Failed PPL oral...

Finish with the DPE, it just makes financial sense. Never use him again, those questions do not belong on a private checkride. I would drop the CFI and the flight school after you get your ticket, but that is me.
 
Re: !

Difference in Civilian "Fuel" and Military "Fuel"...?

NONE!!! Besides the names... sometimes.

Now military Field and Civilian Field.... YES!

The fuel question is puzzling but may be an interference in communication.

You're on the right track.

How about this:

Look at the beacon to determine if you are at a military field.

Military field = military fuel.

Voila !
 
Thanks so much for all the advise guys. It's like I've always said in life thus far, when someone screws you over, the best revenge is to succeed in spite of them. I will never again use this DPE, and as far as the school and CFI goes, I'll listen to what their "plan" is before I make a decision to walk out or not.

Funny how yesterday I was thinking "WOW that exam was as hard as I thought" and I was dragging my feet beating myself up, and now 24 hours later I'm starting to feel that maybe my failure wasn't because I'm an idiot, but because that examiner may have decided to fish for a reason to fail me. Either way, I'll be ready for him next time.
 
Also, just wanted to add that your instructor should not have signed you off before he felt you were ready for a checkride. Since he should have conducted an in depth review with you before your checkride, his signature says that you are ready. The comment about "now we're going to have to start all over" makes absolutely no sense. If he felt you were ready today, then he shouldn't have a problem feeling that you are ready tomorrow!

Spot on!

I'm getting more and more pissed about this as I ponder it...and we may need to form a posse and set the DPE on fire. And then the CFI and the owner.

Question - can you swap DPE's after a bust or do you have to re-take with the same guy?
 
Spot on!

I'm getting more and more pissed about this as I ponder it...and we may need to form a posse and set the DPE on fire. And then the CFI and the owner.

Question - can you swap DPE's after a bust or do you have to re-take with the same guy?

I'm not sure on this, but I think you can swap but you'll have to do the entire checkride over again (not just the systems/airspace part of the oral) and then you'd have to pay the new DPE the full fee as opposed to a retest fee.
 
Military fuel Vs civilian fuel? Hell If I knew how to tell the difference that would mean I would know the super secret recipe for military fuel. It's classified!

Why is class D class D? I don't know how, but I would find a way to credit Jesus for this.

Why do the breaks work when I push the pedal? PFM! Short of that i don't know nor do I care. Something to do with hoses and red water or something. If I push the pedal and nothing happens...tell someone who knows how to fix it.

I guess my point is, these questions are bad questions. My answers above seem just as valid as any other answer someone could come up with for the questions you posted earlier. I'm sure not Billy Badass but I do have about 500 hours od dual given, and I would have had trouble with them.

You did also hit on sort of a sore point with me and systems. I need to know that when I pull the carb heat, warm air is sent into the carb. What I don't need to know is that the warm air is heated via radiant heating in a shroud over the left exhaust manifold. Don't get me started though or I'll whine all night about prop governors.

Good luck on the retest...hope to hear some results soon.
 
Holy crap, I just realized something...the dude passed me on subjects we didn't cover in the oral!:drool: Wow...
 
Dang! I never had an oral like that, not even on a military UPT checkride or my CFI initial--It's also possible to get the bad apple. I wouldn't sweat it--it sounds like you know your stuff at the level you're supposed to know it, although my disclaimer is that I wasn't there. The only thing I might suggest in the future is to use DPEs who are known by the local pilots to be fair and stick to the PTS. Every examiner will have their favorite pet subject to delve into; you should have that intel ahead of time to set yourself up for success. Good luck on the recheck.
 
Chasen,

Having just gotten my PPL and failed my first checkride I will tell you a few things I experienced.

1) When I did not know a question, systems or FAA related, I told him I did not know the answer but could look it up for him. After opening and thumbing through the Operators Manual or FAR to the correct section he told "ok, you know where it is".

2) He did ask me twice if I was "sure" of an answer. Made me rethink, but firmly told him I stood by my answer.

3) I failed my checkride for failing to execute a clearing turn before a stall. His exact words were "you were 100% up until this point". I wanted to open the door and jump. However, I kept my cool, continued the checkride and the following day I returned to perform the clearing turn.

^ This is what you should read.

The longer I do this, the more I think of checkrides as nothing more than just a game between Instructors and DPEs; a dance maybe, he leads and I follow.

Each DPE has a certain rhythm and in the end the instructor starts to move to it. "X" DPE likes to bust students on clearing turns, so we instructors start "coaching" for the checkride.
He's an acceptable pilot but man, he can do clearing turns like a villian

What you wrote reads as if you were simply not "coached" enough to be playing the game.

It shouldn't be a game, but it is (IMO). It stinks.

You also have to remember that he is going to put his name to your certificate, with only meeting you for four hours and flying with you for 1.5. There are a lot of things that might put out a vibe of being in over your head, "uh" might be one example. Something told him to bust you and he went after you until you did (just guessing).

------
And JEP is 100% correct, your instructor is taking it personally.
Too personally.
That explains his actions.


Don't bail yet. It will be cheaper to finish up there. The instructor at the next school over will want to see you do probably much more than three hours of flight and plenty of review ground to see if you are ready for his sign off.
Money and time says stay put if those are the most important to you.

Cheers.
 
Chasen- You know what I think... Your examiner is a goofball.

I'm not sure on this, but I think you can swap but you'll have to do the entire checkride over again (not just the systems/airspace part of the oral) and then you'd have to pay the new DPE the full fee as opposed to a retest fee.

He could go to a different examiner, and is only required to cover what they haven't done, or what he was shown to be deficient in, unless the examiner decides to test him on everything again... But it would cost him lots of extra $$$.

Oh, PS, you could also request an FAA examiner do your checkride. It would be free, and to be honest, probably less difficult than your checkride you just took... Just sayin'. :dunno:
 
I'm HOPING to do it on Thursday and I've been hitting the books from the second I got home from that checkride. However, my CFI is freaking out and going "OMGZ THURSDAY IZ TOO SOON THERES TOO MUCH TO LEARN OMGZ WE GOTTA MEET WITH THE OWNER! HOW DID YOU FAIL?! I DONT KNOW WHAT DO DO WITH YOU!"

I am NOT impressed with him right now. You can tell he totally expected me to pass with flying colors, but he doesn't know what to do now that I failed. Ugh.

He's watching out for his own hide...."If you fail, he fails".....At least that's what he's thinking...

:yeahthat:

You know that's right.

That "now we're going to have to start all over," comment was completely out of line, and hypocritical of your instructor. He thought you were ready for a sign off but after a bust he thinks you need to start from scratch? Doesn't stand to reason.

I want to ask, did the DPE allow you to access any reference material ( i.e. aircraft POH) or not?
 
Sorry to hear that Chasen. It sucks when that happens. Drop your flight school too cause that's bs. Just remember you're gonna pass with flying colors next time and know more than just about any other Private Pilot!
 
:yeahthat:

You know that's right.

That "now we're going to have to start all over," comment was completely out of line, and hypocritical of your instructor. He thought you were ready for a sign off but after a bust he thinks you need to start from scratch? Doesn't stand to reason.

I want to ask, did the DPE allow you to access any reference material ( i.e. aircraft POH) or not?

That's a good question. When I took my CFI initial, the FSDO examiner wouldn't even let me have a copy of the standards book. He made a photocopy of the menu and said that was all I was allowed to have. He then proceeded into a 10 hour oral which I failed right around the 10 hour mark (head was spinning, gave a wrong answer and that was all she wrote). Probably doesn't help that he opened the conversation with him by saying he "doesn't like the school I went to, everyone from there is substandard". There are definitely people out there with their own agendas...
 
He was allowing me to use the POH and even google if I needed it. However, he warned me with systems he was going to "make me think" and it'll be clear to him if I memorized whats in the POH or knew my stuff. Kind of a hint what he was asking wouldn't be found by a glance at the POH, I would have to know it up to his standards or not know enough. I didn't know enough.
 
Oh, PS, you could also request an FAA examiner do your checkride. It would be free, and to be honest, probably less difficult than your checkride you just took... Just sayin'. :dunno:

And saved $700. You know what, I think I'm doing all future check rides with the Feds... If I fail an oral, it costs me zero.

My last ride with a DPE was $250 btw.

And I don't think there is any way to tell the difference between military kerosene and civilian kerosene, other than smell. Jet-A and JP-8 are basically the same thing, only difference is the additives.
 
You're on the right track.

How about this:

Look at the beacon to determine if you are at a military field.

Military field = military fuel.

Voila !

Y'know, if this is what he was looking for he needs to be punched. Because, you ask a kid a question like that, you're showing off your ability ask a trick question and nothing more, Mr. DPE. Nice one, smart guy. Now how about you stick to the PTS and not be a jerk?

There is not one iota of validity in that question. To whit: what the hell is a civilian PPL going to be doing on a military field...AT NIGHT? Emergency landing? Think he's gonna ask for jet fuel after that?

If he wants to know if the candidate knows the difference between military and civilian beacons, he can damn well ask the question straight up and not get cute about it.

This pisses me off. Chasen, you deserve your money back. That DPE is a tool if everything you wrote was accurate.

Spot on!

I'm getting more and more pissed about this as I ponder it...and we may need to form a posse and set the DPE on fire. And then the CFI and the owner.

Strange, but I had a similar thought when I woke up this morning. My checkride was a lot of FUN - my DPE was excellent, and she taught me a couple of things in addition to examining me. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.

Go the Feds and save your money. Look on the bright side - a Fed ride isn't going to be any worse than what you've dealt with now.
 
Unfortunately there isnt much you can do about this, just keep your chin up.....Some DPE's have an agenda and it looks like you ran into one.

We recently had a guy go to a DPE for his sport pilot license, and the oral took 5hrs. Not because the student didnt know anything, he was asking commercial level questions for a sport pilot.
 
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