AA.I.E — Air Carrier Operations (ATP) (AMEL, AMES)
AA.I.E for the Airline Transport Pilot Airplane ACS: official objective, references, and 20 exact knowledge, risk-management, and skill descriptions.
FAA-S-ACS-11A, November 2023. This study page does not replace the current FAA publication or an examiner's plan of action.
Official task context
| Certificate or rating | Airline Transport Pilot |
|---|---|
| Aircraft category | Airplane |
| Area of operation | Area of Operation I. Preflight Preparation |
| Task | Task E. Air Carrier Operations (ATP) (AMEL, AMES) |
| Task code prefix | AA.I.E |
| Official references | 14 CFR parts 25, 121; AC 00-46, AC 61-138, AC 91.21-1, AC 91-78, AC 120-51, AC 120-66, AC 120-76, AC 120-82, AC 120-90, AC 120-101; AFM; FAA-H-8083-2, FAA-H-8083-3, FAA-H-8083-25 |
| FAA document | FAA-S-ACS-11A — Airline Transport Pilot and Type Rating for Airplane Category Airman Certification Standards |
| FAA source library | Open the official ACS library |
Official task objective
To determine the applicant exhibits satisfactory knowledge, risk management, and skills associated with air carrier operations.
What the ACS code means
- AA identifies the ACS standard family used for this Airline Transport Pilot Airplane document.
- I identifies Preflight Preparation, the Area of Operation.
- E identifies Air Carrier Operations (ATP) (AMEL, AMES), the Task within that Area.
- K, R, and S identify knowledge, risk-management, and skill elements. The number selects the item; a trailing lowercase letter identifies a listed sub-element.
Knowledge elements
| ACS code | Official description | How a mock oral can probe it |
|---|---|---|
| AA.I.E.K1 | Turbine engines, thrust reversing systems, and system malfunctions. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AA.I.E.K2 | Airplane automation components (e.g., flight director, autopilot), their relationship to each other, and how to manage the automation for flight. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AA.I.E.K3 | Advanced navigation equipment (e.g., FMS, Required Navigation Performance (RNP), ADS-B, EFB, etc.) and how it is used inflight. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AA.I.E.K4 | Flightpath warning systems (e.g., Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance Systems (TCAS), Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS) and how to respond to a warning. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AA.I.E.K5 | Altitudes and conditions that require the use of oxygen masks. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AA.I.E.K6 | Causes and recognition of cabin pressure loss. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AA.I.E.K7 | Appropriate rudder use in transport aircraft to avoid rudder reversal. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AA.I.E.K8 | Crew communications (e.g., sterile flight deck rules, briefings). | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AA.I.E.K9 | Operational control. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AA.I.E.K10 | Elements associated with operating at complex and high traffic airports with emphasis on runway incursion prevention techniques. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AA.I.E.K11 | Professional responsibilities associated with being an ATP certificate holder and how to apply leadership skills as pilot-in-command. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AA.I.E.K12 | Crew resource management (CRM) principles and application in a multi-crew environment. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AA.I.E.K13 | Use of safety programs to manage risk across an organization (e.g., Threat and error management (TEM), or Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP)). | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AA.I.E.K14 | Operations specifications. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
Risk management elements
| ACS code | Official description | How a mock oral can probe it |
|---|---|---|
| AA.I.E.R1 | Turbine engine and thrust reversing system malfunctions. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| AA.I.E.R2 | Managing automation and navigation equipment. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| AA.I.E.R3 | Responding to a flightpath warning system alert. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| AA.I.E.R4 | Loss of cabin pressure. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| AA.I.E.R5 | Crew coordination. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
Skills elements
| ACS code | Official description | How a mock oral can probe it |
|---|---|---|
| AA.I.E.S1 | Apply CRM principles and use in a crew environment, as appropriate. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
Difficulty data
Difficulty calibration is ongoing for this Task. A difficulty estimate is published only with a sufficiently large, privacy-preserving first directly recorded assessment sample. Any observed difficulty comes from Checkride AI mock-oral practice assessments and is a practice-data proxy, not an FAA practical-test pass or fail rate.
Difficulty calibration remains ongoing until an item clears the private reporting threshold. Percentages, when available, describe the share who needed review on their first directly recorded assessment. Underlying sample sizes are never published, and historical final states are not backfilled into this measure.
Official task notes
- Note: See Appendix 1: Practical Test Roles, Responsibilities, and Outcomes and Appendix 3: Aircraft, Equipment, and Operational Requirements & Limitations for information related to this Task.
How to use this in a mock oral
A mock examiner can ask you to explain the published elements, apply them to the configured aircraft and airport scenario, identify risks, and defend a decision. The prompts are practice scenarios; they are not claimed to be actual FAA examiner scripts or a prediction of the questions you will receive.
Related ACS tasks
- All Airline Transport Pilot Airplane ACS tasks
48 task-level resources from FAA-S-ACS-11A.
- AA.I.D — High-Altitude Aerodynamics (ATP) (AMEL, AMES)
Area of Operation I. Preflight Preparation
- AA.I.F — Human Factors (ATP)
Area of Operation I. Preflight Preparation
- AA.I.A — Operation of Systems
Area of Operation I. Preflight Preparation
- AA.I.B — Performance and Limitations
Area of Operation I. Preflight Preparation
- AA.I.C — Weather Information (ATP)
Area of Operation I. Preflight Preparation