Commercial pilot · ACS CA.II.B
Flight Deck Management
Flight deck management is preparing the cockpit, the passengers and the equipment before you go, so the flight is smooth for everyone aboard.
Why this one matters
Passengers who don't know when to stay quiet, a tablet with expired charts, an autopilot in a mode you didn't expect, or a bag against a control: each one adds workload when it matters most. A professional flight deck is set up before the engine starts so the flight itself has your full attention.
Can’t miss
- •Brief every passenger before takeoff on fastening and unfastening the seat belt and shoulder harness (if installed); tell them to fasten them before surface movement, takeoff and landing; and make sure each one is in an approved seat with the belt (and harness, if installed) fastened for those phases.(14 CFR 91.107(a)(1)-(3))
- •A full briefing covers who the pilot in command is, belts and harnesses, doors, passenger conduct, the sterile cockpit, propeller avoidance and emergency procedures.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.II.B.S2)
- •Use the checklists for every phase; in a complex airplane they catch the gear, propeller and fuel-pump items that memory misses.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Transition to Complex Airplanes)
- •Use current charts and navigation data: check the EFB charts and the GPS database dates before you fly, and know what an expired database still allows.(14 CFR 91.103; AC 91-78A)
- •Secure all items and cargo, within the baggage and weight-and-balance limits.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.II.B.S1)
- •Program the avionics and autopilot on the ground, know what mode they're in, and know how to disconnect them.(Advanced Avionics Handbook (FAA-H-8083-6))
- •Know what's inoperative and how it limits the flight before your passengers board.(14 CFR 91.213)
What you should know
Passengers K1 · R3
- The pilot in command ensures each person is briefed on fastening and unfastening the seat belt and harness and is told to fasten them before taxi, takeoff and landing.(14 CFR 91.107(a))
- Each person occupies an approved seat with the belt, and the shoulder harness if installed, fastened during movement on the surface, takeoff and landing. A child under 2 may be held by an adult occupying an approved seat.(14 CFR 91.107(a)(3))
- Brief who is pilot in command, belts, doors and exits, emergency equipment, propeller avoidance and passenger conduct. Paying passengers deserve the same briefing every time.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.II.B.S2)
- Part 91 has no sterile-cockpit rule; brief it anyway, as the ACS asks. The airline model: no nonessential conversation or activity during taxi, takeoff and landing, and below 10,000 feet except in cruise. Tell passengers what to speak up about (traffic, smoke, a problem).(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.II.B.S2; 14 CFR 121.542 (as a model))
Checklists, current data and cargo K2 · K3 · K4
- The POH checklist is the authority. Read-do (read each item, then do it) and do-verify (a flow, then the checklist to confirm) are both accepted on the ground and in flight. GUMPS (gas, undercarriage, mixture, propeller, and switches or seat belts, depending on the source) is a before-landing memory check that never replaces the POH checklist, and it includes confirming three green.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Transition to Complex Airplanes; Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Operations)
- You must know all available information for the flight, including current charts and airport data.(14 CFR 91.103)
- Check the EFB charts and the GPS database. VFR has no database-currency rule. Under IFR, an expired database may be used en route and in the terminal area only after you verify the data against a current source (as the AFM supplement allows); for an approach it must be current, or you must verify the procedure hasn't been amended.(AC 91-78A; AIM 1-1-17)
- Secure bags and cargo against shifting, within the compartment and weight-and-balance limits; nothing loose near the controls or pedals.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Operations)
Automation, devices and inoperative equipment R1 · R2
- Set up radios, transponder, GPS and autopilot on the ground; verify every mode change on the annunciator and be ready to hand-fly.(Advanced Avionics Handbook (FAA-H-8083-6))
- Portable electronic devices: 91.21 applies to air carriers and certificate holders, and to any aircraft operated under IFR; there, the operator (for a Part 91 airplane, the PIC) decides which devices won't interfere. It doesn't regulate a VFR Part 91 flight, but you still make sure nothing interferes with navigation or communication.(14 CFR 91.21)
- Inoperative equipment: with an approved MEL, follow it. Without one (91.213(d)), the item can't be inoperative if it's required by the type certification VFR-day rules, the equipment list or kinds-of-operation list, 91.205 or another rule for the flight, or an airworthiness directive.(14 CFR 91.213)
- Otherwise remove it, or deactivate it and placard it "Inoperative", with a pilot or mechanic determining it isn't a hazard; then brief what it means for the flight. The placard records the decision; it doesn't replace it.(14 CFR 91.213(d)(3)-(4))
- Single-pilot resource management: use every resource (ATC, passengers for simple tasks, automation) and keep deciding with the 3P or PAVE model.(Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A))
On the flight
ACS standards
- Secure all items; conduct a complete passenger briefing (PIC, belts and harnesses, doors, conduct, sterile aircraft, propeller avoidance, emergency procedures).(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.II.B.S1-S2)
- Program and manage the automation; manage risk with ADM, including SRM/CRM.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.II.B.S3-S4)
What your instructor is watching for
Your instructor watches for a natural, complete passenger briefing, a cockpit set up before engine start, current data, automation programmed and verified, and checklist use without prompting.
Scenarios
Decide what you would do first, then see the worked answer.
Before engine start, your GPS shows its database expired last week.
What do you do? See the worked answer
For VFR, it isn't illegal, but verify anything you use against current charts. For IFR, use it en route only after verifying the data against a current source, and fly an approach from it only if you verify the procedure is unchanged; better, update it before the flight.
14 CFR 91.103; AC 91-78
Climbing out, the autopilot doesn't capture the altitude you set and keeps climbing.
What do you do? See the worked answer
Fly the airplane: disconnect and hand-fly to the assigned altitude, then check the mode and settings before using it again. Tell ATC if you deviated.
Advanced Avionics Handbook (FAA-H-8083-6)
A client's heavy case is placed loose on the rear seat next to a passenger.
What's the risk, and what do you do? See the worked answer
It can shift and injure someone or move the CG. Secure it with a belt or move it to the baggage compartment within limits, and recheck weight and balance.
Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Operations
Common mistakes
A rushed briefing for passengers who "have flown before".
Every airplane's doors, belts and exits are different.
Instead: Give the full briefing every time.
Head-down programming during taxi or climb.
It causes incursions and altitude busts.
Instead: Program on the ground; if a change is needed in flight, keep flying and do it in short steps.
Assuming the autopilot will do what you expect.
Mode confusion causes deviations.
Instead: Verify each mode on the annunciator and be ready to disconnect.
Now train it
Say it out loud, hear it asked, and take the quick check in this lesson’s practice pack. It tracks your shaky spots.
Got it?
When it feels solid, practice flight deck management out loud with our examiner.
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Teaching this? The instructor lesson plan →
Sources
- Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C): Ground Operations; Transition to Complex Airplanes
- Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25C)
- Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A)
- Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B): Area II
- Your airplane's POH/AFM: normal procedures and checklists
- Advanced Avionics Handbook (FAA-H-8083-6)
- 14 CFR 91.21, 91.103, 91.107, 91.213
- AC 91-78: EFBs
Study aid, not FAA guidance. Regulations change; check the current text at eCFR and the ACS. Checked against current sources 2026-11-13.