Part 2 tackles Task B: Airworthiness Requirements. We go well beyond the ARROW acronym and talk about what actually makes an airplane legal to fly — including STCs, flight manual supplements, the Type Certificate Data Sheet, inspections, ADs, and how a simulated FAA ramp inspection might unfold on your checkride.

ACS Elements at a Glance

PA.I.B.K1 Required instruments and equipment for day/night VFR
PA.I.B.K1a–c Inoperative equipment procedures, MEL, and Kinds of Equipment List
PA.I.B.K1e Owner/operator PIC responsibilities (new in 2024 ACS)
PA.I.B.K2 Required inspections and regulatory compliance
PA.I.B.K3 Airworthiness Directives, Type Certificate Data Sheets, and STCs
PA.I.B.R1 Inoperative equipment discovered before or during flight
PA.I.B.S1–S3 Determine airworthiness, locate documents, use MEL/placards
Example Scenario

An FAA safety inspector approaches you during a ramp inspection. They spot a Garmin 430 in your 1970 Cessna 172 — that unit didn’t come from the factory. Where’s the STC? Where’s the flight manual supplement? This scenario naturally tests knowledge far beyond the basic ARROW acronym.

Beyond ARROW: Most training fleet aircraft have aftermarket avionics, autopilots, or engine monitors. Each of those installations requires an STC and a flight manual supplement to be on board. If you show up to a checkride with a 430 in the panel and no STC documentation, the airplane may not be airworthy.

VSL ACE Guide

Every ACS element links directly to the FARs, TCDS references, and handbook chapters. The ACE Guide now includes the Plane Sense handbook for owner/operator topics new to the 2024 ACS.

Get the ACE Guide

Decoding the Private Pilot ACS — Full Series

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