ATP Written (and the waste of time that it is)... Discuss?

jwp_145

jwp_145

GhostRider in the Sky
So I just finished taking the test today after studying the Sheppard Air software for two days.
It seems as though the already bad FAA tests are becoming increasingly worse. Sheppard Air agrees bigtime as they seem to bash the FAA at every opportunity in their instruction packet.

One question on the test today was the type that says match HSI diagram 3 to the proper aircraft position. ALL of the possible answers on the test were impossible given the HSI indication. Sheppard Air even warns you that many of the FAA's answers are ignorantly wrong.

And then I come across this question, which is so pointless that it boggles the mind!:
"The instrument approach procedure chart top margin identification is VOR or GPS RWY 25, AL-5672FAA, LUKACHUKAI, ARIZONA. In what phase of the approach overlay program is this GPS approach?
A: Phase 1
B: Phase 2
C: Phase 3

WTF!!!???
AOPA had an article a few months ago talking about how irrelevant the tests are anymore and how unwilling the FAA is to do anything about it.

I personally think that the blowhards in the FAA the are in charge of this kinda thing used to be the toolbags around the airport who tell everyone theyre a pilot and wear their leather jacket and aviators everywhere they go.

Anyone else have any valid gripes or complaints about these things?
 
Re: ATP Written (and the waste of time that it is)... Discus

How about this one: If you are encountering an area of freezing rain, which of the following is correct? 1.) There is a temperature inversion. 2.) There is warmer air above. These answers are the same thing. The correct answer on the test is #2.
 
Re: ATP Written (and the waste of time that it is)... Discus

Don't complain, try 14 pointless exams in the JAA world!
 
Re: ATP Written (and the waste of time that it is)... Discus

My favorite on the COMM written went something like this: If you just popped out of the clouds on an IAP and you saw a helcopter hovering in the final approach course, what would somebody with the MACHO haz. attitude do?

Correct answer: Fly a little closer just to show him.
 
Re: ATP Written (and the waste of time that it is)... Discus

A150K said:
My favorite on the COMM written went something like this: If you just popped out of the clouds on an IAP and you saw a helcopter hovering in the final approach course, what would somebody with the MACHO haz. attitude do? Correct answer: Fly a little closer just to show him.
Click to expand...
Well, hes in my way.
 
Re: ATP Written (and the waste of time that it is)... Discus

Have you ever met an FAA guy? Rather, an older, never been outside the government world as an employee at a private company guy?

Literally...useless. The tests just prove it.

That being said, I've had FAA guys on my jumpseat doing route checks or whatever, who were former 121 guys, and the difference is noticeable. They know what they are doing, know what you are doing, and once up in cruise are kinda nice to be around.
 
Re: ATP Written (and the waste of time that it is)... Discus

Yeah I fully agree with this thread. I had the same issue about the HSI question. I think they gave me the wrong diagram because none of the choices made any sense. Also what is the point of asking a question when all you have to do is read the pages they proved you with to obtain the answer. Ie the hazardous materials questions.
 
Re: ATP Written (and the waste of time that it is)... Discus

Goldmember said:
How about this one: If you are encountering an area of freezing rain, which of the following is correct? 1.) There is a temperature inversion. 2.) There is warmer air above. These answers are the same thing. The correct answer on the test is #2.
Click to expand...

I don't see much wrong with this question. What am I missing?
 
Re: ATP Written (and the waste of time that it is)... Discus

caliginousface said:
I don't see much wrong with this question. What am I missing?
Click to expand...

Freezing rain usually means there is warm air above a "freezing" layer that the rain is falling through. So answer 1 is correct because if I am at an altitude and there is freezing rain, by definition the warm air above is an inversion, answer 2 is the correct answer because there is warm air above.
 
Re: ATP Written (and the waste of time that it is)... Discus

Some of the time/distance questions using an ADF. I mean really? Never used it in my years of flying. Cases where you could use the technique were few and far between even before GPS.
Some of the cross country planning/fuel burn questions where the answers are so close together that if you round to the nearest 100th instead of the nearest 10th you get the wrong answer. Yes, the more precise and correct answer is the wrong answer.
 
Re: ATP Written (and the waste of time that it is)... Discus

Blackhawk said:
Some of the time/distance questions using an ADF. I mean really? Never used it in my years of flying. Cases where you could use the technique were few and far between even before GPS.
Some of the cross country planning/fuel burn questions where the answers are so close together that if you round to the nearest 100th instead of the nearest 10th you get the wrong answer. Yes, the more precise and correct answer is the wrong answer.
Click to expand...

And in the newer questions of this type they haven't published the answers... so you have no idea what the goon-writer rounded to... Impossible to purposely get the correct answer every tie when it's the first time you've seen the question.
 
Re: ATP Written (and the waste of time that it is)... Discus

Blackhawk said:
Some of the time/distance questions using an ADF. I mean really? Never used it in my years of flying. Cases where you could use the technique were few and far between even before GPS.
Some of the cross country planning/fuel burn questions where the answers are so tclose together that if you round to the nearest 100th instead of the nearest 10th you get the wrong answer. Yes, the more precise and correct answer is the wrong answer.
Click to expand...
yeah that was one of my favorite thing. In the asa guide one "how long would it take" question would round up and the next would round down. Just no consistency. There was one question asking who could act as an fe if he became incapacitated. Two of the answers were the exact same except for the order of words. One was wrong and the reason given was (I kid you not) because the second answer was right.

I am a firm believer that faa tests are a joke and waste of time
 
Re: ATP Written (and the waste of time that it is)... Discus

Yep. Took mine the other day, missed that very question. I put "warmer air above" as that was the phrasing of a question I got correct using the Gleim test prep software. Oh well.
 
Re: ATP Written (and the waste of time that it is)... Discus

Took my ATP written a few months back, and I must admit, it was quite a joke. The reasoning behind some of the questions/answers are just absurd. I feel they are made in a way that unless you do infact memorize all the correct answers, it would be impossible to get a 100%. That said, I do feel that as a whole, it is a good way of gaugeing if someone should hold that level of certificate. The test needs to be revised from the days of old where the men that made the test up, were using slide rules and figuring weight and balance from airplanes from a bygone era (come on, how many 727 do you see flying around these days?)
 
Re: ATP Written (and the waste of time that it is)... Discus

A150K said:
My favorite on the COMM written went something like this: If you just popped out of the clouds on an IAP and you saw a helcopter hovering in the final approach course, what would somebody with the MACHO haz. attitude do?

Correct answer: Fly a little closer just to show him.
Click to expand...
That's awesome.
 
Re: ATP Written (and the waste of time that it is)... Discus

I think being able to memorize things is very important as a pilot. the knowledge test shows how well we are able to memorize otherwise useless information.
 
Re: ATP Written (and the waste of time that it is)... Discus

mshunter said:
Took my ATP written a few months back, and I must admit, it was quite a joke. The reasoning behind some of the questions/answers are just absurd. I feel they are made in a way that unless you do infact memorize all the correct answers, it would be impossible to get a 100%. That said, I do feel that as a whole, it is a good way of gaugeing if someone should hold that level of certificate. The test needs to be revised from the days of old where the men that made the test up, were using slide rules and figuring weight and balance from airplanes from a bygone era (come on, how many 727 do you see flying around these days?)
Click to expand...
I agree that it needs some updating, but there are quite a bit of old airplanes around still flying cargo. You see quite a number of Convairs going in/out of KELP. Number of DC-3 operators throughout the country. FedEx operates a bunch of 727s. Alaska... geez, they fly things there forever. So as an ATP there is a good chance of still running into the stuff.
 
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