IP.III.A — Compliance with Air Traffic Control Clearances
IP.III.A for the Instrument Rating Powered Lift ACS: official objective, references, and 14 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 III. Air Traffic Control (ATC) Clearances and Procedures |
| Task | Task A. Compliance with Air Traffic Control Clearances |
| Task code prefix | IP.III.A |
| Official references | 14 CFR parts 91; AIM; FAA-H-8083-2, FAA-H-8083-15, FAA-H-8083-16, FAA-H-8083-25 |
| 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 ATC clearances and procedures while operating solely by reference to instruments.
What the ACS code means
- IP identifies the ACS standard family used for this Instrument Rating Powered Lift document.
- III identifies Air Traffic Control (ATC) Clearances and Procedures, the Area of Operation.
- A identifies Compliance with Air Traffic Control Clearances, 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.III.A.K1 | Elements and procedures related to ATC clearances and pilot/controller responsibilities for departure, en route, and arrival phases of flight, including clearance void times. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| IP.III.A.K2 | Pilot-in-Command (PIC) emergency authority. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| IP.III.A.K3 | Lost communication procedures and procedures for flights outside of radar environments. | 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.III.A.R1 | Less than full understanding of an ATC clearance. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| IP.III.A.R2 | Inappropriate, incomplete, or incorrect ATC clearances. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| IP.III.A.R3 | ATC clearance inconsistent with aircraft performance or navigation capability. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| IP.III.A.R4 | ATC clearance intended for other aircraft with similar call signs. | 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.III.A.S1 | Correctly copy, read back, interpret, and comply with simulated or actual ATC clearances in a timely manner using standard phraseology as provided in the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM). | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| IP.III.A.S2 | Correctly set communication frequencies, navigation systems (identifying when appropriate), and transponder codes in compliance with the ATC clearance. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| IP.III.A.S3 | Use the current and appropriate paper or electronic navigation publications. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| IP.III.A.S4 | Intercept all courses, radials, and bearings appropriate to the procedure, route, or clearance in a timely manner. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| IP.III.A.S5 | Maintain the applicable airspeed ±10 knots, headings ±10°, altitude ±100 feet; track a course, radial, or bearing within ¾-scale deflection of the course deviation indicator (CDI). | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| IP.III.A.S6 | 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. |
| IP.III.A.S7 | Perform the appropriate checklist items relative to the phase of 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.C — Instrument Flight Deck Check
Area of Operation II. Preflight Procedures
- IP.III.B — Holding Procedures
Area of Operation III. Air Traffic Control (ATC) Clearances and Procedures