DPE's and emergencies

[SteveC]

Change the bold to this:

Well it looks like they still need a medical, it was only for simulators. However, as midlifeflyer pointed out, they are not PIC for his reasons.

Sorry it appears I didn't read the FAR completely before posting it. Learn from my mistakes!

There is also another reason why they need a medical. Did you catch where midlifeflyer said: "FAA Order 8900.2, the Designee Handbook, requires that a DPE be qualified to act as PIC (even though she isn't PIC). Part of that is maintaining at least a 3rd class medical if a medical would be required to act as PIC"?

 

[shdw]

There is also another reason why they need a medical. Did you catch where midlifeflyer said: "FAA Order 8900.2, the Designee Handbook, requires that a DPE be qualified to act as PIC (even though she isn't PIC). Part of that is maintaining at least a 3rd class medical if a medical would be required to act as PIC"?

Point take, thanks for clearing that up for me Steve.

 

[SFCC/UND]

Every checkride I've ever taken with the DPE and the FAA they made it clear that I was flying the plane and they would assist me. If I wanted to I could make the FAA or the DPE fly the airplane, while I go through the checklist. But since I fly from the right seat a lot, I'll make them do the checklist.

 

[derg]

Don't assume that the DPE or FAA has any more experience than you do on the aircraft type!

Or is as current. Remember, they're evaluators, not necessarily experts.

 

[SFCC/UND]

I would trust my local DE and FAA here in Spokane, that is saying something!

 

[Douglas]

I too have always been briefed that I would remain in control of the aircraft on the checkride, except if under the hood.

 

[SpiraMirabilis]

Had an emergency, sort of, during my CFI-I checkride with Pinkslip Pinkston in Fort Lauderdale. Total electrical failure on the radio/avionics bus.

Pinkston either was the #3 category DPE or he was still asleep. About 30 seconds later the radios all came back so I finished the checkride and landed like normal. I didn't want a discontinuance so I didn't even mention it on the off chance he was asleep.

 

[PeterPilot]

Back in the day, I think it was the 1970s, a friend of my dad's was going for his PPL. Back then, they actually killed the engine. When this friend went to recover/restart, nothing happened. Long story short, he landed in a field and passed his checkride

I don’t know the exact date, but the PTS first came into being around that time, and quite likely events such as that precipitated it’s development.

I cannot say with certainty, but I strongly suspect that shutting off an engine in a single engine airplane was a unilateral decision by the examiner and not an FAA policy.

Don't assume that the DPE or FAA has any more experience than you do on the aircraft type!

Or is as current. Remember, they're evaluators, not necessarily experts.

I can’t add much to that comment, but I felt it was important enough to be worth restating. It is completely possible that the examiner or inspector who is conducting the test has never even seen that type aircraft. That isn’t a knock on anyone, it is just the way the system works. It might be prudent for the applicant to ask the examiner questions that quantify the examiner’s recent experience and aircraft familiarity so that in the event of an actual emergency, the applicant would have a better idea of how to best use the examiner resource.

 

[SpiraMirabilis]

I heard this story about a grizzled old flight instructor -- he had this ritual that he would do with students. He would have them climb to a fairly high altitude and then reach over and turn the mags off and take they key out.

Now, his colleagues made primarily of younger flight instructors thought he was kind of crazy for doing this and set out to demonstrate that to him. They knew which lesson he did this on and found one of his students. They told his student what he would do, and gave him an copy of the airplane key to hold onto. They told him as soon as he did that, reach over and grab the key and throw it out the window. Then after he sweats it out for a thousand feet or two reach inside your shirt pocket, get the copy key, restart the engine.

Student did just that and the old guy freaked out, which caused the student to freeze up. Student forgot he had the spare key until they were only like 1500ft AGL and going towards a field. Engine restarted though and that was the last time that instructor performed that non-standard engine out training.