Special Product Notes

This is For Helicopter and Powered Lift applicants only; if you are preparing for Airplane, you should get the Airman Certification Standards: Instrument Rating Airplane instead. The FAA transitioned from the PTS to the ACS in June 2016 for Airplane only.

Practical Test Standards: Instrument Rating (Airplane, Helicopter & Powered Lift) Overview:

Practical Test Standards: Instrument Rating (Airplane, Helicopter & Powered Lift) - FAA-8081-4E

NOTE: This is For Helicopter and Powered Lift applicants only; if you are preparing for Airplane, you should get the Airman Certification Standards: Instrument Rating Airplane instead. The FAA transitioned from the PTS to the ACS in June 2016 for Airplane only.

The most current FAA Practical Test Standards in a handy cockpit-sized guides. Every PTS is written by the FAA and details the type and levels of skill and knowledge that must be demonstrated before an examiner can issue a certificate or rating to an applicant, and describes background study and reference materials.

New standards were released by the FAA and are effective January 2010. The following major enhancements were made in this revision of the Instrument Rating PTS:

• Updated to reference current FAA publications.
• New abbreviations section.
• The "plan of action" is more thoroughly explained to include the reference to scenarios.
• Practical test requirements updated to reflect current rules.
• Now clarifies use of GPS for navigation and approaches, and the requirement for a GPS approach was added.
• Approach terminology updated to include Precision Approach (PA), Approach with Vertical Guidance (APV), and Nonprecision Approach (NPA); requirements for their use is clarified.
• Clarifies the requirement for the use of a view-limiting device.
• Discusses the need for testing in Single-Pilot Resource Management.
• Reference to the metric system is eliminated.
• Now includes PTS for electronic flight instrument displays, flight management systems, GPS, and autopilot usage (for airplanes so equipped).
• Testing basic instrument flight maneuvers is now integrated throughout the practical test, rather than treated as a separate task.

FAA-8081-4E
January 2010

NOTE: This is For Helicopter and Powered Lift applicants only; if you are preparing for Airplane, you should get the Airman Certification Standards: Instrument Rating Airplane instead. The FAA transitioned from the PTS to the ACS in June 2016 for Airplane only.