June 2018 new Instrument Rating Airman Certification Standards for Airplane FAA-S-ACS-8B. Effective June 11, 2018. High quality reprint of the Instrument Rating ACS by Elite Aviation Solutions. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has published the Instrument Rating - Airplane Airman Certification Standards (ACS) document to communicate the aeronautical knowledge, risk management, and flight proficiency standards for the instrument rating in the airplane category, single-engine land and sea; and multiengine land and sea classes. This Instrument Rating ACS incorporates and supersedes FAA-S-ACS-8A Instrument Rating - Airplane Airman Certification Standards. The FAA views the ACS as the foundation of its transition to a more integrated and systematic approach to airman certification. The ACS is part of the Safety Management System (SMS) framework that the FAA uses to mitigate risks associated with airman certification training and testing. All pilots preparing for a checkride should be completely familiar with the Instrument Rating - Airplane Airman Certification Standard. It has been proven in the past pilots who do not understand the standard for which they are being evaluated on have a much greater chance of failing their checkride.