Definition
An FAA-published document that specifies the areas of operation, tasks, knowledge, and skill standards an applicant must meet to pass the practical test (checkride) for the Instrument Rating. It defines the minimum acceptable performance — including allowable tolerances for altitude, heading, airspeed, and tracking — that a designated pilot examiner uses to evaluate the applicant.
Plain English
This is the FAA's official rulebook for what you must be able to do, and how accurately, to pass your instrument checkride. It tells the examiner exactly what to test and what counts as passing.
Context Anchor
Seen in older FAA handbooks, instructor notes, and checkride preparation material when discussing how instrument flying performance is judged.
Derivation
‘Practical’ means tested in actual flight, not just on paper. ‘Standards’ means a fixed measure everyone is held to. Together: the fixed measures applied to your in-flight performance.
Why Pilots Care
A pilot must meet or exceed these standards to pass the practical test and earn the instrument rating.
Analogy
The PTS is like the score sheet for a driving test: it tells both the student and the examiner what must be demonstrated and what level of performance is acceptable.
Intuition Check
Do not read “standards” here as general good advice. In this FAA context, it means the official test requirements and acceptable performance limits for the instrument rating practical test.
Example Sentence 1
Her instructor reviewed the PTS tolerances with her so she knew exactly how tightly she needed to hold altitude on the checkride.
Example Sentence 2
Before the checkride the student reviewed every task in the PTS to ensure no gaps remained in their instrument procedures.