Thanks to the contents of the FAA’s new airman certification standards (ACS), which are replacing the practical test standards (PTS), most applicants for pilot certificates and ratings must now demonstrate that they can identify, assess and mitigate risk. Although the FAA and industry organizations have developed flight risk assessment tools (FRATs) to help pilots identify and manage risks, these tools often use a simplistic numerical scoring system that will produce a “go” decision when significant risk is still present. With a little more thought, analyzing risk can be more realistic and much more effective.
Setting A New Standard
The FAA began replacing the PTS with the ACS in 2016. Practical tests for private and commercial airplane certificates and instrument ratings must now be conducted in accordance with the ACS documents. Unlike the PTS, the ACS integrates specific aeronautical knowledge with proficiency in corresponding skills on the practical test. Applicants must now demonstrate identifying, assessing and mitigating risk on all practical test tasks and objectives. Applicants also must “show their work” and explain to the examiner how they performed this process. The examiner will expect applicants to demonstrate risk management proficiency throughout the practical test.
