some applicants have seen the logbooks for the aircraft.

Avoid this situation by sitting down with your CFI and going through the logbooks to verify the aircraft is airworthy, using the acronym AAV1ATE as your guide (ADs complied with, annual inspections, VOR every 30 days, 100-hour, altimeter/pitot static system every 24 calendar months, transponder every 24 calendar months, ELT check). Before your check ride, find the

most recent inspections and put a Post-it note on them so you can easily find them to show the examiner.

Make sure the aircraft’s dispatch paperwork, such as the weight and balance sheet, is up to date.

Study Multiple Nav Modes

The flying portion of the check ride has the applicant flying a preplanned cross-country flight. The examiner will supply the destination. You will fly one, perhaps two legs of it, but fill out the navlog completely, including estimated time to top of climb, runway distance required, radio frequencies, etc.

If the aircraft has a GPS, know how to program it—and, more importantly, how to fly if the GPS—or ForeFlight if using your iPad—“fails.” And it likely will, as the examiner will fail them during the flight to see if you can navigate by pilotage and ded reckoning. Be sure you can. Be able to read a VFR sectional.

Have a current sectional and chart supplement. If you have a dated version of the FAR/AIM in hard copy (paper), have an electronic version at your fingertips so you can look something up if needed. The printed version goes out of date quickly, which is why many pilots prefer the e-version.

Take a Mock Ride

Insist on a mock check ride with an instructor you don’t usually fly with—preferably one with a lot of experience with the DPE you will be testing with. They probably have a stack of debriefs from their learners containing questions the DPE asked in the past. These are called gouges, and while they are helpful, don’t bother to memorize them as each DPE will create a plan of action individualized to the applicant.

The best pilots go into their check rides overprepared and come out the other side with a smile on their face and a certificate in their pocket.

This column first appeared in the March 2024/Issue 946 of FLYING’s print edition.

The post Passing Your Private Pilot Check Ride Requires the Right Preparation appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The long-awaited update to the Flight Instructor for Airplane Category Airman Certification Standards (FAA-S-ACS-25) has been released. The 111-page document has been in development since before the pandemic, the process was slowed when COVID-19 shut down the world. It replaces the FAA-S-8081-6D, Flight Instructor Practical Test Standards for Airplane, dated June 2012.

The ACS contains the minimum standards that a pilot must meet for certification. 

According to David St. George, executive director of the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE), the update to the CFI ACS began in 2016 when the private pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6) was released, and the FAA working group learned that the slow flight task had been rewritten to eliminate “minimum controllable airspeed.” That meant the stall warning horn couldn’t be activated during the demonstration of slow flight or else the applicant could potentially receive a notice of disapproval. 

This was exceptionally challenging as the aircraft, at the discretion of the examiner, could be configured with flaps down. So much as a slight increase in the angle of attack, reduction of power, or increase in load factor in a turn could result in the activation of the stall warning device, resulting in a notice of disapproval from the examiner.

That has changed, said St. George, who is also a designated pilot examiner (DPE). As in the CFI ACS, the task now requires flight with the stall warning on at the discretion of the examiner, and “a full explanation and description of ‘flight characteristics in the region of reversed command and possible loss of control’ is also required.”

This is important, according to St. George, as loss-of-control incidents, which usually are the result of a surprise stall from which the pilot does not recover, are still the primary cause of fatal accidents. There is hope that this change to the CFI ACS will eventually migrate to the Private Pilot ACS. In addition secondary stalls are also now part of the ACS.

“Many examiners I have spoken with have noticed a decrease in flight training focus and also applicant skill and awareness in this area,” St. George said. “[It’s] a dark scary corner of the flight envelope, but critical to safety.”

Said Karen Kalishek, a DPE and the chair of the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFF): “Reintroducing minimum controllable airspeed to the testing standards is another welcome update that will enhance prospective CFIs’  training and abilities. The ACS provides a structure consistent with other testing standards. Importantly, the updated testing standards add emphasis to risk awareness and mitigation, key points to improving aviation safety. The ACS’ added focus on fundamentals of instructing is also a positive change which will encourage increased preparation by potential new instructors.”

CFI ACS Adds Electronics

One notable addition: The CFI ACS now allows the use of electronic flight alerts (ADS-B) and electronic flight bags, and preparation, presentation, and explanation of  computer-generated flight plans are an acceptable option. This is good news to CFI applicants who throughout their training never fully learned how to fill out and use a paper navlog and, therefore, are unable to teach it.

The number of appendices in the ACS has also been reduced. This nonregulatory material was relocated to the Airman Certification Standards Companion Guide for Pilots (FAA-G-ACS-2), which is considered a companion guide to the ACS.

Applicants, instructors, and evaluators should consult this companion guide to familiarize with ACS procedures. The CFI ACS goes into effect May 31.

The post New Airman Certification Standards for CFIs Is Released appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Answer: In a manner of speaking, the metrics for proficiency are found in the airman certification standards. The ACS lists the tasks and knowledge required for airman certification.

For example, if you hold a commercial or private certificate, you are expected to maintain traffic pattern altitude plus/minus 100 feet and the appropriate airspeed within 10 knots. These are minimum standards. It takes practice to do this.

• READ MORE: When You Go Back to Flight School, Don’t Lose What You’ve Learned

You can do three takeoffs and landings and be off altitude and off speed and you will still regain currency. But if you find yourself constantly high on downwind and playing “chase the airspeed” all the way down, you are not proficient. The FAA doesn’t have a recommendation on how much time we need to regain proficiency. That is left up to each individual pilot.

The post What’s the Difference Between Currency and Proficiency? appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The study looked at flight training risks and innovations from 2000 to 2019 and took note of the number of accidents and their causes.

According to the report, loss of aircraft control comprises 54 percent of the fatal accidents that occur during instructional flight. Most of those are attributed to stall/spin events and happen in the pattern, often during a go-around, when the aircraft is at low altitude, high power, and high angle of attack. Overshooting the base-to-final turn has also been identified as a situation that puts a pilot at risk.

In both instances, a stall/spin event is not recoverable because of low altitude.

“The aviation industry has done an excellent job of stall/spin awareness when overshooting base to final,” said Robert Geske, AOPA Air Safety Institute manager of aviation safety analysis. “Similarly, we should stress stall/spin risk during takeoff, climbout, and go-around, and emphasize energy awareness and management during those flight phases.”

In the past several years there has been increased awareness of risk factors in aviation, and flight training is getting safer, according to Andrew Walton, Liberty University School of Aerospace director of safety.

“Sustained efforts by the FAA, NTSB [National Transportation Safety Board], manufacturers, and the flight training community have resulted in a fatal accident rate that is now roughly half of what it was at the start of the century,” said Walton, “From 2000 to 2004, the fatal accident rate averaged 0.49 per hundred thousand hours and decreased to 0.26 in the last five years of the study. However, there remains plenty of work to do, particularly in mitigating the risk of loss of control in flight.”

Other Accident Causal Factors

Accidents attributed to a loss of control during in-flight maneuvering continue to be a factor.

“The FAA’s decision to improve stall horn awareness by changing the slow flight maneuver in the airman certification standards (ACS) may have something to do with this,” the study suggested. “Instead of teaching the learner to perform slow flight with the stall warning activated the entire time and terminating the maneuver with a full stall, the FAA update has learners recovering at the first indication of stall, with more emphasis on recognizing the factors that lead to a stall and maintaining control during slow flight.”

Midair collisions were found to be the second-leading cause of fatal instructional accidents from 2000 to 2019. According to the study, 70 percent of those occurred outside the airport environment, with the majority happening at an altitude between 1,000 and 2,000 feet.

However, the number of midair collisions decreased, which researchers noted coincides with the introduction of ADS-B into the training fleet.

Controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) was listed as the third-leading cause of fatal instructional accidents, although it was noted there was a slight decrease in the overall number.

“Reduced visibility continues to play a role in most of the CFIT accidents, with 13 of the 19 accidents occurring at night and/or in IMC conditions,” the study said. “CFIT accidents largely occurred during maneuvering, followed by enroute and approach.”

• READ MORE: Aviation Safety Report Offers Blueprint During Flight Instruction

Other revelations from the research were that the majority of CFIT accidents happened at night in visual meteorological conditions, and when they happened in daylight, it was often due to inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions or when the pilot was practicing emergency procedures or a missed approach and lost situational awareness, specifically their proximity to terrain.

Fuel mismanagement remains a causal factor in aviation accidents, although the study seemed to indicate that low-fuel alerting systems in more technically advanced aircraft have helped reduce the instances of fuel exhaustion. However, engine failure due to fuel starvation still occurred and was the result of the pilot’s failure to switch fuel tanks or not having the fuel selector in the detent, which stopped fuel from reaching the engine.

Accidents due to component failure of the engine ranked fifth on the list. According to the study, there were 14 events attributed to this, with seven being blamed on improper maintenance, including a fuel filter installed backward another attributed to a carburetor’s missing cotter pin, and one due to poor magneto installation. Additionally, two engines failed suddenly—one due to an exhaust valve failure and one because of a corroded mixture cable that sheared during flight.

Changes in Training

The study also looked at the changes in flight training that may have affected the reduction in accidents. For example, the FAA updated the airman certification standards that required applicants to demonstrate risk management and aeronautical decision-making skills.

Ultimately, the results of the study will be used as a means to develop strategies to mitigate risk and prevent accidents in the future.

The complete report can be viewed here.

The post Is Flight Training Getting Safer? appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

In reality, the tests are offered by PSI Services, Inc. The FBOs that provide testing are contractors, offering the tests as a convenience to their customers. The FBOs are currently paid $65 for each test, but as of January 1, 2023, payment to the FBOs will drop to $22 per test—and that is making some FBOs reconsider offering the service.

What does this mean to aspiring pilots? Finding a place to take the knowledge test may become more difficult.

A Monopoly

PSI Services, Inc. is a global company, and the only entity authorized by the FAA to administer the knowledge tests required for obtaining a pilot certificate or certain ratings. In the past there were two other providers, Laser Grade and (CATS) Certification Activity Tracking System, but both are have gone the way of the dodo bird. This becomes apparent when you go to the FAA website and select “Airman Testing” and “Find a Testing Center,” and PSI is the only provider that pops up. You enter your zipcode into the appropriate search box and up pops a list of testing centers within a certain radius, say 50 miles.

PSI has a few dedicated testing centers in larger cities with 20 to 30 test stations, but most of the facilities are small, third-party operations at FBOs and flight schools with no more than three or four seats. In addition to aviation tests, PSI also provides tests for cosmetology, real estate, and building trades—in short, that testing center can be a busy place, so you may be competing for space.

The tests are taken on a computer—so please don’t call them “written” tests, because they haven’t been written tests since the Reagan administration. Today, the only writing the applicant does is signing their name when they check in to the testing center and again when they check out.

The testing facility at the airport is usually one room equipped with a few computers, and a closed-circuit video system to monitor the test takers. The business has someone on staff who has been trained to proctor the tests. The applicant registers for the test on the PSI site and on test day, the tests are uploaded from PSI, and in theory, they should be waiting for the test taker when they get to the site. This is why you have to make an appointment in advance with PSI—and it is a good idea to call the testing location in advance to make sure they offer testing on a particular day.

Changes Ahead

The change in the compensation structure noted above that will come in 2023 came as a surprise to a few of the airport-based test providers FLYING reached out to. They had received the email with the notification of the change in the fee that they would receive, but had not fully read it yet.

It was noted that flight schools don’t really make a lot of money on the test now—$65 doesn’t go very far when you consider the vendors have to pay the salary of the test proctor, pay for the computers, utilities, internet access, cameras, testing supplies and insurance. The new fee of $22 won’t cover those expenses, so it is likely that some FBOs will drop the knowledge test, and pilot applicants will lose this convenience.

Does the FAA collect a fee for the knowledge test? FLYING reached out to both the FAA and to PSI Inc., to inquire if the agency received payment for each test taken, but no response was received by press time.

Make the Test a Non-Event

Given the challenges of setting up the knowledge test, you want to make it a non-event, beginning with your arrival at the testing center. For starters, make sure you know how to get to the testing center and how long it will take you to get there before test day. Also, be sure to have identification that includes your photograph, signature, and home address. For most people this is a state identification card or driver’s license.

That’s the easy part. You also need, per the FAA, to demonstrate you are prepared to take the knowledge test by presenting one of the following:

• A certificate of graduation from a pilot training course conducted by an FAA-approved pilot school, or a statement of accomplishment from the school certifying the satisfactory completion of the ground-school portion of such a course. These are often issued by ground school instructors from Part 141 programs at the end of the course, provided the applicant has passed the final exam. Check for an expiration date: Some schools give their learners a limit of 60 days to take the test, and if it is not completed within that window they must retake the course or get a CFI to sign them off as ready to pass the test.
• An endorsement from an FAA-certificated ground or flight instructor, certifying that you have satisfactorily completed the required ground instruction. This endorsement is found in Advisory Circular 61-65: Aeronautical Knowledge Test: FAR 61.35(a)(1), 61.103(d), and 61.105. It states: “I certify that [First name, MI, Last name] has received the required training in accordance with § 61.105. I have determined [he or she] is prepared for the [name of] knowledge test.” For aspiring fixed wing pilots the name of the test is “Private Pilot Airplane.”
• A certificate of graduation or statement of accomplishment from a ground school course conducted by an agency such as a high school, college, adult education program, the Civil Air Patrol, or an ROTC Flight Training Program—again, double check for an expiration date.
• A certificate of graduation from a home-study course developed by the aeronautical enterprise providing the study material. These are your online courses such as Sporty’s, King Schools, or Gold Seal.

Don’t expect to walk into the FBO or flight school on the day of your test and have a new-to-you flight instructor sign you off on the spot. No professional instructor will provide an endorsement unless they are confident that you can pass the test.

Practice Tests First

Before you are endorsed for the $175 test, your instructor may ask you to bring them three practice tests all done in the same week with a score of 90 percent or higher. These practice tests can be found online from a variety of providers. Do this and you will get the endorsement.

I am one of the instructors who asks for this. Why? Because 20-plus years as a ground instructor has taught me that most people lose at least 10 points off their scores when they walk into the testing center. I am not the only CFI who has seen this scenario play itself out. In fact, it has been a topic of discussion at seminars and instructor symposiums, ergo, we want you to go in over-prepared—so over-prepared that you can pass that test on a bad day with a nosebleed.

The minimum passing score on the test is 70, but the better the score on the knowledge test, the less stressful the checkride tends to be. Most examiners use the soft spots, as identified by wrong answers on the knowledge test, to craft the scenarios for the check ride.

Other Tips

1. Leave your cellphone in the car. You will not be allowed to use it in the testing center.

2. Use the piece of scratch paper issued at the testing center to make a ruler using the scale from the figures of sectional excerpts provided in the test supplement (also issued at the testing center).

3. Even if you use an electronic E6-B, know how to use a mechanical E6-B, because some testing centers will not allow the electronic ones (although they are supposed to, per AC 60-11C) unless you prove it is not pre-programmed with answers. They may ask you to remove, then reinstall the batteries to prove it has not been programmed. If you forgot your E6-B, they may loan you a mechanical one. They will let you borrow a calculator and also let you use a plotter—but honestly I have never figured out why, since the scale on the plotter and on the mechanical E6-B does not match what is on the test book figures.

4. Figure out how to zoom in the images on the screen of the computer and either bring or ask for a magnifying glass if you need one. Test centers have these as well.

5. Another tip: Read the questions silently to yourself at least twice. You may find it helpful to move your lips as you read because this makes your brain slow down. Yes, I know every teacher who is reading this just cringed, but some of the questions can be worded in a very confusing manner. You sometimes need to slow down to determine what is truly being asked. This is particularly true on the performance questions.

After the Test

When you have passed the test you will be given an airman computer test report that shows your score. Make a photocopy of this piece of paper and put the original in a safe place. You will present this document to the designated pilot examiner (DPE) the day of your check ride. In addition, your instructor will want to know the outcome of the test, so send him or her a photo of the test results. 

If you missed any questions, the subject matter test codes will be indicated at the bottom of the paper. These codes can be found in the airman certification standards, so it behooves you to have a copy of the ACS (airman certification standards). For example, if you see the code PA.I.A.K1, that refers to certification requirements. Do yourself a favor and go through the ACS to find the areas you were found deficient in, and make a list of them. You may have missed just one question there, or it could be more—the codes indicate areas in which the applicant was found to be deficient.

Before you go for your private pilot check ride your CFI should go over those areas with you, and make an endorsement in your logbook indicating you have received additional instruction in those areas. The DPE will ask for the test results in advance of the check ride and will use them to build the scenarios for your practical test around these soft spots in your perceived knowledge.

If you do not pass the test, use those test codes to review your weak areas, and with the help of a good ground instructor, shore them up. You will get another endorsement and can take the test again. Make sure you bring that endorsement when you go for the retest.

A satisfactorily completed knowledge test is good for 24 calendar months. If the practical test for that certificate or rating is not satisfactorily completed during that period, another knowledge test must be taken.

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Types of Airman Certification Standards 

Right now, pilots and instructors can access the private pilot ACS, the ACS for the instrument rating, the commercial pilot ACS, and the portion of the commercial pilot ACS for military pilots seeking civilian certification and the ACS for airline transport pilots, and ACS for remote pilots. At this point in time, there is no ACS for remote pilots (drones) and the standards for instructor pilots are still using the practical test standards while the ACS is being crafted.

What Are the Airman Certification Standards?

The airman certification standards, formerly known as practical test standards, are the minimum knowledge and skill level the FAA has determined are appropriate for the pilots who seek a particular certificate or rating. The more advanced the certificate, the tighter the performance tolerances. For example, for a commercial pilot certificate, the applicant must hold altitude within 100 feet of what is assigned as opposed to 200 feet for a private pilot candidate.

Who Should Know the ACS?

The flight instructor administering the training for a pilot certificate should have an updated copy of the ACS and should integrate those metrics into the training from day one. The ACS provides guidance on the minimum standards for certification. No one expects the applicant to meet those standards at first, so the ACS gives the applicant something to shoot for, and the applicant knows what is expected of him or her. Additionally, the ACS provides a framework to administer training and is a means to make sure that the appropriate skills and knowledge required for the acquisition of the certificate are administered—both in the aircraft and on the ground.

Why Are Airman Certification Standards Important?

The ACSs contain the metrics the applicant needs to achieve in order to acquire the certificate or rating. The ACSs also make sure the instructor has covered all the bases, so to speak. For each task, the specific ACS lists the objective, knowledge, risk management, and skills required for certification.

Additionally, the task codes listed in the ACSs now correspond with the subject codes on the FAA knowledge exam (formerly known as the written exam or written test). This allows the pilot applicant and the instructor to identify the soft spots in the applicant’s knowledge based on incorrect answers on the knowledge exam and to focus on these areas to foster improvement.

6 Types of Airman Certification Standards

As you move through your training, the ACS will be your guide. For each certificate or rating sought, the ACS provides a list of tasks to be done and skills to be mastered. The ACS, combined with a syllabus, is used to make sure the pilot has the necessary skills and knowledge to be a safe and efficient pilot. 

Private Pilot ACS

The private pilot certificate is sometimes referred to as “the license to learn” because it is the step in what is often a long ladder of pilot certification. Steep turns are done at 45 degrees of bank in an airplane, and the applicant must maintain heading within 10 degrees, the bank angle within 5 degrees, and altitude be held within +/- 100 feet, and airspeed +/- 10 knots. At first, this can be a challenge, and most instructors encourage their clients to fly better than the minimum indicated in the ACS for the private pilot. You will probably be flying with people you care about in the long run, and being “just good enough to pass” may not give you the confidence you need.

Instrument Rating ACS

The ACS for the instrument rating stipulates that the candidate fly to at least the level of their certificate. For example, if the applicant holds a private pilot certificate, he or she should fly to those standards on top of those specified for the instrument rating, and if he or she holds a commercial certificate, the pilot should meet those standards in addition to the specific standards set forth in the ACS for the instrument. The airman certification standards for instrument emphasize flight by reference to instruments only as well as systems knowledge, risk management, critical weather assessment, and knowledge of air traffic control procedures in the IFR environment.

Commercial Pilot ACS

The commercial pilot airman certification standards tasks are very similar to those for the private pilot but with tighter tolerances and higher expectations. For example, a steep turn for the commercial pilot is a bank angle of 50 degrees (for the airplane rating). If the applicant already holds an instrument rating, he or she will be required to fly an instrument approach during the check ride.

There is an increased emphasis on aviation physiology and risk management in the commercial ACS as the certificate enables the pilot to fly for compensation or hire. 

To qualify for the commercial certificate, the pilot candidate must either have 10 hours of experience in a complex airplane—that is defined as an airplane with a controllable-pitch propeller, flaps, and retractable landing gear—or 10 hours in a technologically advanced aircraft, which is defined as an aircraft that has an electronic primary flight display with all six of the primary instruments, an electronic multifunction display with a GPS-based moving map that depicts the aircraft on the screen, and a two-axis autopilot with heading and navigation modes.

As with other ACSs, the commercial ACS stipulates that the pilot must know the systems of the aircraft they are being tested in. 

Commercial Pilot (Military) ACS

With so many military pilots choosing to transition to the civilian world, the FAA provides guidance that allows military pilots to apply their military experience toward a civilian commercial certificate. Pilots who seek to make this transition and their instructors should go through their logbooks carefully using the commercial pilot (military) ACS as their guide. These pilots should pay special attention to the cross-country and night experience requirements required for civilian certification. 

Airline Transport Pilot ACS

By the time a pilot has enough experience to acquire the airline transport pilot certificate, he or she should be well-versed in the airman certification standards. The tolerances for error on each maneuver are at their tightest. Applicants need to pay special attention to aircraft systems and there will be an emphasis on high altitude operations and air carrier operations.

Remote Pilot ACS

The remote pilot certificate—which enables the pilot to fly a small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) commonly known as a drone, for commercial purposes—is the new kid on the block as far as airman certification goes. Drones were introduced in 2015, and since then, they have rapidly advanced from recreational and hobby aircraft to tools for commercial operations. The remote pilot ACS contains the rules and regulations for remote pilots with an emphasis on understanding the coordination necessary when operating in airspace also occupied by manned aircraft, and with consideration to persons on the ground. It should be noted that as of September 16, 2023, the FAA will require all drone pilots to register their drones and they must operate their aircraft in accordance with the remote ID rule for pilots.

Drones, because they fly much lower than crewed aircraft, have more of a chance of encountering persons or property, or wildlife. The ACS addresses this in the form of an emphasis on risk management in all tasks. 

Which Type of Airman Certification Standard Should You Follow?

The certificate or rating you pursue will dictate which airman certification standards you will be expected to meet. A smart instructor introduces the ACS early in the training so that the learner (a fancy word for pilot doing the training) has a metric to determine their performance. Insist that your instructor introduce you to the ACS early so you know what to strive for.

The ACS Is the Minimum Standard

The airmen certification standards are the minimum standards as set forth by the FAA. If you meet these minimums, you can earn your certificate or rating—but as most pilots are very type A and strive to improve their skills, know the ACS for the certificate or rating you seek and challenge yourself to perform better. For example, if you are pursuing a private pilot certificate and the tolerance for holding altitude is +/- 100 feet, aim to hold altitude within 20 feet.

The ACS gives you a metric for assessing your skills and helps you identify the soft spots that need to be improved.

FAQ

The post What Are the 6 Types of Airman Certification Standards? appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

You can imagine our deep sense of grief when occasionally we’d return to a city on our ground-school circuit and someone would say, “Did you hear about Bill?” “No,” we’d say, “what happened to Bill?” They would then explain the aircraft crash that had killed Bill. It happened all too often. We began to realize the things that were killing these learning pilots were things the FAA was not asking on the knowledge tests.

The problem was, the FAA wanted a bell-shaped distribution of test scores on the test results. It was difficult for them to get a bell-shaped curve because our highly motivated students would come back to our classes and discuss with us what they had been asked on their knowledge tests. We would immediately change our courses to do a better job of covering anything they had missed. Consequently, our next students would not miss many questions—frustrating the test givers. To get applicants to miss questions, the FAA had to make the questions trickier and more difficult—and less and less relevant to the risk-management issues pilots face in real life.

Martha and I began to realize that we were spending our weekends covering tricky questions and trivia that was irrelevant to actual flight, while the things actually causing fatalities were not being asked and, therefore, not being taught.

In their efforts to ensure that an adequate number of test questions would be missed, the FAA testing folks moved to make the test questions secret from the aviation-training community—the people who were actually teaching pilots. They saw us as adversaries. I brought up this adversarial relationship with Nick Sabatini, then the FAA’s associate administrator for aviation safety, at a “Meet the FAA” session at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Sabatini was concerned, and he mandated that the airman-testing folks meet with the aviation community annually. The result was an adversarial meeting once a year.

Eventually, in 2011, an aviation rule-making committee on the subject was formed. An ARC consists of both FAA and aviation community members and meets periodically to provide advice and information to the FAA.

The atmosphere initially between the two groups was hostile. But the purpose of the meetings was for us to talk. And talk we did. The ARC lasted two years and made recommendations to the FAA about how to reform testing. Then it evolved into a working group which has lasted another seven years. The result has been nothing short of a miracle. Most significantly, the hostility slowly went away. As we communicated, we began to develop mutual respect and understanding. The FAA began to refer to members of the “aviation community” rather than the “industry.” Members of that community began to appreciate the competence and goodwill of the FAA.

Read More from John King: Sky Kings

We gradually made significant progress on fixing important problems. We became aware that while there were existing standards for the skills that could be required of an applicant, there were no standards for the knowledge that could be asked of an applicant—on either the knowledge test or the practical test. The knowledge tests could and did ask an applicant anything no matter how trivial. As the discussions continued, we agreed it was a good idea to have standards for the knowledge so applicants would know to be studying meaningful and relevant concepts.

But then we started discussing the idea that although applicants would have to demonstrate skills and knowledge, applicants were not required to demonstrate the ability to identify and mitigate risks. Yet it was not lack of skills that was the biggest cause of fatalities; it was that pilots had not developed the habit of risk management. Remembering my friends who had come to grief, I became a champion for the idea that applicants should be required to demonstrate the ability to identify and mitigate risks. Through the airman certification standards, risk management became part of pilot check rides.

The biggest regret I have is that the FAA never did accept the recommendation of the ARC that the test questions be returned to the public domain—depriving the test writers of valuable input from the aviation community and robbing applicants, their instructors and examiners of the specific details on any knowledge-test questions they miss (plus creating a business for any company who is covertly purchasing the questions from test-takers and selling them to applicants).

But all in all, I have to say that these nine years have been the most inspiring example of developing respect and collaboration I have ever seen. The ongoing input to the working group from its community members is a feedback process that serves to ensure the ACS will evolve as needed to improve our risk management over time. Rather than merely having practical test standards, we now have complete standards for the certification of pilots. And pilots who are learning the practice of identifying the risks in a flight and developing the habit of mitigating them. I am hopeful that this will save thousands of lives.

This story appeared in the December 2020 issue of Flying Magazine

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