Updated October 2026
The commercial ACS is FAA-S-ACS-7B, the Commercial Pilot for Airplane Category Airman Certification Standards, in force since 31 May 2024. It has 11 Areas of Operation and adds five maneuvers a private pilot never flies: steep turns at 50 degrees, the steep spiral, chandelles, lazy eights and eights on pylons. It also adds a power-off 180 landing on a point or within 200 feet beyond it.
The rest of the checkride looks familiar and is graded harder. Below: what changed from the old Practical Test Standards, every Area and Task, the maneuver standards and the oral. Then the 10 hours of complex time, the usual failures, and what the day costs in Southern California.
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What Changed From The PTS To The Commercial ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B)
The revision history inside the document tells the story. The commercial test ran on the Practical Test Standards, FAA-S-8081-12C, dated November 2011. The ACS took over with FAA-S-ACS-7 and its 2017 and 2018 changes, then 7A in June 2018 with a change in 2019, then 7B, dated November 2023 and in force since 31 May 2024. The FAA's ACS page still listed 7B as current in September 2026.
The PTS listed what to fly and how accurately. The ACS keeps that and adds two things for every Task: the knowledge you must hold and the risk management judgments you must make. Each element is coded, so a wrong answer on the knowledge test points to an exact one. Those codes print on your test report, and the examiner must test those elements.
Version 7B itself was a tidy-up rather than a rewrite. It added and archived a number of element codes, moved non-regulatory material out of the appendices into the ACS Companion Guide for Pilots, FAA-G-ACS-2, and added legends to the additional-rating task tables. The practical advice is simple: study from 7B, and treat any book or app still quoting 7A wording as out of date.
Areas Of Operation And Tasks
These are the Tasks for a single-engine land airplane. Seaplane Tasks and Area X, Multiengine Operations, do not apply.
| Area | Tasks |
|---|---|
| I. Preflight Preparation | Pilot qualifications; airworthiness; weather; cross-country planning; National Airspace System; performance and limitations; operation of systems; human factors |
| II. Preflight Procedures | Preflight assessment; flight deck management; engine starting; taxiing; before takeoff check |
| III. Airport And Seaplane Base Operations | Communications, light signals and runway lighting; traffic patterns |
| IV. Takeoffs, Landings And Go-Arounds | Normal, soft-field and short-field takeoffs and landings; power-off 180° accuracy approach and landing; go-around |
| V. Performance And Ground Reference Maneuvers | Steep turns; steep spiral; chandelles; lazy eights; eights on pylons |
| VI. Navigation | Pilotage and dead reckoning; navigation systems and radar services; diversion; lost procedures |
| VII. Slow Flight And Stalls | Slow flight; power-off stalls; power-on stalls; accelerated stalls; spin awareness |
| VIII. High-Altitude Operations | Supplemental oxygen; pressurization |
| IX. Emergency Operations | Emergency descent; emergency approach and landing; systems and equipment malfunctions; emergency equipment and survival gear |
| XI. Postflight Procedures | After landing, parking and securing |
Put it beside the private pilot ACS, FAA-S-ACS-6C, and the differences jump out. The private test has 12 Areas, including Basic Instrument Maneuvers and Night Operations. The commercial test has neither as an Area. It adds High-Altitude Operations, accelerated stalls, the five Area V maneuvers and the power-off 180, which takes the place the forward slip holds on the private test. Our private pilot ACS guide covers the other document.
The Commercial Maneuvers And Their Standards
14 CFR 61.43(a) says a practical test applicant must show mastery of the aircraft and proficiency within the approved standards. On a commercial checkride, examiners take "mastery" literally. A chandelle with the right numbers and visible corrections all the way round is not mastery.
| Task | Standard |
|---|---|
| V.A Steep turns | About 50° of bank, ±5°; entry altitude ±100 ft; airspeed ±10 kt; roll out on the entry heading ±10° |
| V.B Steep spiral | At least three 360° turns; bank not to exceed 60°; airspeed ±10 kt; finish no lower than 1,500 ft AGL |
| V.C Chandelles | About 30° of bank; roll out at the 180° point ±10°, just above stall speed; no lower than 1,500 ft AGL |
| V.D Lazy eights | At each 180° point: altitude ±100 ft from entry, airspeed ±10 kt, heading ±10°; no lower than 1,500 ft AGL |
| V.E Eights on pylons | Correct bank for the conditions, not to exceed 40° |
| IV.M Power-off 180° landing | Touch down on the specified point or within 200 ft beyond it |
| IV.F Short-field landing | Touch down on the specified point or within 100 ft beyond it |
| IV.E Short-field takeoff | VX ±5 kt until the obstacle is cleared or 50 ft above the surface |
How each one is flown, with the pivotal altitude arithmetic for eights on pylons, is on our commercial pilot maneuvers page. The private-level building blocks are in steep turns and ground reference maneuvers, slow flight and stalls and short-field and soft-field landings.
Oral Exam Topics: Privileges, 61.133, Systems Of The Arrow And Performance
Privileges come first, and they are where commercial applicants overreach. Under 14 CFR 61.133 you may act as pilot in command of an aircraft carrying persons or property for compensation or hire, and fly for compensation or hire. The condition is that you are qualified under the other parts that apply. That last clause is the whole oral. A commercial certificate alone does not let you sell rides to the public, and the examiner will build scenarios around exactly that line. Our page on commercial pilot privileges and limitations works through holding out and common carriage.
Know the limitation too. Without an instrument rating, 61.133(b) puts a restriction on the certificate: no carrying passengers for hire on cross-country flights of more than 50 nautical miles, or at night. Earning the instrument rating removes it.
Systems questions are asked in the airplane you bring. In our Arrow, N316EF, that means a fuel-injected 200-horsepower Lycoming IO-360 with no carburetor heat and a hot-start technique to know. It means a constant-speed propeller: propeller forward then throttle up to add power, throttle back then propeller back to reduce it. And it means hydraulic gear driven by an engine pump, three green lights and a gravity-assisted emergency extension. On N316EF the automatic gear extension system is disabled, so the gear is manual only, and an examiner will ask what that changes in your flow. VLO and VLE come from Section 2 of that airplane's POH.
Performance and high altitude round it out. Expect a density altitude question about a summer afternoon at Van Nuys, a weight and balance at the edge of the envelope, and the oxygen rules in 14 CFR 91.211. Crew need oxygen above 12,500 feet for any time over 30 minutes up to 14,000, crew use it continuously above 14,000, and every occupant must be provided with it above 15,000. Our turbocharged, unpressurized Cirrus SR22T, N422SN, flies to FL250, so those numbers are not theory here.
Complex And TAA Time: The 10-Hour Requirement
14 CFR 61.129(a)(3)(ii) asks, inside 20 hours of training, for 10 hours in a complex airplane, a turbine-powered airplane or a technically advanced airplane, or any mix of them. Under 61.1 a complex airplane has retractable landing gear, flaps and a controllable-pitch propeller. Under 61.129(j) a TAA needs an electronic primary flight display, a multifunction display with a GPS moving map, and a two-axis autopilot integrated with navigation and heading guidance, with both screens in view.
The Arrow meets the complex definition, and flying those 10 hours in it also earns the one-time complex endorsement under 61.31(e), which has no minimum hours. We sell that endorsement on its own at a fixed $999. The single-engine practical test itself does not have to be flown in a complex airplane; our complex and high-performance endorsements page covers the rules.
| Requirement | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Total flight time | 250 hours |
| Powered aircraft | 100 hours, 50 in airplanes |
| Pilot in command | 100 hours, 50 in airplanes, 50 cross-country with 10 in airplanes |
| Training | 20 hours, including 10 instrument (5 in a single-engine airplane) and 10 complex, turbine or TAA |
| Day and night cross-countries | One of each, 2 hours, more than 100 NM straight-line from departure |
| Checkride preparation | 3 hours with an instructor within 2 calendar months of the test |
| Solo or PIC duties | 10 hours, including a 300 NM cross-country with three landings and one leg of 250 NM, and 5 hours of night VFR with 10 takeoffs and landings at a towered airport |
Our commercial pilot course is $15,400 for a 130-hour program: 30 hours in the aircraft, 20 in the Redbird MCX simulator, 50 of dual and 30 of ground. The full count against 250 is on commercial pilot license requirements.
Common Commercial Checkride Failures
The ACS gives three grounds for an unsatisfactory: consistently exceeding the tolerances, not correcting promptly once you drift, and failing to manage risk. Checklist use is graded throughout. On a commercial ride those usually come from the same few places.
The chandelle that finishes early. The wings come level before the 180-degree point and the airplane wallows through the last 20 degrees, or the bank creeps past 30 and the heading arrives before the airspeed has bled off.
The lopsided lazy eight. A good first half and a rushed second half, so the airplane reaches the 180-degree point low and fast.
Pylons held with bank. Correcting eights on pylons with bank instead of altitude keeps the pylon on the wingtip in a skid the examiner can see on the ball.
Spirals that speed up. Bank changes all the way round a constant-radius spiral, and airspeed escapes while you are watching the point.
The power-off 180 that runs out of energy. Flaps too early, an arrival low, nothing left. In the Arrow, gear is one more thing to be early or late with.
On the ground, the classic failures are a compensation scenario answered too generously and an hour count that does not add up. Total your 61.129 columns twice, check that both long cross-countries were really more than 100 nautical miles straight-line, and confirm the knowledge test is inside 24 calendar months under 61.39. If a Task does go wrong, 61.43(f) keeps credit for what you passed if you finish within 60 days.
Scheduling And DPE Fees In Southern California
The examiner's fee is roughly $800–$1,000 in Southern California, paid directly to the examiner and charged again on a retest. The commercial knowledge test, code CAX, is 100 questions in 2.5 hours with 70 percent to pass, and roughly $175 at the testing center. You also pay for the airplane while the test is flown: the DA20 is $229 an hour inside a package and $329 retail, and the Arrow is $229 inside a package and $349 retail. Our page on DPE checkride fees in Southern California explains the fee and the wait.
Book the examiner before you finish, keep flying the maneuvers while you wait, and pick the slot with the local weather in mind. A mid-morning slot in May or June risks the marine layer still sitting over the field when the oral ends. A summer afternoon brings density altitude and rough air over the Valley floor, which makes a 50-degree steep turn harder than it needs to be. Early morning outside marine-layer season is the friendliest window.
Flying The Maneuvers Over Simi Valley In The Arrow And The DA20
Our practice area is Simi Valley, northwest of Van Nuys beyond the Santa Susana Mountains, where the airspace is quiet and the ridge makes a reference you cannot lose. The ACS floors are above the ground, not above sea level. Set your 1,500-foot minimums from the terrain under you, not from Van Nuys' 802-foot field elevation.
The two airplanes teach different things, and we think you want both. The Arrow is heavy and steady, which smooths small errors and hides untidiness an examiner will still see. The DA20, N306EF or N308EF, is the opposite: a stick, a bubble canopy and very little inertia, so a sloppy input shows at once. It is also certificated in the utility category and is the airplane we use for spin training, which pairs the spin awareness Task with the CFI spin endorsement a future flight instructor needs. The Redbird MCX at $120 an hour inside a package is where the sequence and the power settings become automatic before you pay for airplane time.
Related Reading
- Commercial pilot license in Los Angeles, the course, the hours and the price.
- Commercial pilot maneuvers, how to fly each one, with pivotal altitude worked out.
- Complex and high-performance endorsements, the Arrow, the Cirrus and the rules behind each.
- DPE checkride fees in Southern California, who sets the fee and how to shorten the wait.
- Commercial pilot license requirements, every line of 61.129 in a tracker.
- Airman Certification Standards, how the private, instrument and commercial documents fit together.
Commercial ACS And Checkride FAQ
What Is The Current Commercial Pilot ACS?
FAA-S-ACS-7B, the Commercial Pilot for Airplane Category Airman Certification Standards, dated November 2023 and in force since 31 May 2024. The FAA's ACS page still listed it as current in September 2026.
How Many Areas Of Operation Are In The Commercial ACS?
Eleven, from Preflight Preparation to Postflight Procedures. In a single-engine land airplane, Area X, Multiengine Operations, does not apply, so you are tested in ten of them.
What Are The Commercial Steep Turn Standards?
About 50 degrees of bank, plus or minus 5, holding the entry altitude within 100 feet and airspeed within 10 knots, and rolling out on the entry heading within 10 degrees. The private standard is 45 degrees.
Do You Need A Complex Airplane For The Commercial Checkride?
No. You need 10 hours of training in a complex, turbine-powered or technically advanced airplane under 14 CFR 61.129(a)(3)(ii), but the single-engine practical test can be flown in a fixed-gear airplane such as the DA20.
How Many Questions Are On The Commercial Written Test?
The commercial pilot airplane knowledge test, code CAX, has 100 questions with 2.5 hours allowed and a passing score of 70 percent, according to the FAA's ACS knowledge test table.
What Happens If You Fail One Maneuver On The Commercial Checkride?
Failing one Task fails its Area of Operation and the test, and you receive a Notice of Disapproval. After extra training and an instructor endorsement under 61.49 you retest, with credit for the Areas you passed if you finish within 60 days.
Can You Carry Passengers For Hire Without An Instrument Rating?
Only within limits. Under 14 CFR 61.133(b), a commercial pilot without an instrument rating may not carry passengers for hire on cross-country flights of more than 50 nautical miles or at night.
Fly Your Commercial Maneuvers At Van Nuys
If you hold a private certificate and are working toward commercial, book a free consultation and bring your logbook; an instructor will total your 61.129 hours and map what is left. If you have not started, a 60-minute discovery flight from Van Nuys is $229 in a Piper Warrior, flown by you from the left seat and credited in full if you enroll within 24 hours.
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