AA.IV.A — Steep Turns
AA.IV.A for the Airline Transport Pilot Airplane ACS: official objective, references, and 19 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 IV. In-flight Maneuvers |
| Task | Task A. Steep Turns |
| Task code prefix | AA.IV.A |
| Official references | FAA-H-8083-2, FAA-H-8083-3, FAA-H-8083-25; FSB Report (type specific); POH/AFM |
| 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 steep turns.
What the ACS code means
- AA identifies the ACS standard family used for this Airline Transport Pilot Airplane document.
- IV identifies In-flight Maneuvers, the Area of Operation.
- A identifies Steep Turns, 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.IV.A.K1 | Energy management concepts. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AA.IV.A.K2 | Aerodynamics associated with steep turns, including: | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AA.IV.A.K2a | a. Maintaining coordinated flight | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AA.IV.A.K2b | b. Overbanking tendencies | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AA.IV.A.K2c | c. Maneuvering speed, including the impact of weight changes | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AA.IV.A.K2d | d. Load factor and accelerated stalls | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AA.IV.A.K2e | e. Rate and radius of turn | 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.IV.A.R1 | Spatial disorientation when conducting a steep turn while flying by reference to instruments. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| AA.IV.A.R2 | Collision hazards including aircraft and terrain. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| AA.IV.A.R3 | Low altitude maneuvering, including stall, spin, or controlled flight into terrain (CFIT). | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| AA.IV.A.R4 | Distractions, task prioritization, loss of situational awareness, or disorientation. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| AA.IV.A.R5 | Uncoordinated flight. | 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.IV.A.S1 | Select an entry altitude that allows the Task to be completed no lower than 3,000 feet above ground level (AGL). | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| AA.IV.A.S2 | Establish the manufacturer's recommended airspeed; or if one is not available, an airspeed not to exceed maneuvering speed (VA). | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| AA.IV.A.S3 | Establish at least a 45° bank solely by reference to instruments and make a coordinated steep turn of at least 180°, as specified by the evaluator. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| AA.IV.A.S4 | Perform the Task in the opposite direction, as specified by evaluator. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| AA.IV.A.S5 | Make smooth pitch, bank, and power adjustments as needed. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| AA.IV.A.S6 | Maintain the entry altitude ±100 feet, airspeed ±10 knots, bank ±5°, and roll out on the specified heading, ±10°. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| AA.IV.A.S7 | Avoid any indication of an impending stall, abnormal flight attitude, or exceeding any structural or operating limitation during any part of the Task. | 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
- See 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.III.J — Go-Around/Rejected Landing
Area of Operation III. Takeoffs and Landings
- AA.IV.B — Recovery from Unusual Flight Attitudes
Area of Operation IV. In-flight Maneuvers
- AA.IV.C — Specific Flight Characteristics
Area of Operation IV. In-flight Maneuvers