Decoding the Private Pilot ACS | Part 1

Welcome to the first episode of our new series at VSL Aviation! I'm Seth Lake, an experienced FAA Designated Pilot Examiner, and in this video, I'm going to break down the Private Pilot Airman Certification Standards (ACS) like never before. This series aims to provide detailed insights and practical tips for aspiring pilots. Whether you're a student pilot, an instructor, or just aviation enthusiast, this series will deepen your understanding of the ACS, helping you become a more knowledgeable and confident pilot. Stay tuned for more episodes where we'll dive even deeper into the world of aviation standards and training!
Chapters:
00:50 - ACS Guide
01:40 - Part 61 Qualifications
03:35 - ACS Element Decoding
06:09 - Use of Written Test Report
07:40 - Checkride Script
10:22 - Introduction to Task A
12:32 - Scenario-Based Questioning
22:40 - BasicMed
25:25 - Private Pilot License (PPL) Limitations
28:13 - Discussion on Illegal Cost Sharing
46:40 - Closing Statements

[@danetastic1]

Amazing content! I’m currently at step 0 (waiting for my medical exam to make sure I can fly from a health standpoint) and starting to dip my toe into the material I’ll need to learn to earn certifications. This scenario-based learning is very helpful for not just memorizing information but putting deeper context behind it. I haven’t even been to ground school but feel like I can reason my way through a portion of the PPL oral exam. I’ll definitely check back for more content!

[@Badboybraz]

Dude I read through the ACS all day today and felt sick to my stomach trying to figure out how I was going to study this thing! Thank you so much for this content and product. This has been a huge time savor and will probably save me from failing my PPL oral exam 🙏🏽

[@SethLakeDPE]

You're welcome!

[@larryblanco8056]

As a student pilot on the cusp of taking my checkride, I am so grateful I stumbled upon this. Seth this is very helpful to all student pilots and I'll go out and say to veteran pilots as well. Thanks you and I do appreciate you taking the time to do this.

[@snowman100]

I have a checkride in a month and this way of presentation greatly helps, removes the robotic memorized answers and throwing in scenarios that make one both think and apply reason while still adhering to intent of the FARs. Thank you so much for what you do. And Happy New hopeful year!

[@SethLakeDPE]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mattassenmacher495]

How'd you do on your ride?

[@snowman100]

​@@mattassenmacher495passed! And already on to instruments. Thanks for asking

[@snowman100]

Passed thanks! On to instruments

[@mattassenmacher495]

@@snowman100 awesome man, congrats! I have my ride next week hoping everything goes well. 🤞

[@johnopalko5223]

I think breaking up the ACS into sections is a great way to present the material. It gives people the information in easily absorbed doses and gives them a chance to mull it over before moving on to the next section. It also allows you to go deeper in depth given the time constraints of a typical podcast.

[@SethLakeDPE]

Thank you so much for the feedback!

[@justinsisson]

As a new Pilot I am determined to not fail a check ride. This is soo helpful!!! Thanks Seth for the time and effort put into this. I will likely purchase the Ace guide here shortly!

[@SethLakeDPE]

Great!

[@flashpacker1980]

This was great

[@jmizzonini]

This is amazing content , thank you for producing it. Just starting my training and it’s great to play something like this at night to try to absorb as much as possible

[@SethLakeDPE]

Great to hear!

[@ryanedwards9496]

Love the format! Super helpful !

[@maritestaylor8458]

Awesome thanks

[@jlbuf1flyer]

Great content Seth, I think the scenarios and going into great detail is how you really learn the concepts instead of memorizing and then having that ability to understand not exist and forgetting the info over time. Love the ACE Guide and watching how you are adding to it's value!

[@SethLakeDPE]

Thank you for the feedback! I’m working on the next version of the ACE guide now, so be looking out for an update before the end of the month.

[@daytonbell3447]

Thank you Seth, I appreciate the videos

[@SethLakeDPE]

Glad you like them!

[@mikebarillari2202]

Good stuff, thanks Seth!

[@SethLakeDPE]

Any time!

[@joelt49]

Loved the format, Seth! Thank you, super helpful. Can't wait for the following videos in the series.

[@SethLakeDPE]

Thanks! More to come.

[@immeandering]

This video is SO incredibly helpful. Thank you!

[@SethLakeDPE]

You're welcome!

[@amuroray2981]

This is exactly what I needed. Thankyou for your efforts in helping create the next generation of pilots.

[@blaisepoemape3596]

Thank you for the new videos series! It wasn’t that long in my opinion, waiting for the next episodes!

[@SethLakeDPE]

Glad you like them!

[@kasm10]

Can’t wait for more in this series. I’ve got my ace guide too. Thank you Seth

[@SethLakeDPE]

Great to hear! Thank you for your support!

[@egec1]

This is a great format. Thanks Seth. I've got my check ride coming up and your ACE guide is great too.

[@SethLakeDPE]

That’s great to hear. Thank you for the feedback and support!

[@theodoregrader8270]

Thank you so much! This is incredibly helpful in understanding the ACS

[@SethLakeDPE]

You're welcome!

[@Mgaarons]

Seth is great as always. Have my checkride in a couple weeks, this helps 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@SethLakeDPE]

Happy to help!

[@kasm10]

The common purpose with your hangar mate who needed a ride back is helping a fellow aviator out bc eventually you will be in a similar position of needing a flight somewhere while your plane is serviced

[@sprocketrocket4559]

Glad to see your still posting, listening to your podcasts helped me get through commercial last December! Look forward to more… maybe CFI stuff haha

[@SethLakeDPE]

I’m hoping to get through all the CFI stuff this year!

[@paolobernardi6835]

Very informative and also I like this format

[@SethLakeDPE]

Awesome, thank you!

[@Ifly1976]

Awesome Seth!

[@SethLakeDPE]

🙌

[@NorthwestAeronaut]

Appreciate this, Seth! I have recently been doing the same thing on my podcast - breaking down the ACS line item by line item - but I really enjoy your take on things too and am sharing your videos with my students along with my own videos and podcasts haha.

[@SethLakeDPE]

Awesome! Thank you. I'll check your podcast out as well. Cheers!

[@SteelTallon]

Like the format. I have my Sport check ride in March. I am nervous, and this helps break it down. Thanks

[@SethLakeDPE]

Awesome! Best of luck!

[@jom5826]

Awesome ❤

[@SethLakeDPE]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@lothargloss]

I loved this format! My check ride is Feb 8th and I wish you had all the videos out! This definitely helps break down the ACS and cant wait for you to post the next ones!

[@flysport_tedder]

good luck on your checkride!

[@SethLakeDPE]

You bet. I have an older series that goes through the entire PPL ACS. Just checkout the Private Pilot ACS playlist on the channel. The current series will go into much more detail though. Best of luck!

[@andrewfernandez7652]

@@flysport_tedder How did the checkride go? Do you feel the break down of the ACS further prepared you?

[@kylecrumpton1048]

Yessss

[@jeromiegolab4533]

This is amazing Seth! I love diving into the details of why something matters and not just the memorization. I am worried that I don’t have a firm enough grasp on some of the knowledge areas even though I think I can recite acronyms and such. That doesn’t make you a safe pilot though. PLEASE keep going on these!!!

[@SethLakeDPE]

Thank you so much for the feedback! I'm working on the next part of the series now!

[@flysport_tedder]

this is great, I especially like that you give example scenarios and talk about how they are used in the checkride. thanks Seth.

[@SethLakeDPE]

Yeah, I think scenario based questions really help put things together.

[@flysport_tedder]

@@SethLakeDPE btw lol at least 2-3 friends have bought your stuff since I posted this 😄

[@SethLakeDPE]

I’ve seen a bump in sales recently. Thank you so much! 🙏

[@flysport_tedder]

@@SethLakeDPE midlife pilots love overpreparing 😄

[@hasantolgaucar8445]

Excellent video on private pilot ACS, specifically from DPE thoughts! Clear explanations and valuable insights. Really helps aspiring pilots understand the crucial aspects. Keep up the great work, Seth! We appreciate your efforts and time for aviation.I’ve been listening to a lot of great contents from everyone, but the way you explain subjects makes more sense to me and I understand each of the rules and regulations! Never get bored of listening to your hours-long videos. Please make it more for us! We appreciate you, sir!

[@SethLakeDPE]

Thank you so much for the thoughtful feedback!

[@wayneethier4472]

Thanks Seth! I think breaking down the private pilot checkride into smaller bite size pieces helps to demystify the process. It looks scary to a student pilot the way the information is presented in the books. But you make learning to fly easier to understand. Can’t wait for part 2!

[@SethLakeDPE]

You’re welcome!

[@JianliGuo]

I love this detailed explanations of ACS, please keep this format, please don't water it down going forward. BTW, when will the links to FAR Reference and AIM Reference in your "VSL ACE Menu" become live?

[@SethLakeDPE]

Great! As for the links, I might have caused some confusion. That is meant to be a key. Purple and blue links for FAR and AIM references. You can find the active links within the tasks of the ACS. I'm slowly but surely putting links on as many task elements as I can but it's time consuming. Future updates will have more but version 3.2 as several for private pilot.

[@JianliGuo]

@@SethLakeDPE, Thank you for clarifying the Purple and blue links for FAR and AIM references, I misunderstood them, now I know. 🙂

[@snowman100]

Good luck bro! Just remember CFI wouldn't sign you off if you weren't ready

[@nathanbourquin6554]

Currently learning for my written, while saving money to get through training. This is great content, not only does it prepare me the written but also for my flight lessons. Basically allowing my cfi to close any knowledge gaps instead of having to teach me everything. Thank you! Also a question: I have learned (its probably in the CFR) that ACs are not legally binding. Why does the FAA use it to communicate rules?

[@SethLakeDPE]

Thanks for the feedback! Long story as for the ACs. Basically, it's too hard to pass FARs so the FAA communicates through ACs. Standard government bureaucracy unfortunately.

[@user-ty6og7ek5e]

This is EXACTLY what I was looking for! I passed my written exam with a score of 80 and I am looking for ways to review/study the 12-13 questions/knowledge codes that I answered incorrectly as part of preparation for my check-ride. Thank you very much! I will be following every video!

[@SethLakeDPE]

Great! You're welcome!

[@otnielbrillonleon1214]

Love this. Now let’s go through all of it by mid FEB before my check ride 😂

[@SethLakeDPE]

I should have at least one more episode out by then. Maybe two… I’m sure you will do well without them though. Keep up the studying!

[@bryanrogers7912]

Hi Seth, This information is awesome. Have you published Decoding the Private Pilot ACS Part 3? I can only find Part 1 and Part 2. Thank you!

[@SethLakeDPE]

Part 3 will be on hold for a while. I'm going through the new ACS documents that just dropped. Depending on how many changes I can find I might re-release parts 1 and 2 before going to part 3. Stay tuned!

[@bryanrogers7912]

@@SethLakeDPE Thank you!

[@haimkoren3565]

Hi Seth,do you have any programs for ppl stage check or mocks?

[@weldonrusso1232]

Great stuff! About to take my check ride. I appreciate you. Do you have a Venmo?

[@SethLakeDPE]

Thank you! Best of luck. Venmo is @vslaviation. Thanks!

[@daniellanders5794]

Seth, I love your videos and these are simply brilliant. If I have any criticism at all, you are egregiously over thinking the nuances regarding pro rata sharing of flight costs. I’m a cop. As an agent of the executive branch of government I dole out the consequences of violations of criminal laws for a living. Perhaps your extremely nuanced take on literally giving a flight away, but you’re “compensated” in flight hours, is in fact not in accordance with the FAR. So what? Tens of thousands of infractions are performed every hour of every day by millions of people. We are a nation of laws but the burden of proof is on the government…and that bar is a high standard. At the end of the day such nuance is a practical bridge to far. Cops love discussions like this when we first graduate the academy. But soon, the stark reality hits us in the face that a good portion of the time, no one cares.

[@SethLakeDPE]

Thank you for your comment. As an educator and Designated Pilot Examiner, my role requires me to teach the FARs as they are written, not based on the practicality of their enforcement. While I understand some pro rata cost sharing rules might not seem directly tied to safety, they are part of the legal framework within which we operate. In aviation, understanding and adhering to these regulations is crucial, not just for legal compliance but for the safety and integrity of our profession. My focus is on ensuring pilots are fully prepared and knowledgeable about these laws for their exams and their careers. Appreciate your perspective and the dialogue it opens about our responsibilities in our respective fields.

[@y0manda]

is pro rata share limited to compensating flight experience ?

[@SethLakeDPE]

Not sure what you mean. Could you clarify your question?

[@ericamonet29]

Okay this was great but I’m still confused on where and how to find alllll the information pertaining to each code. Everyone just says “FAR/AIM” but like… what exact part of it and how do I know I’m reading the right thing? Is there information NOT included in the FAR/AIM that I have to know?

[@SethLakeDPE]

The FARs and the AIM are only part of the things you need to be studying. There are a couple of other FAA manuals like the AFH and PHAK that have critical information.

[@LightningTrader]

👍

[@F22raptor46]

What exactly is the purpose of the FAA saying you can't fly your friend unless you both have a common purpose there? I feel like that's them prodding into your personal business a little too much isn't it?

[@SethLakeDPE]

The reason for most FAA regulations is safety.

[@josh885]

Anyone who wants to really understand what is and isn't a common purpose and compensation needs to watch the video about cost sharing your airplane on the FAA youtube channel in which AAOP interviews an FAA attorneyabout it. Even flying a friend for medical treatment would violate the law if you weren't already going there. The FAA says so in that video. The scenario with the date would 1000% be illegal and the Trent Palmer case has shown us if it were challenged legally it would be up to you to prove the date was your idea and therefore you had a common purpose. Not the otherway around. As Seth said proving that is near impossible. So tread carefully when assuming how "silly" a scenario would be to get in trouble for.

[@SethLakeDPE]

So your saying it's illegal for me to fly my wife places?

[@josh885]

@SethLakeDPE I'm saying with the incredibly broad way the FAA defines compensation and the way they determine if you have a common purpose the FAA could very well take that position. Would they? I don't know. But what is very clear is that you are putting yourself at the mercy of the FAA and just how much they decide they want you if you fly anyone anywhere you can't prove you were already going. Doing anything else puts you in a grey area where it can be easily claimed you were flying for compensation given the way the law is applied as discussed in that interview on the FAA's channel. To me this is a huge issue. The law should be clear and specific with clear and specific definitions for what is and isn't compensation and what is and isn't a common purpose. By leaving it so open to the interpretation and opinion of whoever is decideding if a pilot broke the law or not, a pilot has little protection even when they acted in good faith. And they can not be 100% sure if they are technally flying for compensation or not in many situations.

[@jamesh7876]

Find argue that you’re taking your wife or girlfriend on a date, that’s a common purpose. Both your happiness is mutually consider.