IR.VI.D — Circling Approach
IR.VI.D for the Instrument Rating Airplane ACS: official objective, references, and 16 exact knowledge, risk-management, and skill descriptions.
FAA-S-ACS-8C, 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 | Instrument Rating |
|---|---|
| Aircraft category | Airplane |
| Area of operation | Area of Operation VI. Instrument Approach Procedures |
| Task | Task D. Circling Approach |
| Task code prefix | IR.VI.D |
| Official references | 14 CFR parts 91, 97; AIM; FAA-H-8083-2, FAA-H-8083-3, FAA-H-8083-15, FAA-H-8083-16, FAA-H-8083-25; Terminal Procedures Publications |
| FAA document | FAA-S-ACS-8C — Instrument Rating – Airplane 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 performing a circling approach procedure.
What the ACS code means
- IR identifies the ACS standard family used for this Instrument Rating Airplane document.
- VI identifies Instrument Approach Procedures, the Area of Operation.
- D identifies Circling Approach, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| IR.VI.D.K1 | Elements related to circling approach procedures and limitations, including approach categories and related airspeed restrictions. | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| IR.VI.D.R1 | Prescribed circling approach procedures. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| IR.VI.D.R2 | Executing a circling approach at night or with marginal visibility. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| IR.VI.D.R3 | Losing visual contact with an identifiable part of the airport. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| IR.VI.D.R4 | Management of automated navigation and autoflight systems. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| IR.VI.D.R5 | Management of altitude, airspeed, or distance while circling. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| IR.VI.D.R6 | 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. |
| IR.VI.D.R7 | Executing a missed approach after the MAP while circling. | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| IR.VI.D.S1 | Comply with the circling approach procedure considering turbulence, windshear, and the maneuvering capability and approach category of the aircraft. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| IR.VI.D.S2 | Confirm the direction of traffic and adhere to all restrictions and instructions issued by ATC or 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. |
| IR.VI.D.S3 | Use single-pilot resource management (SRM) or crew resource management (CRM), 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. |
| IR.VI.D.S4 | Establish the approach and landing configuration. Maintain a stabilized approach and a descent rate that ensures arrival at the MDA, or the preselected circling altitude above the MDA, prior to the missed approach point. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| IR.VI.D.S5 | Maintain airspeed ±10 knots, desired heading/track ±10°, and altitude +100/-0 feet until descending below the MDA or the preselected circling altitude above the MDA. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| IR.VI.D.S6 | Visually maneuver to a base or downwind leg appropriate for the landing runway and environmental conditions. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| IR.VI.D.S7 | If a missed approach occurs, turn in the appropriate direction using the correct procedure and appropriately configure the airplane. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| IR.VI.D.S8 | If landing, initiate a stabilized descent. Touch down on the first one-third of the selected runway without excessive maneuvering, without exceeding the normal operating limits of the airplane, and without exceeding 30° of bank. | 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.
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 Instrument Rating Airplane ACS tasks
22 task-level resources from FAA-S-ACS-8C.
- IR.VI.C — Missed Approach
Area of Operation VI. Instrument Approach Procedures
- IR.VI.E — Landing from an Instrument Approach
Area of Operation VI. Instrument Approach Procedures
- IR.VI.A — Non-precision Approach
Area of Operation VI. Instrument Approach Procedures
- IR.VI.B — Precision Approach
Area of Operation VI. Instrument Approach Procedures