Disclaimer: This list is not all inclusive and these are not the only areas to study. The test is conducted IAW the appropriate ACS and all required items are tested.
All
The FAA requires that DPE’s evaluate applicants using scenario based questions. Additionally the ACS says the following about how the practical test should be conducted:
“To the greatest extent practicable, evaluators must test the applicant’s ability to apply and correlate information, and use rote questions only when they are appropriate for the material being tested.”
ACS Appendix
What this means for you is that as you prepare, you need to not only know the technical information, but also how to apply it in a scenario, add your risk management and ADM to the equation, and make a competent decision.
You are absolutely welcome to use an EFB for your cross country flight planning. Please be prepared to explain / describe where the performance figures that your EFB is using were derived from in aircraft’s POH/AFM.
Private
Emergency Approach and Landing: Landing area selection / Energy management / misprioritization of tasks. Aircraft control and navigation to a safe landing area is the priority, then other tasks.
Emergency descent: The ACS skills section for this task outlines the requirement for bank angle, airspeed, load factor, and recovery altitudes. If your aircraft does not have a procedure published for an emergency descent, the FAA references become controlling for the purpose of the evaluation. Those are listed at the top of the task in the ACS under “references”. In this case FAA-H-8083-3 (The airplane flying handbook). Chapter 18 of FAA-H-8083-3 outlines the procedure to be used to fly this maneuver. There are several ways to fly this maneuver in accordance with the the documents listed above. However, an understanding of the ACS requirements and the FAA reference documents is necessary when learning and practicing this maneuver in preparation for the practical test.
Landings: Be familiar with what the ACS requires in the skills section for if a landing is not going to be made to the tolerances outlined.
Procedures for flying with inoperative equipment
Weather: The skills section of the ACS says this:
Correlate weather information to make a competent go/no-go decision.
Private Airplane ACS
You must be able to correlate the information you have to the scenario, and make competent decisions based on it.
Instrument
Obstacle Departure Procedures: When to use them, where they are found, and how to fly them
Departure from non-towered airports
Climb gradients required for obstacle clearance, how to know if your aircraft’s performance can meet the requirement of a specific procedure.
Circling approaches : Lack of understanding of what defines the circling protected area. Chapter 4 of the instrument procedures handbook talks about this maneuver in detail and has some great visual depictions of the protected area. (If you are going to fly category A, where is the 1.3 measured from?) Also from chapter 4 of the instrument procedures handbook: “Pilots should remain at or above the circling altitude until the aircraft is continuously in a position from which a descent to a landing on the intended
runway can be made at a normal rate of descent and using normal maneuvers.” This does not define a specific traffic pattern leg. In general I see very high, fast, unstable approaches being the problem here.
There are some approaches that have missed approach procedures that require a different navigation aid to be used than the approach itself. For example, the ILS Y 06 at HST. If your aircraft is equipped with RNAV, that is an acceptable way to fly the missed approach procedure. If it is not, you will need to request alternate missed approach instructions…bottom line, figure this out ahead of time, and not as you are flying the missed.
Check and understand all NOTAMs for your assigned cross country *AND* for the approaches that will be flown on your practical test.
Weather: The last portion of the Objective section of this task reads
“and applying weather information for a flight under IFR.”
Instrument Airplane ACS
You must be able to apply the information you have to the scenario, and make competent decisions based on it.
Commercial
Emergency descent: The ACS skills section for this task outlines the requirement for bank angle, airspeed, load factor, and recovery altitudes. If your aircraft does not have a procedure published for an emergency descent, the FAA references become controlling for the purpose of the evaluation. Those are listed at the top of the task in the ACS under “references”. In this case FAA-H-8083-3 (The airplane flying handbook). Chapter 18 of FAA-H-8083-3 outlines the procedure to be used to fly this maneuver. There are several ways to fly this maneuver in accordance with the the documents listed above. However, an understanding of the ACS requirements and the FAA reference documents is necessary when learning and practicing this maneuver in preparation for the practical test.
Airspace knowledge is a requirement to be tested on the ground portion – please dont let the knowledge from your private pilot days go! It is required here.
Procedures for flying with inoperative equipment
Weather: The skills section of the ACS says this:
Correlate weather information to make a competent go/no-go decision.
Commercial Airplane ACS
You must be able to correlate the information you have to the scenario, and make competent decisions based on it.
MYCHECKRIDE.NET 