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 Airman Certification Standards (ACS) system, effective June 15, 2016, for Private Pilot and Instrument Airplane, replaces the outdated Practical Test Standards (PTS) to overhaul and improve airman certification.
ACS integrates task-specific knowledge, flight proficiency skills, and critical risk management elements directly into each area of operation, providing clearer expectations and consistency for all involved.
The new system revamps knowledge tests by directly linking questions to ACS standards using a specific coding system, making tests more relevant, useful for learning, and reflective of real-world operations.
The primary goal of ACS is to produce better-prepared and safer pilots by aligning training and testing, without changing the length or difficulty of practical tests.

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.