PL.IX.A — Maneuvering During Slow Flight (Wing-Borne Configuration)
PL.IX.A for the Private Pilot Powered Lift ACS: official objective, references, and 12 exact knowledge, risk-management, and skill descriptions.
FAA-S-ACS-13, 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 | Private Pilot |
|---|---|
| Aircraft category | Powered Lift |
| Area of operation | Area of Operation IX. Slow Flight and Stalls |
| Task | Task A. Maneuvering During Slow Flight (Wing-Borne Configuration) |
| Task code prefix | PL.IX.A |
| Official references | FAA-H-8083-2, FAA-H-8083-25; Flight Manual |
| FAA document | FAA-S-ACS-13 — Private Pilot for Powered-Lift Category 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 maneuvering during slow flight in wing-borne configuration.
What the ACS code means
- PL identifies the ACS standard family used for this Private Pilot Powered Lift document.
- IX identifies Slow Flight and Stalls, the Area of Operation.
- A identifies Maneuvering During Slow Flight (Wing-Borne Configuration), 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 |
|---|---|---|
| PL.IX.A.K1 | Aerodynamics associated with slow flight in various aircraft configurations, including the relationship between angle of attack, airspeed, load factor, power setting, aircraft weight and center of gravity, aircraft attitude, and yaw effects. | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| PL.IX.A.R1 | Inadvertent slow flight and flight with a stall warning, which could lead to loss of control. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| PL.IX.A.R2 | Range and limitations of stall warning indicators (e.g., aircraft buffet, stall horn, etc.). | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| PL.IX.A.R3 | Uncoordinated flight. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| PL.IX.A.R4 | Effect of environmental elements on aircraft performance (e.g., turbulence, microbursts, and high density altitude). | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| PL.IX.A.R5 | Collision hazards. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| PL.IX.A.R6 | 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. |
Skills elements
| ACS code | Official description | How a mock oral can probe it |
|---|---|---|
| PL.IX.A.S1 | Clear the area. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| PL.IX.A.S2 | Select an entry altitude that allows the Task to be completed no lower than 3,000 feet above ground level (AGL). | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| PL.IX.A.S3 | Establish and maintain an airspeed at which any further increase in angle of attack, increase in load factor, or reduction in power, would result in a stall warning (e.g., aircraft buffet, stall horn, etc.). | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| PL.IX.A.S4 | Accomplish coordinated straight-and-level flight, turns, climbs, and descents with the aircraft configured as specified by the evaluator without a stall warning (e.g., aircraft buffet, stall horn, etc.). | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| PL.IX.A.S5 | Maintain the specified altitude, ±100 feet; specified heading, ±10°; airspeed, +10/-0 knots; and specified angle of bank, ±10°. | 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.
Official task notes
- See Appendix 2: Safety of Flight and Appendix 3: Aircraft, Equipment, and Operational Requirements & Limitations for information related to this Task.
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 Private Pilot Powered Lift ACS tasks
58 task-level resources from FAA-S-ACS-13.
- PL.VIII.D — Lost Procedures
Area of Operation VIII. Navigation
- PL.IX.B — Power-Off Stalls
Area of Operation IX. Slow Flight and Stalls
- PL.IX.C — Power-On Stalls
Area of Operation IX. Slow Flight and Stalls