Standard Alignment

FAA-S-8081-9E (PTS) — Flight Instructor Instrument, Helicopter · Area of Operation V. ATC Clearances and Procedures · Task: Clearances, Departure Procedures & Holding

PTS Area V — ATC Clearances and Procedures Clearance copy/readback (CRAFT) Departure procedures (ODPs/SIDs) Holding entries & timing

⚑ FLAG (Walter): PTS references, not ACS codes — confirm against FAA-S-8081-9E.

Teaching ATC Clearances, Departures & Holding

Coach copying and reading back clearances, flying departure procedures, and entering and holding correctly.

By the end of this lesson you can:

Teach copying and reading back an IFR clearance (CRAFT) and complying with it.
Teach departure procedures (ODPs/SIDs) and obstacle/terrain considerations.
Teach holding-pattern entries (direct/teardrop/parallel) and timing/wind correction.
Brief the common errors of clearances and holding.

1 · Clearances & departures

Teach CRAFT (Clearance limit, Route, Altitude, Frequency, Transponder) for copying clearances, full readback of the route/altitude/heading and squawk, and compliance. Teach departure procedures (ODPs and SIDs) and the terrain/obstacle reasons they exist.

2 · Holding

Teach holding: the standard pattern (right turns, 1-minute legs at/below 14,000 ft), the entry by the ±70° rule (direct, teardrop, parallel), timing, and wind correction. Use sketches and have the student determine the entry from the clearance.

3 · Common errors

Teach the common errors: misreading/incomplete readback, wrong holding entry, poor timing/wind correction, and falling behind on the radios. Brief the corrections and emphasize aviate-navigate-communicate.

4 · Watch

Curated reference clip — “Be Checkride Ready! Holding Patterns Explained!,” MzeroA Flight Training (YouTube), verified via oEmbed. Embedded with the creator's player; we don't host or alter it.

5 · Reference sources

Use the authoritative references

📄 AIM — Clearances, Departures & Holding (Chapter 5) 📄 Instrument Flying Handbook / Instrument Procedures Handbook

Your aircraft: avionics for copying/loading clearances are installation-specific — teach the IFR trainer’s equipment.

✍️ Fill in for the aircraft you fly the clearance-copy method and holding-entry technique you teach, plus the trainer’s avionics — align with AIM and confirm with your CFII.

⚑ FLAG (Walter): the R44 is VFR-certificated; confirm the IFR trainer/sim and avionics the student actually uses, and that all instrument procedures and the required inspections match that installation.

Risk management (the “Consider”): the teaching risk is a student who falls behind on clearances/holding and breaks the scan to fumble the radio. Teach a reliable copy method (CRAFT), pre-briefed holding entries, and aviate-navigate-communicate so the aircraft is always flown first.