Examiner distractions

[duanefey]

Hey all,

I'm getting ahead of myself here, but when I read the Sport Pilot Practical Test Standards it mentions that the examiner will throw some distractions at me during my check ride. Does anybody want to share what type of distractions they had thrown at them?

Thanks,

Duane

[FastEddieB]

I think one of the more common ploys is to take something and throw it on the floor, then ask you to get it. Or pop a door open on the takeoff roll. Or variations on those themes.

Or just ask questions. Like, "If we're burning about 5 gals an hour, how much fuel will we burn over the next 2 hours?". Before you scoff at how easy that is to answer, even simple calculations can easily distract from the job at hand. Be ready with a "Standby" if you're right in the middle of something - you hear professional crews do that, so don't be shy with it.

But great question. I'm curious as to what others have had thrown at them.

[Merlinspop]

I can't remember what my examiner did, but as I was recovering from it I blurted out "sonofa <bleep>, you got me!" While laughing, he said, "Just head on back, I think we're done" and was still chuckling to himself as he pulled the typewriter and white forms (whew! Not Pink! That was my first clue.) out of his trunk.

[Jim Stewart]

My examiner was grumpy and critical during the entire checkride. But at the end he said my flying "wasn't bad". I talked to couple of other pilots that tested with him and he did the same thing to them. I'd guess that's his form of distraction.

[MrMorden]

Not a distraction per se, but my examiner did the engine out just as I was recovering from a power on stall. I was still in the mindset of completing that maneuver when I had to instantly switch gears. It was a good exercise and test of a pilot's ability to manage tasks quickly.

[dirmer3]

My examiner just wouldn't stop talking. He was asking me all sorts of questions during critical phases of flight. I simply had to politely tell him to shut the hell up. I feel like that was a very realistic distraction and something that I might experience with a real passenger.