HI.V.A — Preflight Assessment
HI.V.A for the Flight Instructor Rotorcraft ACS: official objective, references, and 17 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 V. Preflight Procedures |
| Task | Task A. Preflight Assessment |
| Task code prefix | HI.V.A |
| Official references | AC 91-32; 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 preflight assessment, 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.
- V identifies Preflight Procedures, the Area of Operation.
- A identifies Preflight Assessment, 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.V.A.K1 | Pilot self-assessment. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| HI.V.A.K2 | Determining that the helicopter to be used is appropriate and airworthy. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| HI.V.A.K3 | Helicopter preflight inspection, including: | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| HI.V.A.K3a | a. Which items should be inspected | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| HI.V.A.K3b | b. The reasons for checking each item | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| HI.V.A.K3c | c. 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. |
| HI.V.A.K3d | d. The associated regulations | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| HI.V.A.K4 | Environmental factors, including weather, terrain, route selection, and obstructions. | 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.V.A.R1 | Pilot. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| HI.V.A.R2 | Aircraft. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| HI.V.A.R3 | Environment (e.g., weather, icing, airports/heliports/helipads/landing areas, airspace, terrain, obstacles). | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| HI.V.A.R4 | External pressures. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| HI.V.A.R5 | Aviation security concerns. | 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.V.A.S1 | Inspect the helicopter with reference to an appropriate checklist. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| HI.V.A.S2 | Verify the helicopter is in condition for safe flight and conforms to its type design. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| HI.V.A.S3 | Perform self-assessment. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| HI.V.A.S4 | Continue to assess the environment for safe 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 Flight Instructor Rotorcraft ACS tasks
65 task-level resources from FAA-S-ACS-29.
- HI.IV.A — Maneuver Lesson
Area of Operation IV. Preflight Lesson on a Maneuver to be Performed in Flight
- HI.V.B — Flight Deck Management
Area of Operation V. Preflight Procedures
- HI.V.C — Powerplant Starting and Rotor Engagement
Area of Operation V. Preflight Procedures
- HI.V.D — Before Takeoff Check
Area of Operation V. Preflight Procedures