Failed PPL oral...

ChasenSFO said:
If it involves me shelling out a ton of money when they told me I was good to go on Monday, then you can be sure I'm not going to be happy with them.
Click to expand...

If it involves you shelling out another bunch of money, you might as well shell it out to a completely new CFI & completely new flight school and a new DPE.
 
I chimming in late here but you got screwed. The only time an examiner ulled BS like that was on my CFI and CFII rides. The $450 also seems insanely high for a PPL ride too.

Shake it off and find new DE. This BS will happen from time to time and it even happens in airlines too. Get a fed or check airman on the wrong day and you bust for some BS item.

Good Luck on the retest. I am sure you will do fine.
 
ChasenSFO said:
Heh when the exam started he was like "I have 4 different color-coded tests all with different questions you can choose from, 3 are easy, one no one has ever passed before. Pick one."

I thought he was kidding, I wonder if there really is some BS test in his laptop.
Click to expand...

The guy was an ass using his position to play 'stump the dummy'. This is usually done by someone who does not understand it is not a power play. I would get my license with another examiner and then make an appt with the FSDO to discuss what seems to be an unusual oral. Asking, "Are you sure?" each time is little more than intimidation... not a useful tool for a good examiner.

IF he has an exam that no one passes, it just supports the point that he is doing it as an ego trip. The profanity rule prohibits me from really expressing what I think of guys like this. It is no doubt a factor in the decline of people learning to fly.
 
ChasenSFO said:
Thanks for all the advice guys. You know I have always felt that everyone at that school feels I knew WAY more then I do. And as such, I've been under prepared for all my stage checks. Just because I can talk to them about the industry and not sound 100% retarded and I'm a nerd when it comes to airline stuff and knew all the local frequencies and airport codes when I started(Flight simulator), they assume I know everything about being a PPL and flying the 172. Obviously I don't, they forget I'm a 19 year old kid still earning his ratings.

My CFI soloed me at 12 hours. My first time around the pattern solo I had the stall horn go off on base to final and had to recover. And I didn't even have the flare down, every landing was a total clunker, so I wouldn't say I was totally ready to go.

I guess if you're a CFI just do your students a favor and try not to overestimate them. Just because they have a huge passion for aviation doesn't mean they have the POH memorized.

Having just got off the phone with my CFI...I can tell you I think there was a little bragging before hand with the DPE about how well prepared I was...
Click to expand...

Sounds like you got hosed Chasen. I agree with your thoughts pretty much 100%. Though I do want to bring up a point....and I don't want to be Debbie Downer here, but after reading the Bold paragraph above, if you didn't have a good flare technique yet according to your instructor, I'm fairly sure you felt the same way...Based on that, why would you agree to solo in the first place? In a few other posts you mentioned your confidence was questioned, that's totally understandable...But given that scenario, why would you agree to take command of a plane by yourself if you weren't confident in your abilities? I dunno, I may be way off base here, and I'm certainly not trying to kick you when you're down...but there's a big difference between feeling you're ready, and being told you're ready.

Chin up, you'll get it next time. :rawk:
 
I just assumed everyone is nervous before they solo, and if your CFI says you're ready, you're ready. I didn't die. But I did make a bunch of mistakes. He soloed me my 3rd time doing pattern-work.

As far as the initials go, M.S., if it is who I think it is, got fired for sexual harassment just before I was supposed to go on a ride with him, which set me back a few months as the other local DPEs got booked by all the foreign students who were supposed to go with M.S. I actually BSed with M.S. a bunch of times at the airport and he was a funny dude, I would have felt very at ease with him, its a shame.

I'll share the initials after all is said and done.

Mike H said:
If it involves you shelling out another bunch of money, you might as well shell it out to a completely new CFI & completely new flight school and a new DPE.
Click to expand...
Thats my plan of how this "meeting" with the owner is going to go. So I can't solo OR take the retest until at least March 1st which is the only day the owner is available. Is this really the way to treat someone who has poured over $10,000 into your pockets over the years?
 
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!"


No matter how bad someone might do in a check ride, no instructor should say anything to make a student feel bad, he should be pumping you up for your next attempt and building confidence in you. THAT INSTRUCTOR FAILD YOU. Goodluck on the next attempt.
 
WacoFan said:
Edit:

And I will add - if you continue to fly at this place after your private, with the way they are treating you (particularly your CFI) - then you are an idiot. These people deserve no more of your money. Eff them.
Click to expand...

:yeahthat:
 
Many moons ago, my instructor wouldn't sign me off to take my private checkride - the flight school owner wouldn't give the ok.

I felt I was getting milked so I found another instructor in a nearby town, got three (3) hours of dual in his 150 and passed my checkride with no problem.

And it was nice to get some insight from a new instructor.

So, go find another flight instructor and get it done. After three years, I say you're over due for a change anyway.

By the way, what's heavier: wet air or dry air? I missed that one...but I still passed.
 
I better be misreading that, but I thought you just said that your CFI/flight school owner revoked your solo flying privileges (where you could be gaining valuable practice and maintain otherwise perishable skills) due to a failed ORAL.

If that's the case, you really need to drop these idiots and walk over to West Valley immediately.
 
Hacker15e said:
Seriously?
Click to expand...
I'm assuming what he meant was your CFI of all people shouldn't kick you when you are down. I would assume that my CFI in this situation would be the first to make sure I get back on my feet and into the retest ASAP, that's not the case right now. I don't pay the dude $55/hour to say "Wow you suck we need to start over". A proper reaction would be "Obviously we need to cover systems and airspace more in depth to please the DPE, we are going to do _____".

Sorry if I come off as harsh, I'm a little upset with this school right now needless to say. Luckily I'm a self motivating type of person so I picked up the books on my own and I'm thinking of all the crazy questions he can come up with in the retest. I should do fine on the retest now that I know what to expect.
 
ChasenSFO said:
As far as the initials go, M.S., if it is who I think it is, got fired for sexual harassment just before I was supposed to go on a ride with him, which set me back a few months as the other local DPEs got booked by all the foreign students who were supposed to go with M.S. I actually BSed with M.S. a bunch of times at the airport and he was a funny dude, I would have felt very at ease with him, its a shame.
Click to expand...

M.S. from WVFC... short, wears a hat, looks a little like Jon Lovitz?

He is one of the good DPE's... goofy but thorough. He told me once that he got drunk at RHV one night and climbed up the rotating beacon and rode it like a bull. :beer:
 
That's the one. He's an awesome guy who did a stupid thing and lost his job and certificates. I'd still hang out with the dude.
 
Table Two said:
M.S. from WVFC... short, wears a hat, looks a little like Jon Lovitz?

He is one of the good DPE's... goofy but thorough. He told me once that he got drunk at RHV one night and climbed up the rotating beacon and rode it like a bull. :beer:
Click to expand...
Hahaha, I've heard a story about somebody at LOU doing it years ago. Apparently they broke it and it wouldn't spin anymore. Must be the thing to do.
 
You most definitely got shafted. And ripped off. I've never had a checkride that expensive-- even my CFI ride was $350!
 
Drop the DE, drop the school.

I've been a crew chief for almost 14 years and that fuel question only brought up questions from me. I'm kinda rough on the edges myself because I've done all those orals, but if he asked me that from pilot to pilot, I would be like "That's too vague, what do you mean, how can you tell at night?" Did he want you to know the difference by feel? Smell? Markings on the truck?? I would check the markings on the truck before I went in to look at the color, even in day time and THEN I would look at the color and smell it. Very bad question. You're a newbie and he needs to ask you questions that a newbie can follow. IMO, HE fails his ppl oral as a DE.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top