Failed checkrides...common now a days?

saddletramp

Line Up and Wait
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saddletramp
In my full-time job I do a lot of driving so for the last year or so I've been downloading aviation podcasts. I have many I enjoy & several I'm addicted to.

In a podcast today the host commented that he had failed two checkrides as he earned his ratings. He further stated "I've yet to meet a pilot who hasn't failed at least one checkride." I was really surprised by this statement.

I'm not meaning to boast but I never failed any of my checkrides nor have I ever had a student fail a checkride. If they weren't ready for the checkride I didn't send them. I haven't tallied how many students I've recommended over the years but it's been well in excess of one hundred. That's probably way too conservative an estimate but let's assume that for now.

I'm I a abnormality or just damned lucky?
 
There are still plenty of people who progress through the ranks without failing a checkride. That guy needs to keep better company if everyone he is around has failed at least one.

I have never failed a checkride and have been through my fair share but I can’t say that I have a perfect student pass rate. It seems like I always have one or two failures between renewals but that is out of 30+ students in the same period of time. Many of those are flight instructor applicants too...
 
If he took practical tests for a private, instrument, commercial, multi, ATP, CFI, CFII, and MEI he failed 1/4 test of the practical tests he took. No, that is not normal.
 
^Yeah that's very surprising to me that all the pilots he met have failed check rides. Other than the psychological factor to it, they're really not big scary beasts. You follow the ACS, learn the material, and do a ton of work with your CFI first. I passed PPL and and IR without any issues, writtens included.. I wouldn't call it luck. Vigilant instruction and active studying

BUT, I would say about 1/3 of the pilots I know have in fact failed at least one checkride (usually IR).. and the people who failed did so because of either a gross error in their preflight planning, messing up lost comms procedures.. and one person was failed before they even took off because they accepted a departure procedure even though they couldn't meet the climb gradient.. oh and one more person didn't realize he was tracking the wrong VOR on the missed approach (never flip flopped the frequencies in the NAV)
..just remembered one guy who failed his PPL (only one I know who failed a private checkride).. did everything flawlessly, then when entering the pattern back home, controlled airport, tower gave them left downwind and they set up for the right downwind.. never caught the error.. so he failed

It's the real deal up there. It shouldn't be easy to pass.. but at least in my experience there really aren't any curve balls or things designed to F with you as long as you keep your head on straight.
 
If he took practical tests for a private, instrument, commercial, multi, ATP, CFI, CFII, and MEI he failed 1/4 test of the practical tests he took. No, that is not normal.

Actually 1/5 if he subsequently passed the two that he failed. :p
 
Pick your DPE carefully. Some "quirky" characters out there, with pet peeves, sometimes over trivial "stump the dummy" issues.

One guy asked me the color of runway marking signs; "Red and white" says I. Yeah, but are the numbers red, or are they white? "Beats me, but I know one when I see it". He made it clear it was a pass or fail question, so I guessed (correctly). And I told him I was guessing (went with what I thought provided the most contrast).

That made him happy - even knowing it was a swag, and that I considered it a silly a** question.
 
Pick your DPE carefully. Some "quirky" characters out there, with pet peeves, sometimes over trivial "stump the dummy" issues.

One guy asked me the color of runway marking signs; "Red and white" says I. Yeah, but are the numbers red, or are they white? "Beats me, but I know one when I see it". He made it clear it was a pass or fail question, so I guessed (correctly). And I told him I was guessing (went with what I thought provided the most contrast).

That made him happy - even knowing it was a swag, and that I considered it a silly a** question.

Lol. That’s a written question. But get that wrong you have plenty of others you have to get wrong to fail too! I wonder about my DPE for upcoming IFR checkride?? I see some sites review them. But for mine there isn’t anything listed. My instructor likes to use him, calls him tough but fair-good thing I guess. Buried in a reddit post someone was ****ed he failed them claiming too strict by the book-probably just bitter student
 
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