✈️ Aviation Brief — Issue #75
Weekly insights for student pilots and the instructors who train them.
THIS WEEK'S TOPIC
CA.II.A — Flight Deck Management (Commercial Pilot ACS)
1. ACS STANDARDS SUMMARY
The Commercial Pilot ACS task CA.II.A requires the applicant to manage the flight deck by organizing and securing all necessary equipment and resources before and during flight, using appropriate checklists at the proper times, and prioritizing tasks to maintain positive aircraft control. The examiner expects the pilot to demonstrate effective workload management, clear division of attention inside and outside the cockpit, and proactive preparation so that items are accessible without creating distraction or reaching across controls.
2. THREE COMMON STUDENT MISTAKES
- Treating the cockpit as a storage area and leaving headsets, charts, or water bottles unsecured, which later slide during maneuvers or turbulence.
- Running checklists from memory or skipping items once they feel familiar with the airplane, especially during high-workload phases like engine start or pre-landing.
- Focusing so intently on organizing the flight deck after takeoff that they allow altitude, heading, or airspeed deviations while reaching for items or adjusting setup.
3. CFI PRO TIP
Have the student perform a silent “touch-and-verify” flow of the cockpit layout before ever opening a checklist. This habit forces them to physically confirm every switch, control, and document is where it should be, which dramatically reduces both missed items and last-minute scrambling once the engine is running.
4. SAFETY SPOTLIGHT
NTSB investigations have repeatedly cited unsecured items in the cockpit as contributing factors in loss-of-control events. In several ASRS reports, pilots described a kneeboard, water bottle, or chart sliding under the control yoke or rudder pedals during a critical phase, creating sudden control interference when the airplane was already low and slow.
5. DID YOU KNOW
The FAA’s Practical Test Standards predecessor to the ACS first added an explicit “cockpit management” task in the 1990s after accident data showed that poor organization and checklist discipline were contributing to an increasing number of preventable incidents in training aircraft.
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