CA.V.E — Eights on Pylons (ASEL, ASES)

CA.V.E for the Commercial Pilot Airplane ACS: official objective, references, and 20 exact knowledge, risk-management, and skill descriptions.

FAA-S-ACS-7B, November 2023. This study page does not replace the current FAA publication or an examiner's plan of action.

Official task context

CA.V.E official ACS context
Certificate or rating	Commercial Pilot
Aircraft category	Airplane
Area of operation	Area of Operation V. Performance Maneuvers and Ground Reference Maneuvers
Task	Task E. Eights on Pylons (ASEL, ASES)
Task code prefix	CA.V.E
Official references	FAA-H-8083-2, FAA-H-8083-3, FAA-H-8083-25
FAA document	FAA-S-ACS-7B — Commercial Pilot 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 eights on pylons.

What the ACS code means

CA identifies the ACS standard family used for this Commercial Pilot Airplane document.
V identifies Performance Maneuvers and Ground Reference Maneuvers, the Area of Operation.
E identifies Eights on Pylons (ASEL, ASES), 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

Official ACS knowledge items and mock-oral treatment
ACS code	Official description	How a mock oral can probe it
CA.V.E.K1	Purpose of eights on pylons.	Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant.
CA.V.E.K2	Aerodynamics associated with the eights on pylons, including coordinated and uncoordinated flight.	Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant.
CA.V.E.K3	Pivotal altitude and factors that affect it.	Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant.
CA.V.E.K4	Effect of wind on ground track.	Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant.
CA.V.E.K5	Phases of the eights on pylons maneuver from entry to recovery.	Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant.

Risk management elements

Official ACS risk management items and mock-oral treatment
ACS code	Official description	How a mock oral can probe it
CA.V.E.R1	Division of attention between aircraft control and orientation.	Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision.
CA.V.E.R2	Collision hazards.	Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision.
CA.V.E.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.
CA.V.E.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.
CA.V.E.R5	Uncoordinated flight.	Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision.
CA.V.E.R6	Energy management.	Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision.
CA.V.E.R7	Emergency landing considerations.	Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision.

Skills elements

Official ACS skills items and mock-oral treatment
ACS code	Official description	How a mock oral can probe it
CA.V.E.S1	Clear the area.	Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test.
CA.V.E.S2	Determine the approximate pivotal altitude.	Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test.
CA.V.E.S3	Select suitable pylons that permits straight-and-level flight between the pylons.	Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test.
CA.V.E.S4	Enter the maneuver in the correct direction and position using an appropriate altitude and airspeed.	Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test.
CA.V.E.S5	Establish the correct bank angle for the conditions, not to exceed 40°.	Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test.
CA.V.E.S6	Apply smooth and continuous corrections so that the line-of-sight reference line remains on the pylon.	Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test.
CA.V.E.S7	Divide attention between accurate, coordinated airplane control and outside visual references.	Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test.
CA.V.E.S8	Maintain pylon position using appropriate pivotal altitude, avoiding slips and skids.	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.

Practice in a mock oral

Related ACS tasks

All Commercial Pilot Airplane ACS tasks
60 task-level resources from FAA-S-ACS-7B.
CA.V.D — Lazy Eights (ASEL, ASES)
Area of Operation V. Performance Maneuvers and Ground Reference Maneuvers
CA.VI.A — Pilotage and Dead Reckoning
Area of Operation VI. Navigation
CA.V.A — Steep Turns
Area of Operation V. Performance Maneuvers and Ground Reference Maneuvers
CA.V.B — Steep Spiral (ASEL, ASES)
Area of Operation V. Performance Maneuvers and Ground Reference Maneuvers
CA.V.C — Chandelles (ASEL, ASES)
Area of Operation V. Performance Maneuvers and Ground Reference Maneuvers