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Commercial pilot · ACS CA.IX.D · Instructor lesson plan

Emergency Equipment and Survival Gear

Student pack: Train: Emergency Equipment and Survival Gear · Full lesson: Prepare guide

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1 · Objective

By the end of this lesson your student can explain emergency equipment and survival gear in their own words and apply it to a realistic flight, to the ACS standard for CA.IX.D.

Why it matters for safety: Surviving a forced landing is often the first half of the problem; being found and staying alive until rescue is the second. A commercial pilot carrying passengers is responsible for having the right equipment, knowing how to use it, and making sure passengers do too.

2 · Assign before the lesson

Pre-work: the free Train pack, Emergency Equipment and Survival Gear. ELTs, extinguishers, survival gear for the terrain and climate, ballistic parachutes, autoland, and briefing your passengers.

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Pack: pilotprep.pro/train/cpl/emergency-equipment-and-survival-gear · Full lesson: pilotprep.pro/prepare/cpl/emergency-equipment-and-survival-gear

3 · Teach sequence

Key points to land

  • ELT rules (91.207): inspected every 12 calendar months; batteries replaced (or recharged) after more than 1 cumulative hour of use or when 50% of their useful life (or charge) has passed, with the new date marked on the transmitter and in the records. Testing (AIM 6-2-4): per the manufacturer, preferably shielded or self-test with no signal radiated; the first-5-minutes-after-the-hour, three-sweep window is only for an analog 121.5/243 MHz ELT (coordinate other times with the tower); a 406 MHz ELT is tested only per the manufacturer; never in the air.(14 CFR 91.207; AIM 6-2-4)
  • 406 MHz ELTs are detected by satellite; register yours with NOAA. 121.5 MHz is no longer monitored by satellite.(AIM, Chapter 6, Emergency Procedures)
  • A fire extinguisher (PASS): pull the pin, aim at the base, squeeze, sweep. Use an agent rated for the fire class and approved for aircraft. A hand unit lasts only about 8 to 10 seconds, so cut the power for an electrical fire and make the first sweep count; ventilate right after, since some agents are harmful in a closed space.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
  • Carry survival gear for 48 to 72 hours: water, shelter, clothing, signaling, first aid, suited to the terrain, the climate and water if you're flying over it.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
  • Ballistic parachute (if equipped), per its POH: decide the triggers before flight (loss of control, structural failure, incapacitation, an engine failure with no safe landing site); slow as much as possible within the maximum demonstrated deployment speed (pull anyway if time or altitude is short); remove the cover and pull the handle straight down with both hands; mixture cutoff if time allows; belts tight, brace.(Your airplane's POH/AFM)
  • Emergency autoland (if equipped): passengers can activate it if the pilot is incapacitated. Brief them on how.(Your airplane's POH/AFM)
  • Brief passengers on every piece of equipment: belts (91.107 requires the belt and harness briefing), plus exits, extinguisher, survival kit, parachute or autoland (the ACS asks for these; 91.519 lists them for large and turbine multiengine airplanes).(14 CFR 91.107; Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.IX.D.S2)

ELT and fire extinguisher

  • The ELT activates on impact or manually. Test it per the manufacturer, preferably shielded or by self-test with nothing radiated; the first 5 minutes after the hour, no more than three audio sweeps, applies only to an analog 121.5/243 MHz ELT (coordinate any other time with the tower); a 406 MHz ELT only per the manufacturer; never in the air. Automatic activation needs the switch in ARMED; a 406 MHz ELT must be registered with NOAA. After a hard landing, check 121.5 MHz to make sure it isn't going off.(14 CFR 91.207; AIM, Chapter 6, Emergency Procedures)
  • Inspection every 12 calendar months; battery replaced or recharged after more than 1 cumulative hour of use or at 50% of useful life (or charge), with the new expiration date marked on the transmitter and in the maintenance record.(14 CFR 91.207)
  • Extinguishers: know the type (halon or a replacement agent for cockpit fires), check the gauge and inspection tag, keep it mounted within reach, and ventilate after use.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)

Gear for where you fly

  • Hot climates: water first, shade, sun protection. Cold: insulated clothing, shelter, fire-starting. Mountains: warm layers, signaling, a beacon. Over water: for hire beyond power-off gliding distance from shore, 91.205(b)(12) requires approved flotation gear for each occupant and a pyrotechnic signal; a raft is prudent. Wear the vests on long overwater legs, put them on before ditching, and don't inflate them until you're out of the airplane (inflated inside a flooding cabin, they trap you).(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
  • Plan for 48 to 72 hours: water, clothing, shelter, signaling (mirror, whistle, flares), first aid and a personal locator beacon.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)

Parachutes and autoland

  • A ballistic parachute is used per the POH: loss of control, structural damage, pilot incapacitation, or an engine failure over terrain with no landing option. Decide on the triggers before the flight, and don't delay: slow down within the deployment speed, pull the handle straight down with both hands, mixture cutoff if time allows, then brace.(Your airplane's POH/AFM)
  • Brief passengers on the parachute handle, the seat position and when to pull it, as the POH describes.(Your airplane's POH/AFM)
  • Emergency autoland flies to a suitable airport and lands; it's for pilot incapacitation. Brief passengers how and when to activate it.(Your airplane's POH/AFM)

4 · Ask your student

In order: recall, then understanding, then applying it. Move up only when the answer shows it.

  1. Recall · When may you test an ELT?

    A strong answer: Per the manufacturer, preferably shielded or by self-test. The first 5 minutes after the hour, three sweeps maximum, is only for an analog 121.5/243 MHz ELT; a 406 MHz ELT only per the manufacturer. Never in the air.

  2. Understand · Why is a 406 MHz ELT better than 121.5?

    A strong answer: It's detected by satellite and sends registered identity and, often, position; 121.5 is no longer monitored by satellite.

  3. Apply · You're flying passengers across a mountain range in winter. What do you carry and brief?

    A strong answer: Warm clothing, shelter, water, food, first aid, signaling, a PLB, and a briefing on the ELT, the extinguisher, the exits and where the kit is.

Scenarios to talk through

  • After landing you hear a warbling tone on 121.5 MHz. What do you check?

    Sound decision: Whether your own ELT activated; turn it off and tell the nearest ATC or FSS facility.

  • Your airplane has a ballistic parachute and the engine quits over forest at 2,500 feet AGL. What do you consider?

    Sound decision: With no safe landing site and above the POH minimum altitude, deploying the parachute per the POH may be the best option.

  • A charter over a lake beyond gliding distance from shore. What do you need?

    Sound decision: For hire beyond power-off gliding distance: approved flotation gear readily available to each occupant and a pyrotechnic signaling device (91.205(b)(12)); a raft is prudent. Brief putting the vests on and not inflating them until outside the airplane.

5 · Common student errors

  • Survival gear that doesn't fit the trip.

    Why it matters: Desert kits don't help in the mountains in winter.

    How to correct it: Pack for the terrain and season.

  • No passenger briefing.

    Why it matters: Passengers can't help if they don't know.

    How to correct it: Brief equipment and exits every flight.

  • Testing the ELT the wrong way.

    Why it matters: It looks like a real alert.

    How to correct it: Per the manufacturer, preferably shielded; the first-5-minutes, three-sweep window is only for an analog ELT; a 406 MHz ELT only by the manufacturer's procedure.

6 · Completion standard

  • Your student answers each "Ask your student" question in their own words, up to the Apply level, without prompting.
  • They talk through the scenarios and reach a safe, legal decision, explaining why.
  • They complete the pack’s quick check and can say what they flagged.

Area trained? Close out with a practice oral focused on CA.IX.D: pilotprep.pro/exam?exam=CPL&focus=CA.IX.D

7 · References

  • Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures
  • Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aircraft Systems; Flight Instruments
  • Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM), Chapter 6, Emergency Procedures
  • 14 CFR Part 91, 91.3, 91.205, 91.207
  • Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), Area IX
  • Your airplane's POH/AFM, Emergency Procedures
  • Airman Certification Standards, task CA.IX.D

PilotPrep instructor lesson plan, from the Emergency Equipment and Survival Gear lesson (checked against current FAA sources 2026-11-13). A study and teaching aid, not FAA guidance; teach to your own judgment and the current ACS.