IH.VII.A — Loss of Communications
IH.VII.A for the Instrument Rating Rotorcraft ACS: official objective, references, and 8 exact knowledge, risk-management, and skill descriptions.
FAA-S-ACS-14, 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 | Rotorcraft |
| Area of operation | Area of Operation VII. Emergency Operations |
| Task | Task A. Loss of Communications |
| Task code prefix | IH.VII.A |
| Official references | 14 CFR part 91; AIM; FAA-H-8083-2, FAA-H-8083-15, FAA-H-8083-16, FAA-H-8083-21, FAA-H-8083-25 |
| FAA document | FAA-S-ACS-14 — Instrument Rating – Helicopter 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 loss of communications while operating solely by reference to instruments.
What the ACS code means
- IH identifies the ACS standard family used for this Instrument Rating Rotorcraft document.
- VII identifies Emergency Operations, the Area of Operation.
- A identifies Loss of Communications, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| IH.VII.A.K1 | Procedures to follow in the event of lost communication during various phases of flight, including techniques for reestablishing communications, when it is acceptable to deviate from an instrument flight rules (IFR) clearance, and when to begin an approach at the destination. | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| IH.VII.A.R1 | Possible reasons for loss of communication. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| IH.VII.A.R2 | Deviation from procedures for lost communications. | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| IH.VII.A.S1 | Recognize a simulated loss of communication. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| IH.VII.A.S2 | Simulate actions to re-establish communication. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| IH.VII.A.S3 | Determine whether to continue to flight plan destination or deviate. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| IH.VII.A.S4 | Determine appropriate time to begin an approach. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| IH.VII.A.S5 | 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. |
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
- Note: Task B must be tested in addition to the other Tasks if the applicant supplies a multiengine helicopter.
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 Rotorcraft ACS tasks
20 task-level resources from FAA-S-ACS-14.
- IH.VI.D — Landing from an Instrument Approach
Area of Operation VI. Instrument Approach Procedures
- IH.VII.B — Instrument Approach and Landing with an Inoperative Engine (Simulated) (Multiengine Helicopter Only)
Area of Operation VII. Emergency Operations
- IH.VII.C — Approach with Loss of Primary Flight Instrument Indicators
Area of Operation VII. Emergency Operations