IH.VII.C — Approach with Loss of Primary Flight Instrument Indicators
IH.VII.C 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 C. Approach with Loss of Primary Flight Instrument Indicators |
| Task code prefix | IH.VII.C |
| Official references | 14 CFR part 91; FAA-H-8083-2, FAA-H-8083-15, FAA-H-8083-21, FAA-H-8083-25; POH/RFM; Terminal Procedures Publications |
| 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 performing an approach solely by reference to instruments with the loss of primary flight control 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.
- C identifies Approach with Loss of Primary Flight Instrument Indicators, 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.C.K1 | Recognizing if primary flight instruments are inaccurate or inoperative, and advising ATC or the evaluator. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| IH.VII.C.K2 | Possible failure modes of primary instruments and how to correct or minimize the effect of the loss. | 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.C.R1 | Use of secondary flight displays when primary displays have failed. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| IH.VII.C.R2 | Maintaining helicopter control. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| IH.VII.C.R3 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| IH.VII.C.S1 | Advise ATC or the evaluator if unable to comply with a clearance. | 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.C.S2 | Complete a non-precision instrument approach without the use of the primary flight instruments using the skill elements of the non-precision approach Task (see Area of Operation VI, Task A). | 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.C.S3 | 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.
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.VII.B — Instrument Approach and Landing with an Inoperative Engine (Simulated) (Multiengine Helicopter Only)
Area of Operation VII. Emergency Operations
- IH.VIII.A — Checking Instruments and Equipment
Area of Operation VIII. Postflight Procedures
- IH.VII.A — Loss of Communications
Area of Operation VII. Emergency Operations