P&P Dec 2012.pdf - Plane & Pilot News

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Page 10 PLANE & PILOT NEWS December 2012 “Plane & Simple” by Jim Trusty FROM The Logbook: cHecKRIDe-ITIS . . . ReAL OR ImAGINeD? Checkride-itis, is it real or imagined? The answer is probably both, but there are ways to make it a little less hectic and they seem to work. How do you spot those students that might decide to go nuts when checkride time arrives? Beats me! I just had one that was so nervous that the examiner almost postponed the ride. When he called me to see if I could think of anything that might help this young lady get over her fear, I was absolutely shocked that she could be nervous or afraid of anything. This lady is the type you would think could go bear hunting with a switch and give the bear fair warning that she was on the way. I seldom have anyone receive a pink slip, although more than a few have come close. I have had students tell the examiner they were looking forward to the checkride because after they pass it they will not have to endure me any more. These are the same students that recommend me to their enemies and come back themselves when it is time for the next rating or certificate. I personally have high praise for the Practical Test Standards booklet and the level playing field it produced. Also, The Oral Exam Guide that accompanies it really helps the instructor prepare the student for the questions and answers containing the multitude of information they are expected to know and retain before a license can be issued. As a flight instructor, I never pass up a chance to have another flight instructor fly with my students. It serves several purposes at the same time. First, they get to see what other Jim Trusty instructors say and do in similar situations and they come in contact with a different face and voice in the cockpit. Second, they hear the same questions but they are asked in a different way and sometimes they get new answers to those same questions. I really wonder if it is the CRS#DKZR372X test the student fears or if it is the fear of failure itself. The test, from the Practical Test Standards, can be given over and over again from day one by anyone so that the answers can become second nature. So it could be the person giving the testing—the raw power that they have with which to fail you at the drop of a hat. It is kind of scary now that you mention it. I have never seen the necessity of frightening someone so badly that they could not perform in a normal manner, nor have I ever found that to be the reason behind the PTS or testing in general. Power does strange things to some people, and a lot of them would be better off without it. I have several examiners to choose from in my area, and I refuse to use an examiner who psychologically beats up or verbally abuses my students simply because they have the power to pass or fail them. What makes them so arrogant anyway? NO TAX $$$ SAVE THOUSANDS $$$ GARMIN G600 WITH JPI EDM 930 ASPEN PRO PFD Avionics Sales and Service • All Major Vendors Dunkirk Airport (DKK) Dunkirk, New York Voice: 716-366-6938 • Fax: 716-366-6986 email: avionics@dkk.com Website: www.dkk.com Is it because they have more flying experience and feel superior because the student is lacking in the same? I’ve watched checkrides deteriorate over the years simply because the examiner did not have any people skills whatsoever, and then I have seen other examiners take a nervous student and turn them into I’ve never met an examiner or an inspector that killed the victim on the spot and ate them, although I have been told of it happening. a successful test taker. Some of the reasons given to me over the years for failure include the examiner having the power to fail you, being afraid to fail, being nervous because it is all finally coming to a head, the misuse of position by the examiner, the student being improperly prepared, poor instruction on the part of the instructor, and just the fact that two strangers are meeting for the first time. Most often we find that the person taking the test is just not a good test taker at this point in their life because they have not taken very many tests. Sounds goofy, I know, but give it some thought. Usually the best test takers are those who have taken a lot of tests, either in school, in the workplace, or somewhere else. They have taken so many tests that the mystery has been removed. They understand a test is not a measurement of their intelligence; it is simply a test to see what they know about the subject matter they are being tested on today, which is a big difference. Careful preparation by the flight instructor in finding examiners who complement the candidate, having mock examinations throughout your training syllabus, and getting ready for this test far in advance Buckeye Flight Services Central Ohio Seaplane Ratings 800-992-2376 Accelerated “Sea Wings” Rating Program Initial & Recurrent LAKE Amphibian Training Includes Ground School – Flight Training – Study Manuals Check Us Out! Fly In, Dine In ID 074, 2700 ft. tiled, grass sod MT. VICTORY, OHIO 937-354-2851 or 1-800-884-2328 www.plazainn.tv continued on page 11 Voted Best of Ohio “Family Owned Restaurant”! Casual Family Restaurant
cHecKRIDe-ITIS continued from page 10 can help insure no complications arise. Prepare your student for better and worse and be there for the start and finish of the checkride. Actually, I’ve never met an examiner or an inspector that killed the victim on the spot and ate them, although I have heard of it happening. Every time I read the statistics showing aviation is the safest mode of transportation on this planet, it makes me very proud to be a pilot and to have earned the reputation of being a very demanding flight instructor. Also, it certainly makes me appreciate the caliber of examination we have across the nation. There is no such thing as a “gimme” any more, and this is one of the reasons we move more people more miles on more flights and still come up with a safety record that other modes of transportation can envy but have been unable to duplicate. What more can we, as instructors, do to keep our students from getting that dread disease known as checkride-itis? If they are now following the Practical Test Standards to the letter, using Gleim for their knowledge test, and reading Machado’s Private PAcKeR & ASSOcIATeS, INc. AVIATION INSURANce SINce 1981 www.aircraftinsurance.net rpacker@aircraftinsurance.net. FLIGHT ScHOOLS/ReNTAL cLASSIc, ANTIQUe, WARbIRD, AeRObATIc, AIRPORT, HANGAR, PRemISeS, cORPORATe RIcHARD PAcKeR, AGeNT, cFII, meI, IA cALL 1-800-243-7112 VISIT OUR OFFIce @ 5e9 PAcKeR & ASSOcIATeS, INc. 5266 mOONeY ROAD RADNOR, OH 43066 Pilot Manual over and over, I can’t think of much else to do. Being totally overprepared is the surest cure for this malady. And, truthfully, if the student is completely prepared for the checkride, being nervous will not stop them from passing with flying colors. If you as a student are really having a tough time getting yourself psyched up to take the checkride, please take the time to give me a call and let’s talk about it. Couldn’t hurt. You’ve got the questions and answers available to you. Study them as though your future in aviation depends on your making a good grade. It just might do that. Know your enemy and you pretty well control the end result of the battle. If for some reason you do fail to meet the standards for this particular rating or certificate and the examiner gives you a “pink slip,” it will say that the test was unsatisfactory and will let you know the areas of the PTS that you were weak on. Nowhere does it say “FAIL” or “PASS.” The best friend you can have at a time like this is yourself, PLANE & PILOT NEWS December 2012 Page 11 and the best thing that you can possibly do is overprepare. Only you can determine the final results of your checkride. I have never seen an examiner purposely fail a student. I have seen students fail themselves by over-talking or trying to BS the examiner out of a ticket. I want you to do a good job and be proud of what you have earned. Go study just a little more! If this testing were not necessary to keep those heart breaking fatalities down each and every year, it would have been done away with long ago. Seldom do we hear of the person that simply cannot pass the FAA checkride, but when we do hear about one, we are glad to see them weeded out before they can do any damage. These tests are not really all that hard to pass as long as the student is prepared. Just look—you and I passed, didn’t we? I’ll see you at the airport! Always remember: All limits are self imposed! What’s your excuse? Written permission from the author required to reprint this copyrighted article. (2012) JIM TRUSTY, ATP/CFI/ IGI, was named the FAA/ Aviation Industry National Flight Instructor of the Year for 1997, and the FAA Southern Region Aviation Safety Counselor of the Year for 1995 & 2005 and 2011. He still works full-time as a Corporate Pilot/ “Gold Seal” Flight & Ground Instructor/ FAA Safety Team Lead Representative/ National Aviation Magazine Writer. You have been enjoying his work since 1973 in publications worldwide. If you have comments, questions, complaints, or compliments, please e-mail them directly to me, and I’ll respond. Thanks. (Lrn2Fly@bellsouth.net) JUST RemembeR, AccIDeNTS ARe cAUSeD AND THeReFORe PReVeNTAbLe! Stay Informed. Register on (www.faasafety.gov) It’s “FREE”.
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