When is the best time to take exam?

elmetal said:
and forget to teach you VORs or NDBs (NDBs is acceptable VORs absolutely not, or doesn't teach your correctly.
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Yet to meet a CFI that bad, and I've been around a while.

And I know some CFI's that have never used a VOR or ADF, and they seem to be doing just fine.
 
drunkenbeagle said:
Yet to meet a CFI that bad, and I've been around a while.

And I know some CFI's that have never used a VOR or ADF, and they seem to be doing just fine.
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Never used a VOR???

Are you serious? How do they fly /A or OMG /U? Do they just go: Well, I can't fly this aircraft.

You can't be a GPS only CFI/II if that's what they are... if they somehow fly instruments without knowing VORs/ADF it will absolutely bite them in the booty later...

Or do you mean they themselves have never had to use VORs but know how to? I'm not sure I'm understanding that
 
§ 61.183 Eligibility requirements.

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To be eligible for a flight instructor certificate or rating a person must:

(a) Be at least 18 years of age;

(b) Be able to read, speak, write, and understand the English language. If the applicant is unable to meet one of these requirements due to medical reasons, then the Administrator may place such operating limitations on that applicant's flight instructor certificate as are necessary;

(c) Hold either a commercial pilot certificate or airline transport pilot certificate with:

(1) An aircraft category and class rating that is appropriate to the flight instructor rating sought; and

(2) An instrument rating, or privileges on that person's pilot certificate that are appropriate to the flight instructor rating sought, if applying for—

(i) A flight instructor certificate with an airplane category and single-engine class rating;
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So...a CFI who doesn't know how to use a VOR definitely slipped through the cracks :p
 
OUTTIE said:
Hey all. when is the best time to take the written exam during training? Should I take it before starting training or right near the end before the checkride?

I need advice!:D
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I preferred to take my written tests before starting training by getting the written endorsements through King Schools (then using ASA's software to cycle through the FAA's test database); but certainly, whenever you are ready... just as long as it's before your practical examination.
 
Memorize the damn questions.... You are still learning!

Who cares about an ADF. (unless its installed in the plane you're flying.) I'm a CFII and I've never shot an NDB approach. Hell, I've never seen an RMI installed in an aircraft either.

If its not installed in your check ride aircraft, just familiarize yourself with the equipments existence and move on.
 
Wm226 said:
I preferred to take my written tests before starting training by getting the written endorsements through King Schools (then using ASA's software to cycle through the FAA's test database); but certainly, whenever you are ready... just as long as it's before your practical examination.
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This. Actually, for my private, commercial and instrument writtens I went to an Aviation Seminars ground school, which was handy, but you can basically do the same thing at home with things like Dauntless Software (how I did FIA/FOI). Do practice tests until you're getting around a 95 or so, then take the real thing. (I am told the FAA is going to revisit how the writtens work, which is good, and that they have stopped releasing question banks, which is bad. Very bad.)

They're good for twenty-four calendar months. Might as well knock those that you know you can do within the next 2 years NOW. (I had my instrument and commercial written exams in my back pocket for about a year. Was nice to just do the flying and not fuss about the not-flying.)

By the way, AOPA guys get like $10 off with CATS. (Don't taze me!)
 
Sled14 said:
One guy who only had 5 hours toward his private license and a Gleim signoff tried taking it and failed, he had never even seen a flight computer/plotter and had never done cross country flight planning. No reason in rushing it, take it when you are ready, but preferably not the night before your checkride.
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Probably the guy was just doing this method To Really Learn, Quit Studying and Take a Test

EAA members get $10 discount too.
 
Krieger said:
If its not installed in your check ride aircraft, just familiarize yourself with the equipments existence and move on.
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The FAA written exams are good and bad.

The good? If you can't pass one, you probably shouldn't be flying. In that sense, it is a good thing to objectively weed out those that have neither the memory, or aeronautical knowledge required to operate an aircraft. There is a lot to memorize in aviation too, let's not forget that.

The bad? They aren't exactly relevant to what you need to know. Instruments you will probably never use? Plenty of em'. How many of us have actually computed the distance from a station by flying 90 off a radial? Me either.

I would rather see more thorough coverage of the basics, and trust that a certificated pilot will get training and gain proficiency as necessary with new avionics. It's not like someone flying with RNAV was suddenly unable to learn GPS when it became available.
 
drunkenbeagle said:
The FAA written exams are good and bad.

The good? If you can't pass one, you probably shouldn't be flying. In that sense, it is a good thing to objectively weed out those that have neither the memory, or aeronautical knowledge required to operate an aircraft. There is a lot to memorize in aviation too, let's not forget that.

The bad? They aren't exactly relevant to what you need to know. Instruments you will probably never use? Plenty of em'. How many of us have actually computed the distance from a station by flying 90 off a radial? Me either.

I would rather see more thorough coverage of the basics, and trust that a certificated pilot will get training and gain proficiency as necessary with new avionics. It's not like someone flying with RNAV was suddenly unable to learn GPS when it became available.
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I agree with this a lot. RMIs are really not ever used, and HSIs even aren't used often yet that's all the questions you get... If you're not flying glass chances are that you've never seen an HSI and if you have, great.

ADFs are good too. most planes don't have them anymore and even then most NDBs don't work anymore so it's kinda useless but at the same time it's nice to have that knowledge, although that's just me.

But yea a lot of it should just be memorized but some of it is stuff you actually should hopefully know
 
elmetal said:
ADFs are good too. most planes don't have them anymore and even then most NDBs don't work anymore so it's kinda useless but at the same time it's nice to have that knowledge, although that's just me.
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Hey, the ADF is awesome! When I don't have XM Radio, at least I can listen to Cuban AM radio.
 
a good example of why I advise you not to memorize is because when you memorize a lot of times you load up for the exam and you completely lose it all after.

I have a friend I was flying with and he was coming in fairly shallow to land on a runway with a displaced threshold so I was like hmm... I let him get closer and finally I said what the f are you doing? He said I'm trying to land short to which I immediately answered: You do realize you're not supposed to land until after the threshold right?

He landed on the numbers and we had a huge discussion afterwards and he claims his instructor never taught him that and this and that and this and that.

It's on the written. He memorized his written and his CFI missed covering it for him on his private and he was going landing on airports displaced thresholds here adn there thinking everything was cool.

He was in a 172 so it's not a big deal BUT, he has 170 hours... you'd think somebody would've said something by now right? Apparently not...

You never forget what you learn. You lose what you memorize fairly often...

I guess that's what I was trying to get across. but please memorize the RSI and ADF stuff so we can just get rid of that crap once and for all!
 
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