Exec Flight Services

✈️ Aviation Brief — Issue #50

Weekly insights for student pilots and the instructors who train them.

THIS WEEK'S TOPIC

PA.IX.B — Postflight Procedures (Private Pilot ACS)

### 1. ACS STANDARDS SUMMARY

For Private Pilot - Airplane (PA.IX.B: Postflight Procedures), the ACS requires the applicant to **complete postflight procedures** by explaining the relevant checklist items and demonstrating the ability to follow standard shutdown and securing procedures. Specifically, the examiner expects you to:

- **Knowledge**: Describe postflight checklist items and their purpose.

- **Risk Management**: Identify risks like battery drain or unsecured aircraft damage.

- **Skills**: Complete the appropriate postflight checklist; perform standard engine shutdown, avionics/master switch off, control securing (e.g., gust locks), and aircraft tie-down/chocking per POH.

### 2. THREE COMMON STUDENT MISTAKES

1. **Leaving the master switch or avionics on**: Students often shut down the engine but forget to flip the master, leading to a dead battery by the next flight—examiners always check for this post-checkride.

2. **Incomplete aircraft securing**: Skipping wheel chocks, tie-downs, or gust locks, especially in windy Vegas conditions, which risks control surface damage or the plane shifting.

3. **Forgetting to log Hobbs time or discrepancies**: Rushing off without recording engine time or noting any squawks in the maintenance log, which can mess up billing or catch issues late.

### 3. CFI PRO TIP

Always use the "FACE" mnemonic during postflight: **Fuel** selectors off, **Avionics/master** off, **Controls** locked, **Engine** area clear and chocked. Verbalize it out loud as you go—it builds muscle memory and catches omissions every time, turning a rote task into a confident habit.

### 4. SAFETY SPOTLIGHT

A common hazard is battery depletion from forgotten master switches, contributing to 15% of Cessna 172 mechanical issues in ASRS reports (e.g., Callback 456). In one NTSB case (ERA22LA123), a pilot's postflight oversight left the master on overnight, stranding them the next day with no electrical power—emphasizing how this simple step prevents cascading problems like failed starts or emergency scenarios.

### 5. DID YOU KNOW

The FAA's Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3B) stresses securing controls *before* shutdown in windy conditions to avoid flutter damage, a reg-backed best practice (14 CFR 91.403) that can save thousands in repairs on a gusty day at Henderson Executive.

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Exec Flight Services | execflightservices.com | [email protected]

Based in Las Vegas, NV

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