Private Pilot Airman Certification Standards - Airplane

The Airman Certification Standards (ACS) is the guide for aviation students, instructors, and FAA-designated examiners to know what pilot and industry license applicants must know, do, and consider for their FAA Knowledge Exam and practical (checkride) to earn a certificate or rating. The new ACS (effective June 2016) replaces the Practical Test Standards (PTS) and it is basically an enhanced version of the PTS. It adds task-specific knowledge and risk management elements to each PTS "Area of Operation" and "Task."

The result is a presentation that integrates the standards for passing both the FAA Knowledge Exams and the FAA Oral and Practical Exams in a way that coordinates the study and learning for both, making them relevant to each other.

This Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Private Pilot Airplane ACS provides the aeronautical knowledge, risk management, and flight proficiency standards for private pilot certification in the airplane category, single-engine land and sea, as well as multi-engine land and sea classes (ASEL, ASES, AMEL, AMES). This ACS incorporates and supersedes the previous Practical Test Standards (FAA-S-8081-14), for "Private Pilot Airplane" license applicants.