On May 1 the new Commercial Pilot Practical Test Standards for Lighter-Than-Air Balloon and Airship became effective. In the foreword to the manual, Thomas C. Accardi, Director, Flight Standards Service wrote:
The Commercial Pilot Ð Lighter-Than-Air Practical Test Standards (PTS) book has been published by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to establish the standards for commercial pilot certification practical tests for the lighter-than-air category, balloon and airship classes. FAA inspectors and designated pilot examiners shall conduct practical tests in compliance with these standards. Both commercial pilots exercising flight instructor privileges and applicants should find these standards helpful during training and when preparing for the practical test.
The practical test book, in addition to the Areas of Operation, includes information on practical test standard concepts, test standard descriptions, how to use the test book, commercial pilot prerequisites, aircraft and equipment requirements, examiner responsibility, flight instructor responsibility, crew resource management, and applicant's use of checklists.
Below are both the table of contents for Lighter-than-Air Balloon areas of operation and reference publications that were used to develop the tasks in the practical test.
Both text and Adobe pdf formats of the document are available on the Internet by going to http://www.fedworld.gov/pub/faa-att/faa-att.htm.
Table of Contents
Areas of Operation:
I Fundamentals of Instructing
A. The Learning Process
B. Human Behavior
C. The Teaching Process
D. Teaching Methods
E. Critique and Evaluation
F. Flight Instructor Characteristics and Responsiblities
G. Planning Instructional Activity
II. Technical Subjects
A. Aeromedical Factors
B. Visual Scanning and Collision Avoidance
C. Principles of Flight
D. Regulations and Publications
E. National Airspace System
F. Logbook Entries and Certificate Endorsements
III. Preflight Preparation
A. Certificates and Documents
B. Weather Information
C. Flight Planning
D. Performance and Limitations
E. Operation of Systems
IV. Preflight Lesson on a Maneuver to be Performed in Flight
Maneuver Lesson
V. Preflight Procedures
A. Launch Site Selection
B. Crew Briefing and Preparation
C. Layout and Assembly
D. Preflight Inspection
E. Inflation
F. Basket/Gondola Management
G. Pre-Launch Check
VI. Airport Operations
Radio Communications
VII. Launches and Landings
A. Normal Launch
B. Launch Over Obstacle
C. Approach to Landing
D. Steep Approach to Landing
E. Normal Landing
F. High-Wind Landing
VIII. Peformance Maneuvers
A. Ascents
B. Altitude Control (Level Flight)
C. Descents
D. Rapid Ascent and Descent
E. Contour Flying (LBH)
F. High Altitude Flight (LBG)
G. Obstacle Avoidance (LBH)
H. Tethering (LBH)
I. Winter Flying
J. Mountain Flying
IX. Navigation
Navigation
X. Emergency Operations
A. Systems and Equipment Malfunctions
B. Emergency Equipment and Survival Gear
C. Water Landings
D. Thermal Flight
XI. Postflight Procedures
A. Recovery
B. Deflation and Pack-Up
C. Refueling (LBH)
Reference publications:
14 CFR part 1 - Definitions and Abbreviations
14 CFR part 43 - Maintenance, Preventative Maintenance, Rebuilding, and Alteration
14 CFR part 61 - Certification: Pilots and Flight Instructors
14 CFR part 91 - General Operating and Flight Rules
NTSB 830 - Notification and Reporting of Aircraft Accidents and Incidents
AC 00-2 - Advisory Circular Checklist
AC 00-6 - Aviation Weather
AC 00-45 - Aviation Weather Services
AC 60-14 - Aviation Instructor's Handbook
AC 61-21 - Flight Training Handbook
AC 61-23 - Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge
AC 61-65 - Certification: Pilots and Flight Instructors
AC 61-67 - Stall Spin Awareness Training
AC 61-84 - Role of Preflight Preparation
AC 61-98 - Currency and Additional Qualification Requirements for Certificated Pilots
AC 61-101 - Presolo Written Test
AC 90-48 - Pilots' Role in Collision Avoidance
AC 91-13 - Cold Weather Operation of Aircraft
AC 91-71 - Operation of Hot Air Balloons with Airborne Heaters
A/FD - Airport/Facility Directory
AIM - Aeronautical Information Manual
NOTAM's - Notices to Airmen
Other
Balloon Digest (Balloon Federation of America)
How To Fly A Balloon (Balloon Publishing Co.)
Aerostatics (US Air Corps)
Balloon and Airship Flight Manuals
Navigation Equipment Operations Manuals
Selected Navigation Charts