Instrument ACS Update

Shortly after we published our update on making ACS regulatory (March 2024 issue), the FAA finalized the change. Here’s what you need to know.

Mark Kolber

Friday, June 28, 2024 at 04:58 PM ET

Verified

The task table itself remains unchanged in the proposed amendment, but the column headers are renamed to Required Area of Operation and Required Task(s).

Key Takeaways:

The Airmen Certification Standards (ACS), including the Instrument Proficiency Check (IPC) task table, became regulatory under Part 61 of the FAA regulations on May 31, 2024, making their standards mandatory for practical tests and IPCs.
The definition of a "precision approach" is simplified to any standard instrument approach procedure to a published decision altitude using approved vertical guidance (e.g., ILS, GLS, LPV, LNAV/VNAV DA), removing the previous "below 300 feet AGL" distinction.
The requirement for nonprecision approaches to use different *types* of navigational aids has been removed, allowing all three required approaches (one precision, two nonprecision) to be GPS-based, providing more realistic options for pilots and examiners.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Incorporating the Airmen Certification Standards (ACS) into Part 61 of the regs has been underway for some time. We reported on that effort in “ACS Will Be Regulatory” back in March after awaiting the final rule for months. As you might expect, the final rule was released shortly after our article, on April 1 (no, not an April Fool’s joke.) In that article we discussed how the proposed revisions to the Instrument Airplane ACS would affect checkrides and IPCs—in a good way.

Neither the Final Rule nor the testing standards differ significantly from the proposals. The Part 61 (63 and 65) amendments go into effect May 31, 2024. Technically, so do the new testing standards but the FAA created a transition period permitting them to be used immediately if the Examiner/CFII and applicant/learner agree.