CH.I.C — Weather Information
CH.I.C for the Commercial Pilot Rotorcraft ACS: official objective, references, and 34 exact knowledge, risk-management, and skill descriptions.
FAA-S-ACS-16, 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 | Commercial Pilot |
|---|---|
| Aircraft category | Rotorcraft |
| Area of operation | Area of Operation I. Preflight Preparation |
| Task | Task C. Weather Information |
| Task code prefix | CH.I.C |
| Official references | 14 CFR part 91; AC 91-92; AIM; FAA-H-8083-2, FAA-H-8083-25, FAA-H-8083-21, FAA-H-8083-28 |
| FAA document | FAA-S-ACS-16 — Commercial Pilot for Rotorcraft Category Helicopter Rating 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 weather information for a flight under VFR.
What the ACS code means
- CH identifies the ACS standard family used for this Commercial Pilot Rotorcraft document.
- I identifies Preflight Preparation, the Area of Operation.
- C identifies Weather Information, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| CH.I.C.K1 | Sources of weather data (e.g., National Weather Service, Flight Service) for flight planning purposes. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| CH.I.C.K2 | Acceptable weather products and resources required for preflight planning, current and forecast weather for departure, en route, and arrival phases of flight such as: | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| CH.I.C.K2a | Airport Observations (METAR and SPECI) and Pilot Observations (PIREP) | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| CH.I.C.K2b | Surface Analysis Chart, Ceiling and Visibility Chart (CVA) | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| CH.I.C.K2c | Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts (TAF) | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| CH.I.C.K2d | Graphical Forecasts for Aviation (GFA) | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| CH.I.C.K2e | Wind and Temperature Aloft Forecast (FB) | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| CH.I.C.K2f | Convective Outlook (AC) | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| CH.I.C.K2g | Inflight Aviation Weather Advisories including Airmen's Meteorological Information (AIRMET), Significant Meteorological Information (SIGMET), and Convective SIGMET | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| CH.I.C.K3 | Meteorology applicable to the departure, en route, alternate, and destination under visual flight rules (VFR) in Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC), including expected climate and hazardous conditions such as: | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| CH.I.C.K3a | Atmospheric composition and stability | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| CH.I.C.K3b | Wind (e.g., windshear, mountain wave, factors affecting wind, etc.) | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| CH.I.C.K3c | Temperature and heat exchange | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| CH.I.C.K3d | Moisture/precipitation | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| CH.I.C.K3e | Weather system formation, including air masses and fronts | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| CH.I.C.K3f | Clouds | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| CH.I.C.K3g | Turbulence | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| CH.I.C.K3h | Thunderstorms and microbursts | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| CH.I.C.K3i | Icing and freezing level information | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| CH.I.C.K3j | Fog/mist | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| CH.I.C.K3k | Frost | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| CH.I.C.K3l | Obstructions to visibility (e.g., smoke, haze, volcanic ash, etc.) | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| CH.I.C.K4 | Flight deck instrument displays of digital weather and aeronautical information. | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| CH.I.C.R1 | Making the go/no-go and continue/divert decisions, including: | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| CH.I.C.R1a | Circumstances that would make diversion prudent | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| CH.I.C.R1b | Personal weather minimums | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| CH.I.C.R1c | Hazardous weather conditions, including known or forecast icing or turbulence aloft | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| CH.I.C.R2 | Use and limitations of: | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| CH.I.C.R2a | Installed onboard weather equipment | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| CH.I.C.R2b | Aviation weather reports and forecasts | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| CH.I.C.R2c | Inflight weather resources | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| CH.I.C.S1 | Use available aviation weather resources to obtain an adequate weather briefing. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| CH.I.C.S2 | Analyze the implications of at least three of the conditions listed in K3a through K3l, using actual weather or weather conditions provided 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. |
| CH.I.C.S3 | Correlate weather information to make a go/no-go decision. | 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 Commercial Pilot Rotorcraft ACS tasks
51 task-level resources from FAA-S-ACS-16.
- CH.I.B — Airworthiness Requirements
Area of Operation I. Preflight Preparation
- CH.I.D — Cross-Country Flight Planning
Area of Operation I. Preflight Preparation
- CH.I.A — Pilot Qualifications
Area of Operation I. Preflight Preparation
- CH.I.E — National Airspace System
Area of Operation I. Preflight Preparation