New Airman Certification Standards for CFIs Is Released

By summer the long-awaited, 111-page update will apply for certifications.

Meg Godlewski

Tuesday, April 02, 2024 at 05:12 PM ET

Verified

The ACS contains the minimum standards that a pilot must meet for certification. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA has released an updated Flight Instructor for Airplane Category Airman Certification Standards (FAA-S-ACS-25), effective May 31, replacing the previous practical test standards.
A key change reintroduces the requirement for stall warning activation during slow flight demonstration and emphasizes understanding flight characteristics in the region of reversed command to enhance safety and prevent loss-of-control incidents.
The updated ACS modernizes pilot testing by allowing the use of electronic flight alerts and bags, accepting computer-generated flight plans, and increasing focus on risk awareness, mitigation, and fundamentals of instructing.

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It takes a special kind of aviation enthusiast to get excited about the release of a new Airman Certification Standards (ACS) from the FAA, but here we are.

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.