Doug Rinks
2004-02-18 06:07:13 UTC
I was scheduled to take my checkride this morning at 9 AM. I showed up
to the flight school at 8 AM just to be extra ready, and to be sure
the paperwork, logbooks, etc. was all in order. The examiner showed up
at 9 AM promptly and we began the oral exam once the paperwork was
reviewed, and I paid his fee. He started asking me questions on
airport beacon colors, which I did not know. I told him we could find
the answer in the FAR's and he asked me to show him. I spent 20
minutes looking, then I recalled it would be in the AIM. We moved on
to performance questions which I was able to slip through OK. We
reviewed my cross country planning and we discovered I had confused
true course for magnetic heading. I was able to fix that. The examiner
asked me some questions on regulations, and I was able to do OK on
them, but not great. He then gave me a situation "Your company needs a
part for their mainframe flown from Wichita to Garden City. Can you
jump in your C172 and deliver the part?" I said yes, since it was
incidental to the flight; at that point he warned me that if I missed
one more question on the oral it would be a bust. He then explained
the part 135 rules to me briefly. I was asked some aerodynamics
questions, and I did OK on then. We then ended the oral and he told me
to go pre-flight. As I was walking towards the restroom he told me
"You really need some additional instruction on your oral topics, if
that was with an FAA inspector, you would have busted."
Finally we get out to the airplane, and get in. I startup and we taxi
to do a runup. The examiner faults me because I did not immediately do
a brake check. I do not find the brake check right off the bat
necessary since I will soon find out if the brakes work, but that was
his opinion anyway. He asked me to demonstrate a short field takeoff
to him. I did the takeoff OK, except he wanted me to hold the airplane
in ground effect, I simply rotated abruptly and accelerated away from
the field. Again, I think different people have different techniques
for the maneuvers. We then began our cross country, we ended up at the
first fix six minutes late, which the examiner seemed OK with. He
asked me why we were late and I told him it was because I was climbing
at 60 rather than my planned 65 knots, to which he agreed with. We
then diverted to Hayes, and we did our takeoffs and landings there.
The examiner was happy with them. We went up to do a ground reference
maneuver which went fine, but the examiner said I was a bit high. He
asked me to take him back to the airport, and we'd do instrument work
and steep turns and stalls on the way home. He put me under the hood
and I pretty much lost control. I started out at 4,500 and he asked me
to track a radial and descend to 3,500 followed by a climb to 5,500.
Once I began the descent I had to turn about 40 degrees to incercept
the radial. I entered this turn and apparently lost track of my scan
because when I looked back down the heading indicator indicated a turn
of about 70 degrees and the VSI was pegged at 3,000 FPM down. The
examiner said "MY AIRPLANE" to which I told him absolutely not, I am
PIC and I am recovering. He once again said "MY AIRPLANE -- NOW!" I
gave him the airplane and he said he'd fly us home.
When we got on the ground we debriefed, and he told me that he was
going to pink slip me for instrument work, steep turns (never did
them), stalls (never did them), short field takeoffs, as well as FAR
and AIM knowledge. I explained to him that he could not pink slip me
now since he did not tell me that I had failed as soon as a blew a
maneuver. He, in not so many words told me "bullshit." So now I have a
notice of disapproval, and I never even knew I failed the checkride.
The guy was a prick. I talked to the FSDO manager this evening and he
is going to look into it. I admit that I didnt' do flawless, but by
virtue of him not telling me I'd failed, I thought I passed. Oh well,
hopefully the FSDO will take adminstrative action against the bastard.
Now I need to find a new examiner...
Doug
to the flight school at 8 AM just to be extra ready, and to be sure
the paperwork, logbooks, etc. was all in order. The examiner showed up
at 9 AM promptly and we began the oral exam once the paperwork was
reviewed, and I paid his fee. He started asking me questions on
airport beacon colors, which I did not know. I told him we could find
the answer in the FAR's and he asked me to show him. I spent 20
minutes looking, then I recalled it would be in the AIM. We moved on
to performance questions which I was able to slip through OK. We
reviewed my cross country planning and we discovered I had confused
true course for magnetic heading. I was able to fix that. The examiner
asked me some questions on regulations, and I was able to do OK on
them, but not great. He then gave me a situation "Your company needs a
part for their mainframe flown from Wichita to Garden City. Can you
jump in your C172 and deliver the part?" I said yes, since it was
incidental to the flight; at that point he warned me that if I missed
one more question on the oral it would be a bust. He then explained
the part 135 rules to me briefly. I was asked some aerodynamics
questions, and I did OK on then. We then ended the oral and he told me
to go pre-flight. As I was walking towards the restroom he told me
"You really need some additional instruction on your oral topics, if
that was with an FAA inspector, you would have busted."
Finally we get out to the airplane, and get in. I startup and we taxi
to do a runup. The examiner faults me because I did not immediately do
a brake check. I do not find the brake check right off the bat
necessary since I will soon find out if the brakes work, but that was
his opinion anyway. He asked me to demonstrate a short field takeoff
to him. I did the takeoff OK, except he wanted me to hold the airplane
in ground effect, I simply rotated abruptly and accelerated away from
the field. Again, I think different people have different techniques
for the maneuvers. We then began our cross country, we ended up at the
first fix six minutes late, which the examiner seemed OK with. He
asked me why we were late and I told him it was because I was climbing
at 60 rather than my planned 65 knots, to which he agreed with. We
then diverted to Hayes, and we did our takeoffs and landings there.
The examiner was happy with them. We went up to do a ground reference
maneuver which went fine, but the examiner said I was a bit high. He
asked me to take him back to the airport, and we'd do instrument work
and steep turns and stalls on the way home. He put me under the hood
and I pretty much lost control. I started out at 4,500 and he asked me
to track a radial and descend to 3,500 followed by a climb to 5,500.
Once I began the descent I had to turn about 40 degrees to incercept
the radial. I entered this turn and apparently lost track of my scan
because when I looked back down the heading indicator indicated a turn
of about 70 degrees and the VSI was pegged at 3,000 FPM down. The
examiner said "MY AIRPLANE" to which I told him absolutely not, I am
PIC and I am recovering. He once again said "MY AIRPLANE -- NOW!" I
gave him the airplane and he said he'd fly us home.
When we got on the ground we debriefed, and he told me that he was
going to pink slip me for instrument work, steep turns (never did
them), stalls (never did them), short field takeoffs, as well as FAR
and AIM knowledge. I explained to him that he could not pink slip me
now since he did not tell me that I had failed as soon as a blew a
maneuver. He, in not so many words told me "bullshit." So now I have a
notice of disapproval, and I never even knew I failed the checkride.
The guy was a prick. I talked to the FSDO manager this evening and he
is going to look into it. I admit that I didnt' do flawless, but by
virtue of him not telling me I'd failed, I thought I passed. Oh well,
hopefully the FSDO will take adminstrative action against the bastard.
Now I need to find a new examiner...
Doug