Just Like That...

THANK YOU ALL for the kind words. This has been a HELL of a journey and I am thrilled to have achieved it! May those of you who are lurking around the forum find your courage to get your career started -- and happy hunting in the job market! I hope to be joining you in the field soon enough.

Jay
 
Congrats Jay... If i remember correctly, you went to Sheffield. Excellent school, and if you can pass there, you can do this job anywhere. Be extremely proud of your accomplishments, and it will just be a matter of time before you find something.

G
 
Ok so I am less than 2 weeks away from go time, and wanted to see if anyone out there has any last minute tips for surviving the practical. I am keeping up with the flight plan portion without trouble in class and at home with our flight plan homework. I know that this is different than the ADX in that it is not multiple choice, but an oral test as well as applied knowledge through the flight plan much like a check ride. I have looked at the PTS on the faa website, but I don't know if there is any typical order to how they do this, or what they really focus on.

I know I need to know everything we have gone over in the course, but as I am running out of time, I am trying to consolidate down to what is most likely going to be emphasized. Also, with the oral portion... Will we just need to basically know the topics that are asked and just run with it? Or will they kind of prod us along if we get stuck? For instance, I know with DRM we would use resources such as the pilots, other dispatchers, managers, MX, crew scheduling, routing...ect. If I am going through all of that and don't hit on every one of them, will they ask about the other ones or just count it wrong?

I guess I just really don't know what to expect because all of my life I have never had an "oral exam" Maybe I am freaking out for no reason, as another thread on this forum said it is normal to feel nervous about it. I have something lined up that depends on me passing the first time around, which may be adding to the stress.

Any help appreciated, have a great day!
 
CF34-3B1 said:
Ok so I am less than 2 weeks away from go time, and wanted to see if anyone out there has any last minute tips for surviving the practical. I am keeping up with the flight plan portion without trouble in class and at home with our flight plan homework. I know that this is different than the ADX in that it is not multiple choice, but an oral test as well as applied knowledge through the flight plan much like a check ride. I have looked at the PTS on the faa website, but I don't know if there is any typical order to how they do this, or what they really focus on.

I know I need to know everything we have gone over in the course, but as I am running out of time, I am trying to consolidate down to what is most likely going to be emphasized. Also, with the oral portion... Will we just need to basically know the topics that are asked and just run with it? Or will they kind of prod us along if we get stuck? For instance, I know with DRM we would use resources such as the pilots, other dispatchers, managers, MX, crew scheduling, routing...ect. If I am going through all of that and don't hit on every one of them, will they ask about the other ones or just count it wrong?

I guess I just really don't know what to expect because all of my life I have never had an "oral exam" Maybe I am freaking out for no reason, as another thread on this forum said it is normal to feel nervous about it. I have something lined up that depends on me passing the first time around, which may be adding to the stress.

Any help appreciated, have a great day!
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You'll definitely be asked regulation questions and weather questions. Don't be in any rush to answer questions. Make sure you understand what is being asked. Don't be afraid to use resources around you. While we're required to know quite a bit of stuff, nobody remembers everything all the time. We as dispatchers consult manuals so if you're not sure on something, look it up. Know where to find the answers if you can't remember what it is. I didn't remember everything that I was asked and at one point, went blank looking at a weather chart. I couldn't remember a symbol, so I opened up the book and came up with the answer. You won't be penalized for using your resources. And good luck!
 
Ok. I do know where to find stuff if I cannot remember. I just figured if I didn't know most of what they ask off the top of my head that it wouldn't be ok. In other words, if I am having to look up several things, (definitions, symbols, specific FAR numbers) I am assuming that will not be acceptable?
 
My practical oral exams were all pretty much conversational in nature. You will talk about most of the topics you covered in class. Expect it to be thorough, but the examiner will understand that you are not a machine and you might need to reference things or think for a minute before you answer. It really depends on the examiner. The one I had for ADX apparently loved to teach so it really was an educational experience as well as a practical test, and it made it much easier because he did a lot of talking, which took the pressure off me! Here are my tips for surviving the practical:

- Remain calm. The examiner's job is not to find any way possible to bust you. Having the knowledge at the tip of your tongue isn't what he's looking for. He wants to know if you know where to find the information you are looking for and you have a good working knowledge of process. In short, he wants to know you can work through a problem, not necessarily have the answer queued up and ready. As an aside, if you DO happen to be Rain Man, expect the examiner to keep ramping up the difficulty level until you are FORCED to stop and look something up. It's what he's looking for.

- Don't say in 7 words what can be said in 3. This is a favorite past time of examiners. They ask you a question where a simple yes/no will suffice. Candidate cannot help himself and begins to explain why he came to the answer he did. Trouble with this is now you're giving the examiner ammunition to fire back at you. If you are going to explain yourself, you'd BETTER be absolutely correct, or you can expect to be drilled on what you just brought up unsolicited. Treat it like a police interrogation. Answer what was asked, nothing more. If he wants you to elaborate, he will ask you to.

- Take your time. This isn't Family Feud. You don't have to beat the buzzer. Think about the question, construct an answer, then answer the question. Examiners block off half a day per examination for a reason.

- Have fun. You're talking airplanes, for crying out loud! How can you not have fun with that? If you're lucky you'll get an examiner who loves to hear himself talk. :)
 
Have confidence in yourself and don't stress over it. The examiner should do a pretty good job of keeping stress levels down.
 
It's a 1949 Buick Roadmaster. Straight 8. Fireball 8. Only 8,985 production models. Dad lets me drive slow on the driveway. But not on Monday, definitely not on Monday.
 
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Ok thanks for the advice. As far as the flight plan, is there a time limit? I was doing really well, then last night the instructor told us the way they have been showing us to do it isn't quite how the examiner will want it, and it is taking me much more time now. Obviously I am going to practice like crazy for the next week and a half, but I just wanted to know if there is a time limit or if that is up to the examiner as well?
 
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