Re: Well cr@p ... or, what it\'s like to bust the IA checkride
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I'm confused. If your stationed at SDL what in the world were you doing at TUS, Ryan, and OLS? SDL has the FSDO right there and you could have done all your necessary approaches in the local area. When I did mine I departed CHD went to Gila Bend, then over to IWA, and came back into CHD. In all it only took 1.5 hours. Could you not find a DPE in the local area?
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Because there are only about two guys in the entire state of AZ that can still give checkrides in a PA-23 150/60 (Apache). One is based in TUS the other one is in OLS. They don't like to come up here and with access to my own aircraft, and having to build time anyway, I didn't mind the flight down. And if I fly down there it makes no sense to fly back up to the PHX area to do approaches.
Besides, I'd flown most of the approaches down there at least once (at Ryan, TUS and OLS) so it wasn't like it was completely unfamiliar territory. The only approach that would have been brand, spankin' new to me would have been Ft. Huachuca.
And, yes, the DEs generally charge a "re-test" fee. But like the test itself it's completely up to them what, if anything, they charge. I paid $300 for the ride and I'll have dish out another $100 for the re-test.
And I could have gone through the FSDO but they generally have a wait list longer than any of the DEs (hence the need for the DEs in the first place).