Anyone who's studied at all seriously for a pilot certificate knows that the final hurdle is to take a checkride which is governed by an FAA PTS or Practical Test Standard. The purpose of these booklets is to standardize the process, so that checkrides given in Peoria and Poughkeepsie are the same. It also attempts to reduce subjectivity by providing objective standards to which the checkride must be flown.
At some point in your aviation pursuits, you may have wondered why a particular task appears in a PTS or…
why a particular question is included in a FAA knowledge test. It turns out that both sets of documents are managed by AFS630, a branch of the FAA located in Oklahoma City, OK. I was flattered to be invited this past January to a joint FAA/industry meeting that they held in which they briefed the group on their current and future activities. The audience included people from most of the major companies that provide aviation training materials and there were many lively discussions.
One theme that emerged was that the FAA strongly believes that the PTS documents represent the “minimum standards” to which an instructor should train a pilot. The industry view, held equally strongly, is that many Part 141 and other flight schools use the PTS to guide their syllabus and, to remain competitive, will not require additional training above these minimum standards. Therefore, the PTS is “the standard,” not just the minimum standard, to which a significant number of pilots are trained.
Hopefully, you push yourself to learn everything you can, and not just what your instructor teaches, which might be the minimum required to pass the checkride. Remember, the real checkride comes later when you have to meet aviation’s challenges alone. That’s not the time to realize that you only trained to the “minimum standard."
Your Input Matters!
Probably the best thing I learned was that AFS630 prides themselves on reviewing every input provided for the documents they manage. That means that anyone—including you and I—can send them an email with suggestions for adding or removing a question from a knowledge exam or for changing a PTS. As an example, they told of receiving an email that a particular question wasn’t appropriate and that within a day or two they had removed that question from the pool.
So it’s with great hope and anticipation that I’ve provided inputs to the Private PTS. In January, I heard that they’d be updating the PTS in September, so I hope that my inputs have reached them in time and will be included in some way.
As you probably know, about 80% of accidents are attributed to pilot error, yet the PTS seems to focus more on basic maneuvers than aeronautical decision making. I have yet to hear of an accident that would have been prevented if only the pilot could have maintained a steep turn at 45 degrees plus or minus 5 degrees. However, I know of multiple cases where pilots have blundered off into the darkness of night without any concern for the personal minimums that they should have exercised to cancel that flight. Therefore, I’ve sent along some suggestions for adding a new section on Risk Management and for knowledge of specific illusions that affect pilots flying at night.
I've posted the specific inputs I sent below, and you’re welcome to submit your comments to this blog if you have suggestions for improving upon them. Also, if you have comments on other knowledge tests or PTSs, you can email them directly to the FAA. Just remove the obvious X’s from this address to create the correct email address: afs630commentsXXX at faa.gov.
PROPOSED CHANGES
I. AREA OF OPERATION: PREFLIGHT PREPARATION
K. Risk Management (ASEL and ASES)
REFERENCES: FAA-H-8083-25
Objective: To determine that the applicant exhibits knowledge of:
1. Risk management principles, including identifying the highest probability risks, risks with high consequences and mitigation of risks.
2. Personal minimums as they relate to Task D. Cross Country Flight Plan and as they will relate to a licensed pilot.
3. Common NTSB probable cause findings for general aviation accidents nationally and specific risks in the local area.
XI. AREA OF OPERATION: NIGHT OPERATIONS
7. Somatogravic illusion and black hole approach illusion.