Practical Test Standards


Practical Test Standards or PTS are the guidelines used by FAA Safety Inspectors or Designated Pilot Examiners to determine the suitability of airmen to be issued an Airman Certificate by conducting a checkride. These Standards are published by the FAA and can be obtained from most pilot shops. Each license has its own set of standards but these special emphasis areas are the same.
Special Emphasis Areas for any airplane certification:
  1. Positive aircraft control;
  2. Positive exchange of the flight controls procedure;
  3. Stall/spin awareness;
  4. Collision avoidance;
  5. Wake turbulence avoidance;
  6. LAHSO ;
  7. Runway incursion avoidance;
  8. CFIT ;
  9. ADM and risk management;
  10. wire strike avoidance;
  11. checklist usage;
  12. Temporary Flight Restrictions
  13. Special Use Airspace
  14. Aviation Security
  15. Single Pilot Resource Management
  16. Other areas deemed appropriate to any phase of the practical test.
Many of the PTS's for airplanes have been superseded by "Airmen Certification Standards" or "ACS" including Private Pilot, Commercial Pilot, Instrument Rating, and Airline Transport Pilot and Aircraft Type Rating.