After Landing, Parking, and Securing (ASEL, AMEL)

The objective is that you understand after-landing, parking, and securing procedures, can apply that knowledge, manage associated risks, demonstrate appropriate skills, and provide effective instruction (Area XIV objective). The last clause is the whole difference from your commercial checkride — you are being watched teaching the shutdown, not just performing it.

And yes, you will do this one. The Area XIV note is explicit: the evaluator must select Task A (ASEL, AMEL) or Task B (ASES, AMES). In a landplane there is no Task B option, so XIV.A is mandatory — it is the last thing the evaluator sees you do, and it runs straight into the postflight debrief. Treat it as graded, not as the taxi back.

Only after the airplane is brought to a complete stop beyond the runway holding position markings (AFH 2-22). Until then the task is airplane control: track centerline with ailerons, hold heading with rudder, and slow to normal taxi speed with normal brake pressure before turning off — "any significant degree of turn at faster speeds could result in subsequent damage to the landing gear, tires, brakes, or the airplane structure."

Teach it with the handbook's own reason rather than a rule: "there have been many cases where a pilot has mistakenly manipulated the wrong handle and retracted the landing gear, instead of the flaps, due to improper division of attention while the airplane was moving" (AFH 2-22). A student who understands gear-up-on-the-rollout obeys the rule under pressure. A student who was only told "wait" cleans up early the first time they're rushed.

Teach the exception too, because the AFH states it in the same paragraph: "this procedure may be modified if the manufacturer recommends that specific after-landing items be accomplished during landing rollout" — the handbook's example is a manufacturer recommending flap retraction on rollout after a short-field landing to improve braking. Where the AFM/POH calls for it, the safeguard is not "wait," it is "make a positive identification of the flap control handle before retracting the flaps" (AFH 2-22). Say it that way, or you will teach against the POH of trainers your student will fly.

"Unless parking in a designated, supervised area, the pilot should select a location and heading that prevents propeller or jet blast of other airplanes from striking the airplane unnecessarily," and "whenever possible, the airplane should be parked headed into the existing or forecast wind" (AFH 2-23).

Narrate the four inputs so the student hears the reasoning, not the result:

• Wind now and forecast — you're securing against tonight's wind, not this minute's.
• Blast — yours onto people, doors, and other airplanes, and theirs onto you.
• What the ramp gives you — tie-down rows "may or may not be aligned with the wind or provide a significant choice in parking location."
• The roll-out straight ahead — after stopping in the desired direction, "the airplane should be allowed to roll straight ahead enough to straighten the nosewheel or tailwheel" so it can be pushed back later without side-loading the gear.

The ACS skill is worded around the safety of nearby persons and property (AI.XIV.A.S1) — say those words while you choose the spot.

The AFM/POH checklist governs; AFH 2-23 gives the representative order:

1. Parking brake ON
2. Throttle IDLE or 1,000 rpm
3. If turbocharged, the manufacturer's spool-down procedure
4. Magneto switch test — momentarily check for proper grounding in the OFF position at idle rpm
5. Propeller control HIGH rpm, if equipped
6. Avionics OFF
7. Alternator OFF
8. Mixture IDLE CUTOFF
9. Magneto switch OFF when the engine stops
10. Chocks installed (release parking brake per AFM/POH)
11. Master OFF
12. Secure — control locks and anti-theft security locks

The skipped item is step 4. Students hear "mag check" and think run-up. Teach the grounding check as its own thing with its own consequence: a P-lead that isn't grounding leaves the magneto live with the switch OFF, and the next person to move that propeller by hand finds out.

• Level one — the procedure. The engine is stopped at mixture IDLE CUTOFF, and the magneto switch goes OFF only after the engine stops (AFH 2-23, items 8 and 9).
• Level two — what that accomplishes. Idle cutoff shuts off the fuel at the source, so the engine quits from fuel starvation while the ignition is still live and under your control. It also proves, every flight, that the mixture control actually reaches cutoff — which matters, because mixture-to-idle-cutoff is the only way to stop an engine that starts accidentally (PHAK, Ignition System).
• Level three — what killing it on the mags would leave you. It makes the shutdown depend entirely on the ignition switch and P-lead being intact. "Even with the ignition switch in the OFF position, if the ground wire between the magneto and the ignition switch becomes disconnected or broken, the engine could accidentally start if the propeller is moved with residual fuel in the cylinder" (PHAK). Residual fuel is there after any shutdown — so the variable you control is whether the switch really grounds. That is what the grounding check at step 4 proves, before you need it, at idle rpm, deliberately.

That chain is a good example of the instructor standard: the student needs the checklist order; you need to answer "so what" twice more.

"A flight is not complete until the engine is shut down and the airplane is secured" (AFH 2-23). After shutdown and deplaning, walk around and inspect the general condition (AFH 2-23):

• Near and around the cowling — oil or fuel streaks
• The oil breather — excessive oil discharge
• Under the wings and other fuel tank locations — fuel stains
• Landing gear and tires for damage, brakes for leaking hydraulic fluid
• Cowling inlets for obstructions

Then servicing: oil brought to AFM/POH levels; fuel added based on immediate use, and if the airplane is going to be inactive, fill the tanks to prevent water condensation forming inside the tank.

The instructor technique that makes it stick: tie each item to something that happened today. "You got the brakes hot on that short field — go look at them." A checklist walk is forgettable; a hypothesis is not.

You do, with the student watching and, better, writing while you talk. Documentation goes in whatever discrepancy system the operator uses — squawk sheet, maintenance record, a call to the shop — with enough detail to be diagnosable:

• What happened
• When it happened
• Phase of flight and power setting
• Whether it cleared
• What you did about it

And be clear on what you may not do: PHAK 9-9 states "Maintenance deferrals are not used for inflight discrepancies. The manufacturer's AFM/POH procedures are to be used in those situations." A deferral under 91.213(d) is a preflight tool for equipment found inoperative before departure — it is not a way to keep the airplane on the schedule after something broke in flight.

The teaching point students remember: an undocumented squawk becomes the next renter's in-flight emergency, and at a flight school the next renter is usually another student.

"The aircraft should be hangared or tied down, flight controls secured, and security locks in place" (AFH 2-23). The tie-down nuance:

• Chains are not flexible and "should not be made taut so as to allow the airplane some movement and prevent airframe structural damage"
• Tie down ropes are flexible and "may be reasonably cinched to the airplane's tie down rings"

Also consider (AFH 2-23):

• Pitot tube covers
• Cowling inlet covers
• Rudder gust locks
• Window sunscreens
• Propeller security locks

And hangaring is not automatically safer: "hangaring is not without hazards to the airplane." Allocate enough space that the airplane is free from any impact to the hangar, another aircraft, or vehicle, and inspect the airplane after hangaring to be sure no damage was imparted (AFH 2-23).

Nobody unbuckles or opens a door until the propeller has stopped and you say so, and that gets briefed before the flight, not improvised at the tie-down. Then:

• You step out first; passengers follow one at a time
• Name the walking route out loud and walk it with them — nobody crosses in front of the nose, nobody goes back alone for a bag
• Hold a child's hand; control hats, headsets, and loose paper near any running aircraft
• Keep watching until they're inside the FBO — the ACS says monitoring passenger movement while on the ramp, which is a continuing duty, not a one-time briefing

The hazard isn't your propeller once it has stopped. It's the airplane two rows over that starts up while your passengers are taking pictures of yours.

• Cleaning up while rolling when the AFM/POH does not call for it — flaps, trim, transponder in motion. Name it "gear-handle error" and cite AFH 2-22. (Where the manufacturer does recommend an item on rollout, the error is instead failing to positively identify the handle first.)
• Turning off the runway too fast — gear, tire, brake, and structural loads (AFH 2-22).
• Stopping short of the hold lines with the tail still in the runway environment.
• Parking with no thought to wind or blast — the AFH wants forecast wind considered (AFH 2-23).
• Skipping the magneto grounding check at idle before shutdown.
• Shutting down on the magneto switch instead of mixture idle cutoff.
• Nosewheel left cocked because the airplane wasn't rolled straight ahead.
• Postflight walk-around skipped because the next lesson is at the top of the hour.
• Squawk mentioned but never written.
• The debrief traded for the schedule — see the Deep Dive.

Under S5 you have to analyze and correct them, which means: name the error, name its mechanism, give the corrective action, and confirm the student can restate it.

"The word critique sometimes has a negative connotation, and the instructor needs to avoid using this method as an opportunity to be overly critical of learner performance. An effective critique considers good as well as bad performance, the individual parts, relationships of the individual parts, and the overall performance" (AIH 6-10).

Two structural rules from the same page: a critique may be oral, written, or both, and it should come immediately after the performance, while the details are easy to recall. Write it down — "postflight critiques should be in a written format, such as notes, to aid the flight instructor in covering all areas that were noticed during the flight or lesson" (AIH 9-12), and it goes into the learner's training folder, which should be kept for at least 3 years (AIH 7-8).

Sequencing matters too. To keep learning pleasant and maintain motivation, "an instructor should make positive comments about the learner's progress before discussing areas that need improving" — the handbook's example is an instructor praising aircraft control in all phases of flight before offering constructive comments on holding runway centerline in the landing (AIH 3-13).

Collaborative critique is a form of learner-centered grading built on four steps of open-ended questions (AIH 6-5 to 6-6):

• Replay — the learner verbally replays the flight or procedure. You listen "for areas where the account does not seem accurate," then discuss the discrepancy. This validates their perceptions and gives you "critical insight into the learner's judgment abilities."
• Reconstruct — identify "the key things that the learner would have, could have, or should have done differently."
• Reflect — the handbook's own questions: What was the most important thing you learned today? What part was easiest, what part hardest? Did anything make you uncomfortable, and when? How would you assess your performance and decisions? How did your performance compare to the standards in the ACS?
• Redirect — connect forward: How does this relate to previous lessons? What might mitigate a similar risk next time? What personal minimums should be established, and what additional proficiency flying or training might be useful?

Then the second half: collaborative assessment is learner self-assessment followed by a detailed assessment by the instructor, compared in an in-depth discussion, through which "the instructor and the learner jointly determine the learner's progress" (AIH 6-6, 9-12).

Because traditional grading "often meets the instructor's needs but not the needs of the learner" (AIH 9-12). The alternative uses two broad rubrics — one for skill-focused maneuvers or procedures, one for single-pilot resource management (SRM), "the cognitive or decision-making aspect of flight training" (AIH 6-6). Do not merge them:

• Maneuver or procedure grades — Describe, Explain, Practice, Perform, Not observed. "Perform" signifies "the learner is satisfactorily demonstrating proficiency in traditional piloting and systems operation skills"; Not observed is "any event not accomplished or required."
• Risk management (SRM) grades — Explain, Practice, Manage-Decide. There is no "describe" level here. Manage-Decide is gathering the important data inside and outside the flight deck, identifying courses of action, evaluating the risk in each, and deciding — with instructor intervention not required for the safe completion of the flight.

The advantages are named directly (AIH 6-6):

• It actively involves the learner and builds "the habit of healthy reflection and self-assessment that is critical to being a safe pilot."
• The grades are not self-esteem related — they don't describe prestige like A+ or "Outstanding," but a level of performance. "The learner cannot flunk a lesson."
• Evaluation should be progressive — "the learner may achieve a new level of learning during each lesson." The handbook's own example: an item might be a "describe" item on flight one, a "practice" item by flight three, and a "manage-decide" item by flight five (AIH 6-6).

The handbook also names the two objections and answers them: instructors think it takes more time, "when in fact it is merely a more structured, effective, and collaborative version of a traditional postflight critique"; and learners who have never self-assessed may be reluctant, so you may need to teach the learner how to become an active participant in it. The example worth memorizing for the oral: Brian rates a maneuver "Perform"; Linda rates it "Practice"; the discussion is where Brian understands what more practice is for (AIH 6-6).

"A person may log training time when that person receives training from an authorized instructor," and the training time must be logged in a logbook and must (61.51(h)(2)):

• Endorsement: a legible endorsement by the authorized instructor; and
• Content: a description of the training given, the length of the training lesson, and the authorized instructor's signature, certificate number, and certificate expiration date or recent experience end date, consistent with the requirements of 61.197

Note that last clause — since 61.197 restructured instructor recent experience, your entry carries either a certificate expiration date or a recent experience end date. Under 61.197(a) you may exercise instructor privileges only if within the preceding 24 calendar months you have satisfied one of the recent experience requirements in 61.197(b).

Then the underlying flight data required by 61.51(b):

• Date
• Total flight time or lesson time
• Departure and arrival locations
• Type and identification of aircraft
• Type of experience or training — including flight and ground training received from an authorized instructor
• Conditions of flight — day or night, actual or simulated instrument

"A description of the training given" is not "dual received." It is the maneuvers and procedures covered, in words that let the next instructor pick up the syllabus.

The content of 61.189 is covered under Task II.K, and what the record buys you at renewal time is under Task III.A. On this Task — postflight — the question is narrower: when does the writing actually happen?

The answer the evaluator is listening for is before the student leaves, as part of the postflight, not that evening and not on Sunday. Three reasons, and you should be able to give them:

• Accuracy. You are signing the logbook of each person to whom you gave training (61.189(a)) — the flight time, the maneuvers covered, and the deficiencies are all fresher now than they will ever be again
• It closes the debrief. The logbook entry and the endorsement are the written form of the assessment you just delivered verbally. A student who watches you write it sees the two agree; a student who gets an entry three days later sees paperwork
• It's the only version that exists. The AIH's framing is that the record carries type of endorsement, name, and date, kept in a logbook or a separate document (AIH C-2). Nothing reconstructs an unwritten one

Build it into the postflight flow as a fixed step — secure the airplane, debrief, write and sign, then the student goes. Instructors who treat recordkeeping as an end-of-week task are the ones whose 3-year retention has holes in it.

"A flight instructor may not endorse a" —

• Student pilot's logbook for solo flight privileges, unless you have given that student the flight training required for solo and determined the student is prepared to conduct the flight safely under known circumstances, subject to any limitations you list in the logbook that you consider necessary for safety (61.195(d)(1)).
• Student pilot's logbook for a solo cross-country, unless you have determined the student's flight preparation, planning, equipment, and proposed procedures are adequate for the proposed flight under existing conditions and within any logbook limitations (61.195(d)(2)).
• Student pilot's logbook for solo flight in Class B airspace or at an airport within Class B, unless you have given ground and flight training in that airspace or at that airport and determined the student is proficient to operate the aircraft safely (61.195(d)(3)).
• Logbook of a recreational pilot, unless you have given the required ground and flight training and determined proficiency (61.195(d)(4)).
• Logbook of a pilot for a flight review, unless you conducted a review per 61.56(a) (61.195(d)(5)).
• Logbook of a pilot for an instrument proficiency check, unless you tested that pilot per 61.57(d) (61.195(d)(6)).

Read the pattern: every one of them is you personally did the thing and made a determination. An endorsement is a statement of your judgment, made in your name, that outlives the lesson.

When the determination can't be made, the training still gets logged — the flight happened — but the endorsement does not. Record the exact extent of any checkout conducted, because "this record serves a twofold purpose: it benefits the pilot concerned and it protects the flight instructor if questions arise later," and where performance is insufficient to allow sign-off, the pilot should be thoroughly debriefed on all problem areas and further instruction scheduled — sometimes with a referral to another instructor (AIH C-4).

AC 61-65 is the source, and its use is not optional in practice: "by utilizing AC 61-65, the flight instructor does not omit any required endorsement for the rating sought, which ensures standardization. It is important for the flight instructor to understand and use AC 61-65 in the certification process" (AIH C-1). Appendix A of the AC carries the sample endorsements, indexed by the regulation each satisfies.

The AC states its own safety rationale plainly: "endorsements represent training requirements completed and privileges granted… An endorsement marks and formalizes events such as an operating privilege or authorization granted or a limitation incurred. Applying the recommended endorsements reduces the risk that someone will act without a prerequisite or will misunderstand a limitation" (AC 61-65, par. 3).

One more that catches instructors out: evaluations include an English language component. "If the instructor doubts that a learner meets the FAA English Language Standard (AELS), the instructor should not endorse the review or check as complete," and the instructor may contact the local FSDO for assistance (AIH C-1; see AC 60-28).

The handbook frames the whole thing as continuous situational awareness that "only ends when the airplane is safely and securely returned to its tie-down or hangar" (AFH 2-1). The instructor-specific traps:

• You are teaching while taxiing. Debrief conversation belongs at the tie-down, not on the ramp with an engine running. Heads-down talk is how a wrong turn onto a runway happens.
• The next lesson. The single most common instructor failure here is compressing the postflight walk-around and the debrief because the airplane is booked at the top of the hour. Build the debrief into the block you sold, not after it.
• The student's hands. Your student is manipulating a live airplane with people walking nearby — keep your own hand near the throttle and mixture until the engine is stopped.
• Chock and tie-down handling with the engine running. Before wheel chocks are removed, "the throttle should be set to idle and the chocks approached only from the rear of the propeller. One should never approach the wheel chocks from the front or the side" (AFH 2-17). If someone must go outside the cabin, the engine is off.

Start by separating two things students merge:

• Securing the airplane is AFH 2-23 — control locks, anti-theft security locks, propeller security locks, hangar or tie-down. That protects the aircraft.
• Airport security procedures are the facility's, and they are airport specific by the ACS's own wording — which means the correct instructor answer is a method, not a memorized list: read the airport's published procedures and the operator's ramp rules, and brief them as part of the lesson.

What you teach at every field:

• Gate and door discipline — nobody follows you through on your code; the gate latches behind you
• Who belongs on the ramp, and what to do about someone who doesn't — report it to the FBO or airport operations rather than confronting them
• Keys, logbooks, and aircraft documents not left in an unattended airplane
• Passengers escorted, never sent across the ramp alone

The one federal piece that lands on you personally: under 49 CFR part 1552, before giving flight training you must establish citizenship — keep a copy of the proof for 5 years or make the AC 61-65 A.14 endorsement in the student's logbook and in your own record (AC 61-65, App. A, A.14; 49 CFR 1552.15(c)). Non-U.S.-citizen students go through the TSA program first. Security is the one area where "I'll sort the paperwork later" is a violation, not a habit.

Because of recency: "things most recently learned are best remembered," and the further the learner is removed in time from a new fact or understanding, "the more difficult it is to remember." Instructors recognize recency when they carefully plan the summary of a lesson or a postflight critique — the instructor "repeats, restates, or reemphasizes important points at the end of a lesson to help the learner remember them" (AIH 3-13).

So the last ninety seconds are structural, not social. Close with:

1. The one thing that improved today, named specifically.
2. The one thing to fix, with the corrective action stated as a procedure, not a criticism.
3. What next lesson is, and what to study for it — which sets up preparation and makes the next preflight brief shorter.

Then the logbook entry, then the endorsement if one is earned. The airplane is secured, the record is written, and the student leaves knowing exactly where they stand.