Private pilot · ACS PA.II.B · Instructor lesson plan

Flight Deck Management

Student pack: Train: Flight Deck Management · Full lesson: Prepare guide

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1 · Objective

By the end of this lesson your student can explain flight deck management in their own words, apply it in a realistic situation, and fly it to the ACS standard for PA.II.B.

Why it matters for safety: A disorganized cockpit (charts sliding around, an unbriefed passenger grabbing the controls or chatting through a clearance, an iPad set up wrong) adds workload right when you need it least. Organizing the flight deck and briefing passengers keeps your attention on flying.

2 · Assign before the lesson

Pre-work: the free Train pack, Flight Deck Management. Brief your passengers, organize the cockpit, use checklists and manage automation and devices.

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Pack: pilotprep.pro/train/ppl/flight-deck-management · Full lesson: pilotprep.pro/prepare/ppl/flight-deck-management

3 · Teach sequence

Key points to land

Before takeoff, brief every passenger on how to fasten and unfasten their seat belt and shoulder harness; before taxi, takeoff and landing, tell them to fasten them.(14 CFR 91.107(a)(1)-(2))
A good passenger briefing covers who's pilot in command, belts and harnesses, doors, emergency procedures, staying clear of the propeller, and when to stay quiet.(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.II.B.S2)
Use the checklists. They exist because memory fails under workload and distraction.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Operations)
Use current and appropriate data for the navigation you'll actually do. A current GPS database is required for IFR navigation or where the AFM/POH requires it; for VFR, update your EFB and verify the information you need.(14 CFR 91.103; Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.II.B)
Secure everything in the cabin: loose items can jam controls or hurt someone in turbulence.(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.II.B.S1)
Program the automation on the ground when you can, and know what mode it's in.(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.II.B.S3)
Manage passenger distractions: brief a "sterile" period for taxi, takeoff, approach and landing (a Part 91 best practice, not a rule).(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Operations)

Passenger briefing

Two separate duties: before takeoff, make sure each person is briefed on how to fasten and unfasten the seat belt and, if installed, shoulder harness; and before moving on the surface, takeoff and landing, make sure each is told to fasten them. Briefing before engine start is good practice so they can hear you, but the rule is "before takeoff".(14 CFR 91.107(a)(1)-(2))
Each person must occupy a seat with the belt fastened (and shoulder harness, if installed) during movement on the surface, takeoff and landing. A child who hasn't reached their second birthday may be held by an adult in an approved seat, as long as the child isn't using a restraint, or may ride in an approved child restraint system properly secured.(14 CFR 91.107(a)(3))
A complete briefing: who is pilot in command, belts and harnesses, how the doors and windows work, emergency equipment and exits, staying clear of the propeller, and quiet times.(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.II.B.S2)
Agree on a sterile cockpit for taxi, takeoff, approach and landing. In Part 91 this is a briefed best practice (the regulations are for airlines and charters, 121.542 and 135.100). Traffic, hazards, ATC calls and checklist items are always welcome.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Operations; AC 120-71)
If a passenger talks over a clearance: stop, listen, and read back first; ask ATC to repeat anything you missed; on the ground, stop the airplane if you can't taxi and listen at once; then reset the expectation with the passenger.(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.II.B.R3)
A briefing a student can reproduce (SAFETY): Seat belts and harnesses (how and when, seats locked); Air vents, comfort and airsickness help; Fire extinguisher location and use; Exits, doors and emergency procedures; Traffic to look out for, and Talking (when to stay quiet); Your questions. Add: don't touch the controls or rest feet on the rudder pedals, and keep the control area clear. This goes beyond the 91.107 legal minimum.(FAA SAFETY briefing; Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.II.B.S2)

Checklists and current data

Use the POH checklist for each phase without letting it pull your eyes from flying and looking outside. Whether you read-and-do or flow-then-verify varies by phase, airplane and operator. If you're interrupted, resume at the last item you verified, never from memory of roughly where you were. Memory is for immediate-action emergency items, backed up by the checklist as soon as time allows.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Operations)
You must be familiar with all available information concerning the flight, including charts and airport information.(14 CFR 91.103)
Check your EFB charts and GPS database dates before you fly. A current database is required for IFR navigation or where the AFM/POH requires it; for VFR, use current, appropriate data for the navigation you'll do.(AC 91-78)

Securing the cabin

Secure bags and loose items in the baggage compartment, a net or tie-downs where provided, not loose on a seat, so they can't shift the CG or slide forward; stay within the weight and balance and baggage compartment limits.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Operations)
After loading and boarding, check the flight controls free and correct through full travel before taxi and takeoff, and check again whenever a passenger or bag has moved.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Operations; Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.II.B.S1)
A pen or headset cable under a rudder pedal or a bag against the yoke can jam the controls.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Operations)

Equipment, automation and devices

Set up radios, transponder and GPS on the ground. Know what each automation mode will do and how to disconnect it.(Advanced Avionics Handbook (FAA-H-8083-6))
Portable electronic devices: 91.21 prohibits them on certificate holders' aircraft and on any aircraft under IFR, except listed devices (voice recorders, hearing aids, pacemakers, electric shavers) and others the operator has determined won't interfere with navigation or communication. On a Part 91 airplane, the pilot in command or operator makes that determination. On any flight, make sure no device interferes.(14 CFR 91.21(a)-(c))
Inoperative equipment without an MEL (91.213(d)): first, is the item required? It may not be inoperative if it is in the VFR-day type certification requirements, on the airplane's equipment list or kinds-of-operation equipment list, required by 91.205 or another rule for this flight, or required by an airworthiness directive. If any applies, the airplane doesn't fly.(14 CFR 91.213(d)(2))
If it isn't required, it must be removed (with the control placarded and the removal recorded) or deactivated and placarded "Inoperative", and a pilot or mechanic must determine it isn't a hazard. A placard records that legal decision; it doesn't make an item flyable on its own. Deactivation that needs maintenance is a mechanic's job.(14 CFR 91.213(d)(3)-(4))

Watch for in the airplane: Your instructor watches for a complete, natural passenger briefing, a tidy cockpit with charts and devices set up before engine start, and checklist use without being prompted.

4 · Ask your student

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

Recall · What does the regulation require you to brief passengers on?
A strong answer: How to fasten and unfasten their seat belts and shoulder harnesses, and to have them fastened for taxi, takeoff and landing.
Understand · Why brief a sterile cockpit to passengers?
A strong answer: Taxi, takeoff and landing are the busiest phases, and a question at the wrong moment can make me miss a clearance or a hold-short line. Asking them to hold questions keeps my attention where it's needed.
Apply · Your passenger starts talking just as the tower gives you a taxi clearance. What do you do?
A strong answer: Politely pause them, ask the tower to say again if I missed it, read the clearance back, and remind them about quiet times during taxi.

Scenarios to talk through

Your passenger has never flown in a small airplane and wants to open the window in flight. What should your briefing have covered?
Sound decision: How the doors and windows work and when the POH allows them to be opened (many trainers allow opening a window in flight, some below a speed limit), plus belts, staying clear of the controls, quiet times and what to do in an emergency. If one opens unexpectedly, it's a distraction to manage: fly the airplane first.
Your tablet's charts show an expired date when you open them before engine start. What do you do?
Sound decision: Update them before you go (or use current paper charts) and verify the information you need for this flight: airspace, frequencies, airports and obstacles change between cycles.
During the climb, a water bottle rolls under the rudder pedals. What's the risk, and what should have prevented it?
Sound decision: It can jam a pedal or the brakes. Secure loose items before engine start; if it happens, keep flying the airplane and retrieve it only when it's safe.

5 · Common student errors

A rushed or incomplete passenger briefing.
Why it matters: Passengers who don't know the doors, belts or quiet times become a distraction or a hazard.
How to correct it: Use a standard briefing every time (many pilots use the SAFETY acronym).
Setting up avionics while taxiing.
Why it matters: Heads-down during taxi causes runway incursions.
How to correct it: Program everything before you move.
Loose items in the cockpit.
Why it matters: They can jam controls or fly around in turbulence.
How to correct it: Stow and secure everything before engine start.

6 · Completion standard

Secure all items; give a complete passenger briefing (PIC, belts and harnesses, doors, passenger conduct, sterile aircraft, propeller avoidance, emergency procedures).
Program and manage the automation; manage risk with ADM and SRM.
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 PA.II.B: pilotprep.pro/exam?exam=PPL&focus=PA.II.B

7 · References

Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Operations
Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25C)
Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), Area II
Your airplane's POH/AFM, normal procedures and checklists
14 CFR 91.21, 91.103, 91.107, 91.213
AC 91-78, EFBs
Airman Certification Standards, task PA.II.B

PilotPrep instructor lesson plan, from the Flight Deck Management lesson (checked against current FAA sources 2026-11-12). A study and teaching aid, not FAA guidance; teach to your own judgment and the current ACS.