PI.II.A — Human Factors
PI.II.A for the Flight Instructor – Instrument Powered Lift ACS: official objective, references, and 22 exact knowledge, risk-management, and skill descriptions.
FAA-S-ACS-28, 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 | Flight Instructor – Instrument |
|---|---|
| Aircraft category | Powered Lift |
| Area of operation | Area of Operation II. Technical Subject Areas |
| Task | Task A. Human Factors |
| Task code prefix | PI.II.A |
| Official references | AIM; FAA-H-8083-2, FAA-H-8083-9, FAA-H-8083-25 |
| FAA document | FAA-S-ACS-28 — Flight Instructor – Instrument Rating Powered-Lift Airman Certification Standards |
| FAA source library | Open the official ACS library |
Official task objective
To determine the applicant understands personal health, flight physiology, aeromedical and human factors, can apply that knowledge, manage associated risks, demonstrate appropriate skills, and provide effective instruction.
What the ACS code means
- PI identifies the ACS standard family used for this Flight Instructor – Instrument Powered Lift document.
- II identifies Technical Subject Areas, the Area of Operation.
- A identifies Human Factors, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| PI.II.A.K1 | Symptoms, recognition, causes, effects, and corrective actions associated with aeromedical and physiological issues, including: | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| PI.II.A.K1a | a. Hypoxia | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| PI.II.A.K1b | b. Hyperventilation | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| PI.II.A.K1c | c. Middle ear and sinus problems | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| PI.II.A.K1d | d. Spatial disorientation | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| PI.II.A.K1e | e. Motion sickness | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| PI.II.A.K1f | f. Carbon monoxide poisoning | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| PI.II.A.K1g | g. Stress | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| PI.II.A.K1h | h. Fatigue | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| PI.II.A.K1i | i. Dehydration and nutrition | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| PI.II.A.K1j | j. Hypothermia | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| PI.II.A.K1k | k. Optical illusions | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| PI.II.A.K1l | l. Dissolved nitrogen in the bloodstream after scuba dives | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| PI.II.A.K2 | Regulations regarding use of alcohol and drugs. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| PI.II.A.K3 | Effects of alcohol, drugs, and over-the-counter medications. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| PI.II.A.K4 | Aeronautical Decision-Making (ADM) to include using Crew Resource Management (CRM) or Single-Pilot Resource Management (SRM), as appropriate. | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| PI.II.A.R1 | Aeromedical and physiological issues. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| PI.II.A.R2 | Hazardous attitudes. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| PI.II.A.R3 | 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. |
| PI.II.A.R4 | Confirmation and expectation bias. | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| PI.II.A.S1 | Associate the symptoms and effects for at least three of the conditions listed in K1a through K1l with the cause(s) and corrective action(s). | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| PI.II.A.S2 | Perform self-assessment, including fitness for flight and personal minimums, for actual flight or a scenario given 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. |
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 Flight Instructor – Instrument Powered Lift ACS tasks
37 task-level resources from FAA-S-ACS-28.
- FI.I.F — Elements of Effective Teaching that Include Risk Management and Accident Prevention
Area of Operation I. Fundamentals of Instructing
- PI.II.B — Endorsements and Logbook Entries Related to Instrument Instruction
Area of Operation II. Technical Subject Areas
- PI.II.C — Aircraft Systems Related to Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) Operations
Area of Operation II. Technical Subject Areas
- PI.II.D — Aircraft Flight Instruments and Navigation Equipment
Area of Operation II. Technical Subject Areas
- PI.II.E — Regulations and Publications Related to Instrument Flight Operations
Area of Operation II. Technical Subject Areas