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Private pilot · ACS PA.II.B · lesson pack

Flight Deck Management

Why this one matters

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.

1 · Know these cold

  • •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)

2 · The lesson

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))

Want it all on one page, with scenarios? Read the full lesson.

On the flight

ACS standards

  • Secure all items; give a complete passenger briefing (PIC, belts and harnesses, doors, passenger conduct, sterile aircraft, propeller avoidance, emergency procedures).(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.II.B.S1-S2)
  • Program and manage the automation; manage risk with ADM and SRM.(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.II.B.S3-S4)

What your instructor is watching for

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.

3 · Say it out loud

Answer each one out loud, then check yourself and mark how it went.

  1. Remember Recall it

    “What does the regulation require you to brief passengers on?”

  2. Understand Explain why

    “Why brief a sterile cockpit to passengers?”

  3. Apply Use it on a flight

    “Your passenger starts talking just as the tower gives you a taxi clearance. What do you do?”

4 · Common mistakes

  • A rushed or incomplete passenger briefing.

    Passengers who don't know the doors, belts or quiet times become a distraction or a hazard.

    Instead: Use a standard briefing every time (many pilots use the SAFETY acronym).

  • Setting up avionics while taxiing.

    Heads-down during taxi causes runway incursions.

    Instead: Program everything before you move.

  • Loose items in the cockpit.

    They can jam controls or fly around in turbulence.

    Instead: Stow and secure everything before engine start.

5 · Quick check

Answer, then reveal. Flag anything you want to see again.

  1. 1. Must passengers wear seat belts during taxi?

  2. 2. Who is responsible for briefing passengers?

  3. 3. Why should you check your EFB chart dates?

  4. Scenario4. Your passenger asks you a question while you're reading back a hold-short instruction. What do you do?

  5. 5. Under IFR in a Part 91 airplane, who decides which portable electronic devices may be used?

Trained it? Now prove it: practice flight deck management out loud with our examiner.

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Connect it

One situation that runs across this lesson and its neighbors in the same ACS area. Decide first, then check.

Connect it · Preflight Procedures

Your fuel sample shows water. Your passenger is in a hurry to make a dinner reservation. At the run-up, the left magneto drop is beyond the POH limit.

Walk through each decision and how the pressure connects them. Decide, then see the worked answer

Sample every drain point into a clear container. A little water that clears is drained until the samples come out clean. Water that keeps coming, or a large amount of it, means the fuel source may be contaminated: stop, keep the samples, report it, and don't fly until the system has been drained or purged and re-sampled clean. The rushed passenger is external pressure, the setup for a 'get it done' decision, so name it and tell them you leave when the airplane is ready. At the run-up, the magneto check fails on an excessive drop, an excessive difference between the two magnetos, roughness, or no drop at all (which can mean a magneto isn't grounding). A fouled plug is only one cause of a large drop: if the POH gives a clearing procedure, try it once, then re-check. If the check still fails, taxi back. You're responsible for the airplane being airworthy before every flight, whatever the schedule.

AFH (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Operations; PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aircraft Systems; Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A); 14 CFR 91.3, 91.7

Brings together: Preflight Assessment · Flight Deck Management · Before Takeoff Check

Teaching this? The instructor lesson plan →

Study aid, not FAA guidance. Sources: Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C); Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25C); Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C); Your airplane's POH/AFM; 14 CFR 91.21, 91.103, 91.107, 91.213; AC 91-78. Checked against current sources 2026-11-12.