# AA.III.F — Rough Water Approach and Landing (ASES, AMES) — Airline Transport Pilot Airplane ACS

> AA.III.F from FAA-S-ACS-11A, including the official objective, references, notes, and 21 exact knowledge, risk-management, and skill descriptions.

Canonical HTML: [https://www.check-ride.ai/acs/airplane/airline-transport-pilot/aa-iii-f](https://www.check-ride.ai/acs/airplane/airline-transport-pilot/aa-iii-f)

Site reference: [https://www.check-ride.ai/llms.txt](https://www.check-ride.ai/llms.txt)

## Official Task context

- FAA document: Airline Transport Pilot and Type Rating for Airplane Category Airman Certification Standards
- Identifier: FAA-S-ACS-11A
- Published source date: November 2023
- Aircraft category: Airplane
- Certificate or rating: Airline Transport Pilot
- Area of Operation: Area of Operation III. Takeoffs and Landings
- Task: Task F. Rough Water Approach and Landing (ASES, AMES)
- Task code prefix: AA.III.F
- Official references: FAA-H-8083-2, FAA-H-8083-3, FAA-H-8083-23, FAA-H-8083-25; POH/AFM
- FAA source library: https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/acs

## Official Task objective

To determine the applicant exhibits satisfactory knowledge, risk management, and skills associated with rough water approach and landing.

## Knowledge elements

- **AA.III.F.K1** — A stabilized approach, including energy management concepts.
- **AA.III.F.K2** — Effects of atmospheric conditions, including wind, on approach and landing performance.
- **AA.III.F.K3** — Wind correction techniques on approach and landing.
- **AA.III.F.K4** — When and why rough water techniques are used.
- **AA.III.F.K5** — How to perform a proper rough water approach and landing.

## Risk management elements

- **AA.III.F.R1** — Selection of the approach path and touchdown area based on airplane limitations, available distance, surface conditions, and wind.
- **AA.III.F.R2** — Go-around/rejected landing.
- **AA.III.F.R3** — Collision hazards.
- **AA.III.F.R4** — Low altitude maneuvering, including stall, spin, or controlled flight into terrain (CFIT).
- **AA.III.F.R5** — Distractions, task prioritization, loss of situational awareness, or disorientation.
- **AA.III.F.R6** — Gear position in an amphibious airplane.

## Skills elements

- **AA.III.F.S1** — Coordinate with crew, if applicable, and complete the appropriate checklist(s).
- **AA.III.F.S2** — Make radio calls as appropriate.
- **AA.III.F.S3** — Ensure that the landing gear and water rudders are retracted, if applicable.
- **AA.III.F.S4** — Consider the landing surface, visual attitude references, water depth, and collision hazards and select the proper approach and landing path.
- **AA.III.F.S5** — Establish the recommended approach and landing configuration, airspeed, and trim, and adjust pitch attitude and power as required to maintain a stabilized approach.
- **AA.III.F.S6** — Maintain a stabilized approach and recommended airspeed with gust factor applied, ±5 knots.
- **AA.III.F.S7** — Make smooth, timely, and correct power and control adjustments to maintain proper attitude and rate of descent to touchdown.
- **AA.III.F.S8** — Contact the water at the correct pitch attitude and touchdown speed.
- **AA.III.F.S9** — Make smooth, timely, and correct power and control application during the landing while remaining alert for a go-around should conditions be too rough.
- **AA.III.F.S10** — Maintain positive after-landing control.

## Difficulty methodology

Difficulty calibration is ongoing for this Task. Observed difficulty is a privacy-thresholded check-ride.ai mock-oral practice proxy, not an FAA practical-test pass or fail rate. Underlying sample sizes and the private reporting threshold are not published.

## Official Task notes

- If a rough water condition does not exist, the applicant must be evaluated by simulating the Task.
- See Appendix 3: Aircraft, Equipment, and Operational Requirements & Limitations for information related to this Task.

## Use in practice

A mock examiner can ask a pilot to explain the published elements, apply them to the configured aircraft and airport context, identify risks, and defend a decision. Practice prompts are not represented as actual FAA examiner scripts or predictions of the questions a candidate will receive.