AA.VI.A.S13
Instrument Takeoff
What does AA.VI.A.S13 mean?
Comply with air traffic control (ATC) clearances and instructions issued by ATC or the evaluator, as appropriate..
- Area of Operation
- VI. Instrument Procedures
- Task
- A. Instrument Takeoff
- Element type
- A Skill element — something you must physically demonstrate to your examiner on the practical test (checkride), not the written.
What you need to know
An instrument takeoff means transitioning to flying by reference to instruments the instant the aircraft leaves the ground, since forward visibility may be near zero — so before you ever advance the throttles, you need runway/lighting/wind/wake-turbulence considerations resolved, avionics and flight instruments (heading, attitude, HSI/CDI, bugs) set for the departure, and a mental plan for what you'll do if an engine fails or you must reject the takeoff with weather below approach minimums, since you can't just circle back and land visually. During the takeoff roll and initial climb your scan must catch any deviation in heading or pitch immediately, using rudder/aileron pressure and attitude reference rather than looking outside, because at low altitude a stall, spin, or CFIT can develop very quickly with little room to recover. Good task management — completing checklists early, briefing abnormal procedures, coordinating callouts with a crew, and staying ahead of distractions — is what preserves situational awareness during this high-workload, low-margin phase. The examiner is really testing your judgment and instrument scan discipline under a no-visual-reference departure, not just your ability to keep the wings level.
Why students miss this
Students tend to treat the instrument takeoff as a mechanical stick-and-rudder exercise (keeping the wings level on instruments) and forget it's really a planning and decision-making task that starts long before brakes-release — especially the contingency plan for an engine failure or rejected takeoff when weather is below approach minimums at the departure airport. The trap is assuming that if you can legally depart, someone will always be able to get back in if something goes wrong; the exam wants you to show you've briefed what happens if that's not true.
Focus on: Before every instrument takeoff briefing, verbalize your rejected-takeoff criteria, your engine-failure-after-liftoff plan, and where you'll go if you can't immediately return and land in the existing weather.
Drill this area until it sticks
AA.VI.A.S13 came from a question you missed on the FAA Airline Transport Pilot Multiengine Airplane knowledge test. Drill ACS-aligned practice questions with AI explanations and the cited FAA handbook reference behind every answer — free to start.
Missing it isn't a verdict on you — it's a sign your prep skipped the why behind it. Memorizing answer letters is exactly what leaves gaps like this. Here, every answer explains the reasoning and cites the FAA source it comes from, so the concept holds on test day and at the checkride oral.
Related ACS codes in A. Instrument Takeoff
Other elements the FAA tests under this same Task — review them together.
- AA.VI.A.R1Selection of a runway based on aircraft performance and limitations, available distance, surfac…
- AA.VI.A.R2Wake turbulence.
- AA.VI.A.R3Abnormal operations, including planning for
- AA.VI.A.R3aRejected takeoff
- AA.VI.A.R3bPotential engine failure in takeoff/climb phase of flight with the ceiling or visibility below…
- AA.VI.A.R4Collision hazards.
- AA.VI.A.R5Low altitude maneuvering, including stall, spin, or controlled flight into terrain (CFIT).
- AA.VI.A.R6Distractions, task prioritization, loss of situational awareness, or disorientation.
+ 13 more elements in this Task.
Common question
Do I need an alternate departure airport for an instrument takeoff?
There's no blanket requirement to file one, but if weather at the departure airport is below what's needed to return and land, you're expected to have already thought through and briefed where you'd divert if an emergency happened right after takeoff.
What is an FAA ACS code?
The FAA's Airman Certification Standards (ACS) break each certificate into Areas of Operation, Tasks, and specific Knowledge (K), Risk Management (R), and Skill (S) elements. Every knowledge-test question maps to one code like AA.VI.A.S13. When you miss a question, your Airman Knowledge Test Report lists its code so you know exactly what to review.
Have a whole list of codes from your report? Paste them all into our free ACS code lookup to see every weak area at once — or browse the aviation glossary for plain-English definitions.