Standard Alignment

FAA-S-8081-9E (PTS) — Flight Instructor Instrument, Helicopter · Area of Operation X. Postflight Procedures · Task: IFR Postflight, Instruments & Records

PTS Area X — Postflight Procedures Postflight instrument/avionics check & squawks IFR inspection currency & records Debrief tying performance to the next lesson

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

Teaching IFR Postflight & Records

Close the IFR lesson out — capture instrument/avionics anomalies, keep the aircraft IFR-legal, and debrief.

By the end of this lesson you can:

Teach a postflight check of the instruments/avionics and capturing anomalies as squawks.
Teach the IFR inspection/records that keep the aircraft legal (pitot-static/transponder/VOR check, database).
Teach an honest airworthiness call before the next IFR dispatch.
Tie the postflight to a learner-centered debrief and the next lesson.

1 · Postflight instrument check & squawks

Teach capturing anything noticed in flight — flags, erratic/lagging instruments, comm/nav anomalies, GPS integrity/database messages, autopilot behavior — as a clear squawk while it is fresh. A documented anomaly protects the next pilot in IMC.

2 · IFR records

Teach the IFR-relevant records: pitot-static/altimeter and transponder inspection currency, the recorded VOR check, and the current navigation database. Don’t dispatch IFR with a lapsed required inspection.

3 · Debrief

Tie postflight to the debrief: let the student self-assess against the tolerances, set the next lesson’s objective, and record progress. The flight isn’t over until the aircraft is secured, the records are complete, and the student knows their next target.

4 · Watch

Curated reference clip — “Logging Actual Instrument Time” · Mooney 201er (YouTube), verified via oEmbed. Embedded with the creator’s player; we don’t host or alter it.

5 · Reference sources

Use the authoritative references

📄 Instrument Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-15B) — Postflight 📄 14 CFR 91.171/91.411/91.413; Aviation Instructor’s Handbook (debrief)

Your aircraft: the avionics/inspection records are aircraft-specific — teach from the IFR trainer’s records and avionics.

✍️ Fill in for the aircraft you fly the IFR squawk process and inspection-currency records you teach, and your debrief structure — verify against the regs 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 postflight risk is a silent squawk or a lapsed IFR inspection passed to the next pilot, and a debrief that doesn’t advance learning. Teach prompt, honest documentation, IFR-currency verification before dispatch, and a learner-centered debrief that sets the next objective.