Are The ACS Working?

Monday, August 24, 2020 at 01:44 PM ET

Verified

The culmination of training for a certificate or rating is the check ride, the expectations for which are described in the FAA's Airmen Certification Standards, or ACS. They replaced the Practical Test Standards and, among other refinements, emphasize risk management.

Key Takeaways:

The Airman Certification Standards (ACS), implemented in 2016, replaced the Practical Test Standards (PTS) to improve general aviation safety by integrating knowledge, skills, and, crucially, risk management into pilot certification.
The ACS development was driven by efforts to modernize pilot training, addressing shortcomings of the old PTS such as outdated maneuvers and a lack of focus on real-world risk assessment, following successful airline safety improvements.
A key feature of the ACS is the explicit requirement for pilots to demonstrate the ability to identify, assess, and mitigate risks during practical tests, directly addressing a major root cause of fatal general aviation accidents.
For ACS to fully impact accident rates, ongoing challenges include revising risk management guidance materials, standardizing instructor and examiner training, and reforming the biennial flight review to effectively reach the large population of existing pilots.

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The first Airman Certification Standards (ACS) were issued in 2016, after a five-year gestation period, replacing the Practical Test Standards (PTS) system that previously governed checkrides for airman certificates and ratings. Implementation has proceeded smoothly, and according to designated pilot examiners (DPEs), the ACS is not more burdensome than the PTS. The big unknown, however, is whether the ACS will help improve safety, as reflected in accident rates.

One answer to that question will depend on how the risk management elements are trained and tested and how these standards will be adopted by existing pilots who may never take another practical test. In the final analysis, it will depend on how pilots, instructors and others take the ACS to heart after the checkride. I have written about the ACS before (see “The Coming Airman Certification Standards,” July 2013, and “New Certification Standards,” September 2015). It’s been four years since the first ACS was issued, so it’s time to take a look at how well they are working.