Question on Impact of new ACS Standards on Oral Portion of PPL Checkride –

5 Answers

1. 
   

   
   

   Kris Kortokrax on Jan 08, 2020

   Actually, in the “old days”, there was no ACS or PTS. There were little books called Airman Testing Guides and each examiner could pretty much perform the test as he pleased.

   In more recent “old days”, there was the Practical Test Standard (PTS). On page 10 of the most recent Private PTS, dated February 28, 2014, the following statement can be found:

   “Oral questioning, to determine the applicant’s knowledge of Tasks and related safety factors, should be used judiciously at all times, especially during the flight portion of the practical test. Examiners shall test to the greatest extent practicable the applicant’s correlative abilities rather than mere rote enumeration of facts throughout the practical test.”

   On page 1 of the current Private ACS, the following statement appears:

   “During the ground and flight portion of the practical test, the FAA expects evaluators to assess the applicant’s mastery of the topic in accordance with the level of learning most appropriate for the specified Task. The oral questioning will continue throughout the entire practical test.”

   There is no change in stated policy concerning questioning during the flight portion of the practical test.

   Nowhere in the ACS does it state that the applicant is expected to articulate what they are doing at all times. However, since the examiner is not a mind reader, it is sometimes beneficial for the applicant to articulate what he is doing, so the examiner doesn’t have to distinguish between an intentional action by the applicant and a mistake on the part of the applicant.

   The takeoff task requires that one demonstrate the ability to comply with noise abatement procedures (if any exist for the airport in question).

   As far as the value of a written score is concerned, a short list of questions missed would probably shorten the ground portion of the test, as noted on page 2 of the ACS:

   “The evaluator should look up the LSC code(s) on the applicant’s AKTR in the Learning Statement Reference Guide available using the following link: Learning Statement Reference Guide. After noting the subject area(s), the evaluator can use the corresponding Area(s) of Operation/Task(s) in the ACS to narrow the scope of material for retesting, and to evaluate the applicant’s understanding of that material in the context of the appropriate ACS Area(s) of Operation and Task(s).”

   Other that that, I, personally, don’t think the knowledge test score means much at all, because the test questions are published in advance and applicants attend (through some means) a test prep course that focuses on the published questions, instead of all the subject matter. Getting a high score on the test under these circumstances demonstrates nothing other than the ability to cram for a limited list of questions and pick (guess) the right answer from a multiple choice set of answers. The information (or at least a portion of it) are just as quickly forgotten after the computer test, as it was gained during cramming for the test.

   That is the reason for questioning during the ground and flight portions of the test. To see if you know and can apply the information you should have learned.

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2. Best Answer
   
   

   
   

   PedroThePilot on Jan 08, 2020

   Thank you Kris for such a great reply. It’s folks like you that make this site such an amazing asset for students. I read somewhere that all pilots are students, just with different levels of experience, knowledge, and skill sets. I’m at the bottom rung of the ladder.

   Anyway, what prompted my question was an article in the latest January 2020 issue of a publication called CFI-to-CFI Volume 10, Issue 4. It is put out by AOPA’s Air Safety Institute ( airsafetyinstitute.org ). The article by William E. DuBois titled “ACI in the Air” mentions the following:

   Excerpts:

   “ Unlike the old practical test standards, the oral section of the acs is not
   separate from the flight test. Questions and scenarios bombard your students from
   the moment the airplane starts rolling on the checkride, and your students need
   to keep up a running commentary explaining what they’re doing the
   entire time. “

   also…

   “During the takeoff run power needs to be checked and confirmed. Remind your students that doing it is not enough; they need to articulate what they are doing all the time. All takeoffs include “comply with noise abatement procedures” as part of the skill set, and normal and short field landings include “utilize runway incursion
   avoidance procedures.”

   The article has a lot more, and is part one of a two part series explaining the “new” ACS.
   Again, I am just curious about the practical impact on the oral section, and what can be expected in 2020 as part of the “new” check ride format under ACS. I gather that the changes in the flight skill portions have been minor, but that the oral aspect of the check ride now is now far more profound.

   You hate to get a pink slip because you failed to announce “noise abatement” procedures on take off.

   Again Kris, I really appreciated your detailed answer. Five stars ! If other students or instructors have recent check ride feedback, please do post.

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3. 
   

   
   

   Kris Kortokrax on Jan 08, 2020

   I went to the AOPA web site and looked at the article. The author listed his web site at the end of the article. http://www.planetales.net

   A visit to the web site About Us section shows that the author has a Commercial Pilot certificate and a Ground Instructor certificate. He has no Flight Instructor certificate and could not have used the PTS or ACS to prepare a student for a checkride.

   How can he give advice on the practical test when he has never prepped a student for a check and never debriefed a student after a test to find out how it went?

   You have to be careful about taking advice from someone you don’t know.

   I demonstrated with quotes from both the PTS and ACS that there is not difference between what was and what is. The author has done nothing to substantiate his opinions.

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4. 
   

   
   

   Mark Kolber on Jan 09, 2020

   When people speak of talking through the flight, they are referring to a technique. Silence may be golden, but we do tend to focus better when we say things out loud. In the checkride context, according to some, it removes Examiner guesswork. They always know you know what you are doing. Just one of many techniques people have suggested through the years to make the checkride easier, but not an ACS requirement.

   On quizzing during flight (“how far away from those clouds do we have to be?) has, as Kris said, alway been part of the flight portion.

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5. 
   

   
   

   PedroThePilot on Jan 12, 2020

   Thank you Kris and Mark for your replies. I think I have a better grip on this now, thanks to your explanations. You two are great !

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