HI.II.M — Night Operations
HI.II.M for the Flight Instructor Rotorcraft ACS: official objective, references, and 18 exact knowledge, risk-management, and skill descriptions.
FAA-S-ACS-29, 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 |
|---|---|
| Aircraft category | Rotorcraft |
| Area of operation | Area of Operation II. Technical Subject Areas |
| Task | Task M. Night Operations |
| Task code prefix | HI.II.M |
| Official references | 14 CFR part 91; AIM; FAA-H-8083-2, FAA-H-8083-4, FAA-H-8083-9, FAA-H-8083-21, FAA-H-8083-25; POH/RFM |
| FAA document | FAA-S-ACS-29 — Flight Instructor for Rotorcraft Category Helicopter Rating Airman Certification Standards |
| FAA source library | Open the official ACS library |
Official task objective
To determine the applicant understands night operations, can apply that knowledge, manage associated risks, demonstrate appropriate skills, and provide effective instruction.
What the ACS code means
- HI identifies the ACS standard family used for this Flight Instructor Rotorcraft document.
- II identifies Technical Subject Areas, the Area of Operation.
- M identifies Night Operations, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| HI.II.M.K1 | Physiological aspects of vision related to night flying. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| HI.II.M.K2 | Lighting systems identifying airports/heliports/helipads/landing areas, runways, taxiways and obstructions, as well as pilot controlled lighting. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| HI.II.M.K3 | Helicopter equipment and lighting requirements for night operations. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| HI.II.M.K4 | Personal equipment essential for night flight. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| HI.II.M.K5 | Night orientation, navigation, chart reading techniques and methods for maintaining night vision effectiveness. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| HI.II.M.K6 | Night taxi operations. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| HI.II.M.K7 | Interpretation of traffic position and direction based solely on position lights. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| HI.II.M.K8 | Use of instruments to verify the aircraft attitude at night. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| HI.II.M.K9 | Visual illusions at night. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| HI.II.M.K10 | Appropriate use of automation, if applicable. | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| HI.II.M.R1 | Inoperative equipment. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| HI.II.M.R2 | Weather considerations specific to night operations. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| HI.II.M.R3 | Collision hazards. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| HI.II.M.R4 | 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. |
| HI.II.M.R5 | Effect of visual illusions and night adaptation during all phases of night flying. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| HI.II.M.R6 | Runway incursion. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| HI.II.M.R7 | Night currency versus proficiency. | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| HI.II.M.S1 | Teach at least one of the elements listed in K1 through K10. | 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 Rotorcraft ACS tasks
65 task-level resources from FAA-S-ACS-29.
- HI.II.L — Endorsements and Logbook Entries
Area of Operation II. Technical Subject Areas
- HI.III.A — Pilot Qualifications
Area of Operation III. Preflight Preparation
- HI.II.A — Human Factors
Area of Operation II. Technical Subject Areas
- HI.II.B — Visual Scanning and Collision Avoidance
Area of Operation II. Technical Subject Areas
- HI.II.C — Runway Incursion Avoidance
Area of Operation II. Technical Subject Areas
- HI.II.D — Principles of Flight
Area of Operation II. Technical Subject Areas