Checkride write-up..

[hink]

Busted it.

Weather was terrible. Was supposed to leave at 7am to be there at 8am. WX at home was good, but at the DPEs it was LIFR. CFI called to cancel and the DPE said to wait an hour and call back. We called back at 8am and still IFR. DPE said it looked to be clearing soon and to wait 30 more min and call. CFI called at 8:30 and he said it was MVFR and to come on up it should be better by the time we get there.

We got there and went straight into the oral which lasted about 2 hours and couldn’t have gone better. We then went out to preflight the plane. The wind had picked up considerably but was right down the runway, the ceiling had dropped and the visibility wasn’t great. The DPE told me it was my decision to fly and that I could come back. I felt if I was coming back for a discontinuance or a unsatisfactory I was still coming back so the difference was a $60 examiner fee if I busted it. So I gambled the $60.

We did soft field take off then soft field landing. The wind made it BUMPY and I kind of dropped it in there and thought that was it. He then said show me a short field take off and landing. (I thought, I’m still flying so that must have been ok) So we did short field, on the downwind he asked “how did you feel about that soft field landing?” I said “It wasn’t my softest” he chuckled. After short field we did normal take off and then started the x-country. First checkpoint was no problem and on time, I turned new heading (for terrain avoidance) and then he diverted me. I had the heading to my alternates written down from each checkpoint and turned 179 but with us at below the mountain tops and the lower visibility it just didn’t ‘look right’ so I turned more east and started comparing things with the map. I had the map folded so the alternate was on the other side and it created a illusion that supported my turn to the east. There are three lakes and I could see only one and looking back when forced to make a left/right decision due to terrain I made the wrong choice and headed to the lake I saw which was one over from the one with the airport. If I had gone right the airport would have been a mere 6-8 miles off the nose. We flew over the lake for a while and he said “this isn’t your lake.” then he said “let’s set up for steep turns”. We did steep turns, power on/off stalls, slow flight, unaccelerated stalls (which I had never done before) and then S turns AND turns around a point in both directions! All completed! We then head back to the airport and chatted it up on the way, I’m feeling pretty good. At the numbers he pulls the power and I do an emergency landing and taxi back and shut down. Then the other shoe drops. He says “I need to see two things. A softer landing, and I would have liked to have seen you drop a new line for the diversion.”

And so that was it. I was shocked. At no point did he tell me I was unsatisfactory and give me the choice to continue. In hind sight that was good as I probably would have been too stressed to continue to standards but shocked none the less. Looking back I feel if I had found the alternate I would have been ok. Anyway, he was very complementary of everything else and told my CFI the same and said I did an amazing job on the oral and all maneuvers.

Looking back, my log book now has an entry in it that says ‘unsatisfactory’ so now I wished I had waited. CFI says it doesn’t mean anything and is no big deal.

Trying again tomorrow, that is if the weather is PERFECT!

[drseti]

We did soft field take off then soft field landing. The wind made it BUMPY and I kind of dropped it in there and thought that was it.

In a case like this, it's probably best to tell the DPE "I can do better than that! I'm going to do another one." The next soft field landing may or may not have been any better, but you would have demonstrated your recognition that you haven't met your personal standards, and established you as Pilot in Command.

[hink]

Passed my check ride Sunday. The weather was perfect, the DPE made me do 4 soft field landings. All went very well except for one and I just went around when I felt I was about to drop it in.

The diversion went textbook as well. I folded my map in a way that, if needed, it could be unfolded with one hand. He diverted me and I just plotted a new line turned that heading then calculated distance and time and he was satisfied.

I'm not sure what the average is but I tallied up the time in my log book and had 33 hours when I passed. Anyone know what average is?

[FrankR]

I had 55.

[drseti]

My best students complete in 30. The FAA 20 hour minimum is somewhat unrealistic.

[Paul Hamilton]

Very interesting story of a checkride/practical test scenario.
Typically applicants are notified when a task is unsatisfactory as listed on Page 13 of the introduction of the PRS and “The test may be continued ONLY with the consent of the applicant.”

So you were told about the unsatisfactory tasks after you landed and taxied to shutdown, got the “Pink Slip”, had to get trained again in the unsatisfactory tasks buy your CFI, provide new paperwork/8710-11 form, and then take another checkride for the unsatisfactory tasks? Very odd.
This is not how it is typically done and no one else should expect this. As I tell my applicants for the checkride, “you will be notified immediately if a task is unsatisfactory, no news is good news”.

Anyway, congratulations on becoming a sport pilot. No big deal to have an unsatisfactory checkride in your logbook/record.

[hink]

Very interesting story of a checkride/practical test scenario.
Typically applicants are notified when a task is unsatisfactory as listed on Page 13 of the introduction of the PRS and “The test may be continued ONLY with the consent of the applicant.”

So you were told about the unsatisfactory tasks after you landed and taxied to shutdown, got the “Pink Slip”, had to get trained again in the unsatisfactory tasks buy your CFI, provide new paperwork/8710-11 form, and then take another checkride for the unsatisfactory tasks? Very odd.
This is not how it is typically done and no one else should expect this. As I tell my applicants for the checkride, “you will be notified immediately if a task is unsatisfactory, no news is good news”.

Anyway, congratulations on becoming a sport pilot. No big deal to have an unsatisfactory checkride in your logbook/record.

That's why I was so surprised at the end. At the very beginning he showed me a list of the 'terms of the test'. It had things like the initial fee and retest fee along with the positive transfer of controls and that I would be the PIC and if an emergency arose we would work together but I would remain pic...etc. On that sheet it said specifically that if something was unsatisfactory I would be told and given the option to continue. Nothing was ever said.

My CFI seems to think that he just needed to fail someone. He thinks if a DPE has too high a pass rate then they are scrutinized and that if a DPE needs a fail then they can find something on any given check-ride. This may all be true, who knows? It does make me wonder if soft field and diversion were 'just ok' reasons to fail me (though I feel the diversion was probably plenty enough) and if he was waiting on something more substantial. He did make me do S-turns in both directions and turns around a point in both directions. So when nothing more eventful happened during the rest of the flight he fell back on the soft field and diversion. Just a guess.

He was a really nice guy and very personable. I feel I got a fair shake, just should have waited. When I retested he urged me to continue on to at least get my PPL and invited me to a local fly-in.

Thanks for the kind words. I still can't believe I'm a pilot!

[znurtdog]

Congratulations on your new ticket! Good advice given to me was 'this is a license to learn (more)'. As for check rides, I failed my CFI checkride within about 10 minutes of sitting down with the examiner. He asked me to pull out my AIM which I didn't have with me. As soon as I said I didn't bring one, he failed me on the spot and of course, still took the $125 fee (1986). I went to a diff. examiner in a diff. state a few months later and passed no problems. What kind of plane are you flying?

[Paul Hamilton]

hink,
Now you have a license to learn. Have fun.