The Practical Test Standards are a guide for students, instructors, and FAA-designated examiners to know what is expected of pilots in a checkride.

ASA reprints the most current FAA Practical Test Standards in this series of 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 October 1, 2004, but available now. This allows schools, students, and instructors 6 months to either complete their training under the existing PTS (8081-4C) or transition their curriculum to follow this new document. The following major enhancements were made in this revision of the Instrument Rating PTS:

• Updated to reference current FAA publications.
• New abbreviations section.
• The ôplan of actionö 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.