✈️ Aviation Brief — Issue #82
Weekly insights for student pilots and the instructors who train them.
THIS WEEK'S TOPIC
CA.IV.A — Normal Takeoff (Commercial Pilot ACS)
1. ACS STANDARDS SUMMARY
The Commercial ACS (CA.IV.A) requires the applicant to demonstrate a normal takeoff and climb using the correct checklist, position controls for wind, clear the area, align on the runway centerline, apply full power smoothly, maintain directional control, rotate at the manufacturer’s recommended airspeed, establish a pitch attitude for Vy ±5 knots, retract gear and flaps at the appropriate time, and track the extended centerline with proper wind correction through at least 500 feet AGL while completing after-takeoff checks.
2. THREE COMMON STUDENT MISTAKES
- Looking just in front of the airplane instead of far down the runway, causing the airplane to wander off centerline during the takeoff roll.
- Rotating 3–5 knots early or pulling excessively, resulting in a steep climb that bleeds airspeed and triggers a stall warning.
- Neglecting to reset aileron input after liftoff when there is a crosswind, allowing the airplane to drift downwind immediately after becoming airborne.
3. CFI PRO TIP
Have the student verbalize three specific actions out loud before brake release: “Centerline, full power, feet dancing.” This forces them to confirm they are tracking the middle stripe, have added power smoothly, and are already making small, continuous rudder corrections instead of large, reactive ones.
4. SAFETY SPOTLIGHT
NTSB data shows that nearly 20 % of runway excursions during the takeoff phase involve loss of directional control on the ground roll, often because the pilot fixated on the airspeed indicator and stopped making rudder corrections. In several Cessna 172 incidents, the airplane departed the side of the runway before rotation because the pilot had not yet developed the habit of looking well ahead.
5. DID YOU KNOW
The Cessna 172S POH lists a normal takeoff flap setting of 0° and a rotation speed of 55 KIAS; using 10° flaps actually increases ground roll unless operating from a soft or short field.
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