IPC Scenarios

A lot of attention has been directed at the FAAs new airman certification standards (ACS), which prescribe how practical tests are conducted. Last year, the FAA implemented ACS for the private pilot-airplane certificate and instrument-airplane rating. A chief difference between the ACS and its predecessor practical test standards (PTS) is expanded integration of risk management principles. Another involves how slow flight is performed.

Robert Wright

Thursday, February 16, 2017 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The FAA's new Airman Certification Standards (ACS) for instrument ratings and Instrument Proficiency Checks (IPCs) emphasize integrating risk management principles, requiring pilots to demonstrate specific knowledge and risk management proficiency for each task.
Current IFR currency minimums (FAR 61.57(c)) and the traditional IPC are deemed insufficient to ensure real-world instrument flight proficiency, often lacking focus on critical elements like pre-flight planning, ATC interaction, and flying in challenging conditions.
Pilots are encouraged to go beyond legal minimums by adopting "Instrument Proficiency Scenarios" (IPS) that replicate typical, challenging missions and engage all elements of Single-Pilot Resource Management (SRM), as poor risk management is identified as the leading cause of fatal general aviation accidents.

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A lot of attention has been directed at the FAA’s new airman certification standards (ACS), which prescribe how practical tests are conducted. Last year, the FAA implemented ACS for the private pilot-airplane certificate and instrument-airplane rating. A chief difference between the ACS and its predecessor practical test standards (PTS) is expanded integration of risk management principles. Another involves how slow flight is performed (“Revising Slow Flight,” February 2017).

The new ACS for the instrument-airplane rating issued in June 2016 also prescribes the minimum content of an instrument proficiency check (IPC), as did its predecessor. Unlike the PTS, for each task pilots are required to perform during an IPC, the ACS requires the pilot to demonstrate specific knowledge and risk management proficiency. That’s a change from the ways IPCs were done before. Let’s explore how the new ACS envisions an IPC will be conducted.