IP.II.C — Instrument Flight Deck Check
IP.II.C for the Instrument Rating Powered Lift ACS: official objective, references, and 6 exact knowledge, risk-management, and skill descriptions.
FAA-S-ACS-3, 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 | Powered Lift |
| Area of operation | Area of Operation II. Preflight Procedures |
| Task | Task C. Instrument Flight Deck Check |
| Task code prefix | IP.II.C |
| Official references | 14 CFR part 91; AC 91.21-1; FAA-H-8083-2, FAA-H-8083-15, FAA-H-8083-25; Flight Manual |
| FAA document | FAA-S-ACS-3 — Instrument Rating – Powered-Lift 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 conducting a preflight check on the aircraft’s instruments necessary for an IFR flight.
What the ACS code means
- IP identifies the ACS standard family used for this Instrument Rating Powered Lift document.
- II identifies Preflight Procedures, the Area of Operation.
- C identifies Instrument Flight Deck Check, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| IP.II.C.K1 | Purpose of performing an instrument flight deck check and how to detect possible defects. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| IP.II.C.K2 | IFR airworthiness, including aircraft inspection requirements and required equipment for IFR flight. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| IP.II.C.K3 | Required procedures, documentation, and limitations of flying with inoperative equipment. | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| IP.II.C.R1 | Operating with inoperative equipment. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| IP.II.C.R2 | Operating with outdated navigation publications or databases. | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| IP.II.C.S1 | Perform preflight inspection by following the checklist appropriate to the aircraft and determine if the aircraft is in a condition for safe instrument flight. | 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 Powered Lift ACS tasks
22 task-level resources from FAA-S-ACS-3.
- IP.II.B — Aircraft Flight Instruments and Navigation Equipment
Area of Operation II. Preflight Procedures
- IP.III.A — Compliance with Air Traffic Control Clearances
Area of Operation III. Air Traffic Control (ATC) Clearances and Procedures
- IP.II.A — Aircraft Systems Related to Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) Operations
Area of Operation II. Preflight Procedures