# AI.X.B — Demonstration of Flight Characteristics at Various Configurations and Airspeeds (ASEL and — Flight Instructor Airplane ACS

> AI.X.B from FAA-S-ACS-25, including the official objective, references, notes, and 42 exact knowledge, risk-management, and skill descriptions.

Canonical HTML: [https://www.check-ride.ai/acs/airplane/flight-instructor/ai-x-b](https://www.check-ride.ai/acs/airplane/flight-instructor/ai-x-b)

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

## Official Task context

- FAA document: Flight Instructor for Airplane Category Airman Certification Standards
- Identifier: FAA-S-ACS-25
- Published source date: November 2023
- Aircraft category: Airplane
- Certificate or rating: Flight Instructor
- Area of Operation: Area of Operation X. Slow flight, Stalls, and Spins
- Task: Task B. Demonstration of Flight Characteristics at Various Configurations and Airspeeds (ASEL and
- Task code prefix: AI.X.B
- Official references: AC 61-67; FAA-H-8083-2, FAA-H-8083-3, FAA-H-8083-9, FAA-H-8083-25; POH/AFM
- FAA source library: https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/acs

## Official Task objective

To determine the applicant understands flight characteristics and power required at different airspeeds and configurations appropriate to the make and model of airplane flown, can apply that knowledge, manage associated risks, demonstrate appropriate skills, and provide effective instruction.

## Knowledge elements

- **AI.X.B.K1** — Purpose of and procedures for demonstration of flight characteristics at various configurations and airspeeds.
- **AI.X.B.K2** — Power required at various airspeeds between cruise airspeed and critically slow airspeeds near the critical angle of attack.
- **AI.X.B.K3** — The minimum power required speed and its role in differentiating the region of normal command and the region of reversed command on the power-required curve.
- **AI.X.B.K4** — The relationships between lift, drag, angle of attack, airspeed, load factor, power required, weight, center of gravity, attitude, yaw effects, controllability, and stalls and spins.
- **AI.X.B.K5** — Pitch, power, and trim control inputs that are required to operate the airplane in level flight, turns, climbs, and descents and how the control inputs change at various airspeeds between cruise airspeed and critically slow airspeeds.
- **AI.X.B.K6** — Flight characteristics and aerodynamics associated with configuration changes applicable to the specific to the make and model of airplane provided for the practical test.
- **AI.X.B.K7** — Airspeeds specific to the airplane for various operations, how to identify them on the airspeed indicator (if applicable), and their significance in airplane performance, including:
- **AI.X.B.K7a** — a. Design/operating maneuvering speed
- **AI.X.B.K7b** — b. Landing gear extended/operating speed, if applicable
- **AI.X.B.K7c** — c. Flaps extended/operating speed, if applicable
- **AI.X.B.K7d** — d. Best glide speed
- **AI.X.B.K7e** — e. Reference landing speed
- **AI.X.B.K7f** — f. Stalling speeds
- **AI.X.B.K8** — Common errors related to this Task.

## Risk management elements

- **AI.X.B.R1** — Lack of familiarity with airplane airspeed limitations and interpretation of the airspeed indicator.
- **AI.X.B.R2** — Exceeding airspeed limitations.
- **AI.X.B.R3** — Flight characteristics in the region of reversed command and the potential for loss of control.
- **AI.X.B.R4** — Inadvertent exceedance of the critical angle of attack.
- **AI.X.B.R5** — Range, limitations, and operational characteristics of airspeed indicators and stall warning indicators (e.g., airplane buffet, stall horn, etc.).
- **AI.X.B.R6** — Unacknowledged stall warning indications.
- **AI.X.B.R7** — Effects of environmental elements on airplane performance and controllability. (e.g., turbulence, microbursts, and high density altitude).
- **AI.X.B.R8** — Collision hazards.
- **AI.X.B.R9** — Maneuvering at critically slow airspeeds.

## Skills elements

- **AI.X.B.S1** — Conduct and explain the procedure, manage the associated risk, and fly the airplane, while maintaining altitude ±100 feet, airspeed +5/-0 knots, heading ±10°, and specified bank angle ±5°, as appropriate.
- **AI.X.B.S2** — Select an altitude that allows the maneuver to be performed no lower than 1,500 feet above ground level (AGL).
- **AI.X.B.S3** — Clear the area.
- **AI.X.B.S4** — Clean configuration demonstration:
- **AI.X.B.S4a** — a. Establish and maintain design/operating maneuvering speed appropriate to the airplane’s weight while describing pitch, power, and trim inputs to maintain altitude and airspeed, then;
- **AI.X.B.S4b** — b. With gear and flaps retracted (as applicable), slow the airplane to, and maintain, best glide speed (or as specified by evaluator), noting the power setting required, then;
- **AI.X.B.S4c** — c. Continue to slow the airplane to, and maintain, an airspeed at which any further increase in angle of attack, increase in load factor, or reduction in power would result in an immediate stall, and maintain that airspeed in level flight, noting the airspeed and power setting required, while;
- **AI.X.B.S4d** — d. Verbally acknowledging stall warning indications, then;
- **AI.X.B.S4e** — e. Without changing power setting, lower the pitch attitude and accelerate to a faster airspeed until reestablishing the airplane in level flight, noting the new airspeed and amount of altitude lost, then;
- **AI.X.B.S4f** — f. Return to normal cruise flight at the altitude and heading specified by the evaluator
- **AI.X.B.S5** — Landing configuration demonstration.
- **AI.X.B.S5a** — a. Establish and maintain design/operating maneuvering speed appropriate to the airplane’s weight while describing pitch, power, and trim inputs to maintain altitude and airspeed, then;
- **AI.X.B.S5b** — b. Slow the airplane to, and maintain, the appropriate limiting airspeeds and fully extend the landing gear and flaps (as appropriate), then;
- **AI.X.B.S5c** — c. With gear and flaps fully extended (as applicable), slow the airplane to, and maintain, reference landing speed (or as specified by the evaluator), noting the power setting required, then;
- **AI.X.B.S5d** — d. With gear and flaps fully extended, continue to slow the airplane to, and maintain, an airspeed at which any further increase in angle of attack, increase in load factor, or reduction in power would result in an immediate stall, and maintain that airspeed in level flight, noting the airspeed and power setting required, while;
- **AI.X.B.S5e** — e. Verbally acknowledging stall warning indications, then;
- **AI.X.B.S5f** — f. Without changing power setting, lower the pitch attitude and accelerate to a faster airspeed until reestablishing the airplane in in level flight, noting the new airspeed and amount of altitude lost, then;
- **AI.X.B.S5g** — g. Return to normal cruise flight at the altitude and heading specified by the evaluator
- **AI.X.B.S6** — Analyze and correct common errors related to this Task.

## 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

- See Appendix 2: Safety of Flight and 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.