Commercial pilot · ACS CA.VI.D · Instructor lesson plan
Lost Procedures
Student pack: Train: Lost Procedures · Full lesson: Prepare guide
1 · Objective
By the end of this lesson your student can explain lost procedures in their own words, apply it in a realistic situation, and fly it to the ACS standard for CA.VI.D.
Why it matters for safety: Being lost isn't the danger; what pilots do while lost is: wandering at low altitude, burning fuel, flying into weather or darkness, too embarrassed to ask for help. A commercial pilot with passengers has more reason, not less, to call ATC early. Radar can find you in seconds.
2 · Assign before the lesson
Pre-work: the free Train pack, Lost Procedures. Fly the airplane, climb if safe, work from your last known position, and ask for help early.
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Pack: pilotprep.pro/train/cpl/lost-procedures · Full lesson: pilotprep.pro/prepare/cpl/lost-procedures
3 · Teach sequence
Key points to land
- Fly the airplane first: steady heading and altitude, no wandering in search of landmarks.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Navigation)
- Climb if you can safely: you'll see farther and get better radio, navigation and radar coverage.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Navigation)
- Start from the last known position and time: heading, groundspeed and elapsed time give a circle of probable position.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Navigation)
- Use every tool: GPS, VOR cross-bearings, prominent landmarks, ATC radar.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Navigation)
- The Five Cs, after flying the airplane: Climb (see farther, better radio and radar); Communicate and Confess (tell ATC or Flight Service you're lost); Comply (follow their vectors and instructions); Conserve (reduce to maximum-endurance power and lean per the POH).(AIM, Chapter 6, Emergency Procedures)
- Declare an emergency when fuel, weather, daylight or your own state is deteriorating: priority now, paperwork later.(AIM, Chapter 6, Emergency Procedures)
- Any one of low fuel, fading daylight, weather or terrain is enough: land at a suitable airport. If you'd land with less than the 91.151 reserve (30 minutes by day, 45 at night), land now.(Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A); 14 CFR 91.151)
Finding your position
- Recorded checkpoint times are your lifeline: from the last known point, heading, groundspeed and elapsed time give a circle of probable position.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Navigation)
- Look for large, unmistakable features (a lake, a highway interchange, a river bend, a city) and match them to the chart, not the other way round.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Navigation)
- Use GPS if it's working. With VORs: tune and identify each, center the needle with a FROM flag to read the radial, note the time, and take the second radial promptly (or circle a landmark while you plot), because radials taken minutes apart cross where you were, not where you are.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Navigation)
- Hold a steady heading while you start working the position, or deliberately circle over an identifiable landmark while you plot and talk. The mistake is pressing on along a guessed heading or turning aimlessly.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Navigation)
Getting help
- Call the nearest approach control or center (frequencies on the chart), or Flight Service; ATC radar can identify you and give vectors, and Flight Service can give direction-finding help. If you're already talking to ATC, stay on that frequency and keep your assigned code with Mode C.(AIM, Chapter 6, Emergency Procedures)
- The call: "Pan-pan" three times for urgency, "Mayday" three times for distress; then your call sign and type, the problem, your last known position and time, heading since, altitude, fuel remaining, people aboard and the help you want.(AIM, Chapter 6, Emergency Procedures)
- Can't raise anyone promptly, or it's distress or urgency? Use 121.5 MHz and squawk 7700. Being unsure of your position alone doesn't require leaving a frequency where ATC is already helping you.(AIM, Chapter 6, Emergency Procedures)
- Declare an emergency when fuel, weather, daylight or your own state is getting worse; you get priority and help immediately.(AIM, Chapter 6, Emergency Procedures)
Staying safe while lost
- Being lost pulls your eyes to the chart and the screen: keep scanning for traffic and terrain, and keep the airplane level and trimmed.(AC 90-48, Pilots' Role in Collision Avoidance)
- Stress narrows attention: slow down, fly the airplane, then work the position methodically, then decide.(Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A))
Watch for in the airplane: Your instructor watches for steady control first, a climb if appropriate, a methodical position fix from the last known point, use of every navigation aid, and an early, clear call to ATC.
4 · Ask your student
In order: recall, then understanding, then applying it. Move up only when the answer shows it.
Recall · What are the Five Cs, and the emergency frequency and code?
A strong answer: Climb, Communicate, Confess, Comply, Conserve, after flying the airplane; 121.5 MHz and 7700.
Understand · Why climb when lost?
A strong answer: Altitude extends the view, radio range, navigation reception and radar coverage, so you're easier to help and see more landmarks.
Apply · Lost, 45 minutes of fuel left, sunset in 30 minutes, passengers aboard. What do you do?
A strong answer: With 45 minutes of fuel and sunset in 30, I'd land with less than the night reserve: land at the nearest suitable airport now. Hold a heading and climb if safe, call ATC now for a radar fix and vectors, declare an emergency if needed, and land at the nearest suitable airport before dark.
Scenarios to talk through
Your GPS failed and you've missed two checkpoints. What's your first step?
Sound decision: Fly a steady heading, note the time, and work out a probable position from the last known checkpoint, heading and groundspeed. Then look for a large feature.
You can receive two VORs. How do you find your position?
Sound decision: Tune and identify each; center each needle with a FROM indication to read the radial, noting the time; take the second one promptly; plot both. Where they cross is your position at that time.
You don't want to admit to ATC that you're lost. What's the risk?
Sound decision: Delay burns fuel and daylight. ATC helps lost pilots routinely; asking early is good airmanship.
5 · Common student errors
Wandering in circles.
Why it matters: It burns fuel and makes the position harder to work out.
How to correct it: Hold a heading and work methodically.
Waiting to ask for help.
Why it matters: Options shrink with fuel and daylight.
How to correct it: Call ATC early.
Forcing a landmark to fit the chart.
Why it matters: It confirms a wrong position.
How to correct it: Find a feature that only fits one place.
6 · Completion standard
- Use an appropriate method to determine position; maintain an appropriate heading and climb as necessary; identify prominent landmarks.
- Use navigation systems or contact ATC for assistance; select an appropriate course of action.
- 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.VI.D: pilotprep.pro/exam?exam=CPL&focus=CA.VI.D
7 · References
- Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25C), Navigation; Flight Instruments
- Advanced Avionics Handbook (FAA-H-8083-6)
- Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM), Chapters 1, 4, 6 and 7
- 14 CFR Part 91, 91.3, 91.103, 91.123, 91.151, 91.171, 91.215, 91.225
- AC 90-48 and AC 91-78
- Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), Area VI
- Airman Certification Standards, task CA.VI.D
PilotPrep instructor lesson plan, from the Lost Procedures 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.