Definition
Specific subject areas identified by the FAA in airman testing standards (such as the Airman Certification Standards and Practical Test Standards) that must be evaluated during a practical test or checkride, regardless of whether they appear under a specific Task. These items address areas of known risk, common errors, or critical safety concerns and may be tested at any point during the evaluation.
Plain English
A list of important safety topics the FAA tells examiners they must check on every practical test, even if those topics aren't tied to a specific maneuver. Examples include things like collision avoidance, runway incursion avoidance, and use of checklists.
Context Anchor
Seen in flight instruction, lesson planning, stage checks, and practical test preparation when an instructor identifies the safety areas that need extra attention.
Derivation
"Special emphasis" simply means "given extra attention." The FAA uses the phrase to flag topics it considers important enough that examiners must verify them on every test, not just when the syllabus happens to cover them.
Why Pilots Care
Paying consistent attention to these items reduces the risk of the most common accident causes and improves overall training effectiveness.
Intuition Check
Do not read “special emphasis items” as optional bonus topics. In this FAA training context, they are required safety areas that deserve extra attention.
Example Sentence 1
Before the checkride, the instructor reviewed the special emphasis items with the student, focusing on positive exchange of flight controls and runway incursion avoidance.
Example Sentence 2
When updating the syllabus the chief instructor ensured special emphasis items appeared in each stage of training.