Certification Using ACS

After years of living with a multitude of imperfections in the process of certifying airmen, in September 2011 the FAA decided to act. Now nearly five years later, a totally revamped system called Airman Certification Standards (ACS) is planned to take effect on June 15, 2016, starting with Private Pilot and Instrument Airplane certification.

Fred Simonds

Tuesday, May 10, 2016 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The FAA is implementing the Airman Certification Standards (ACS) to replace the outdated Practical Test Standards (PTS), with initial rollout on June 15, 2016, for Private Pilot and Instrument Airplane certification.
The ACS integrates specific aeronautical knowledge, skill, and risk management elements into each task, providing greater clarity, consistency, and a direct link between training, testing, and real-world operations.
This new system features better organization and a precise coding structure to align guidance and testing, addressing flaws in previous knowledge tests by making questions directly relevant to essential knowledge, skills, and risk management.
The ultimate goal of the ACS is to create a more efficient, consistent, and safety-focused certification process, resulting in better-prepared and safer pilots.

See a mistake? Contact us.

The FAA recognized many flaws in our existing practical test standards and knowledge tests and, in particular, how those flaws evolved. One objective of the ACS is to better facilitate updates so the new system doesn’t get stale like the last. We’ll take a look at that.