Checkride failures?

Have you ever failed a checkride?

  • Nope, I'm perfect. Never failed a checkride.

    Votes: 61 81.3%

  • Yup, I'm only human. I might have failed once or twice...

    Votes: 14 18.7%
  • Total voters
    75
  • Poll closed .
flyingcheesehead said:
I'm curious... How many of you have ever failed a checkride?
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2 for 2 so far, but I'm still a duffus when it comes to landing...:yes:
 
While I've never failed a check ride I would also say that I'm human and not perfect.

Len
 
Len Lanetti said:
While I've never failed a check ride I would also say that I'm human and not perfect.

Len
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I agree with Len. I'm 8/8, but tomorrow is always a new day, It is possible that I would flunk the next one.
 
busted the private ride - the engine-out landing. took it again the following week and no problem.

Inst, Commercial, Multi, and 135 rides were all ok.
 
3 for 3. I hope I didn't just curse it.
 
I have never failed an "actual" checkride, but I did blow a few "Stage Checks" at a Part 141 school. One of them was just post-solo, and I busted Class D airspace, then got a little slow on final because I was nervous. I really hate checkrides, but then again, who likes them?:dunno:

--Matt
 
I'm 8 for 8. Three with the FAA. I did have to do my multi over again with the FAA about a year later when they decided that the DE didn't have a letter to do them in Seminoles. Which worked out ok .. I hadn't flown multi
much and the DE owned the 141 school so he gave me free dual
and free use of the aircraft for the recheck. So I got free recurrent
training and flying time.

I would say my performance was within PTS standards .. but hardly
anything top notch on any of my check rides.
 
I'm 6/7. I failed my commercial checkride the first time around. In my defense, the instructor I had was awful, only I didn't realize it. I put all the blame on myself. I flew with the same DE I'd flown with for my private and instrument, and he was almost apologetic at having to fail me, and believe me, this guy was tough. I went back to my private/instrument instructor, who told me that the DE had told him that he thought the other instructor had messed with my mind (he had--almost destroyed my confidence during the flight instruction). I retook the checkride two weeks later and passed with flying colors. The DE was exceptionally complimentary.

Judy
 
12 for 12, still a doofus. I have had instructors beg me to just take the damn checkride. Knock on wood I didn't jinx the next one.

Joe
 
Steve said:
5/5 and I'm not tempting fate again...
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I have one more, unless something really strange comes along. I'm going to be taking my ATP checkride sometime in the next 2-3 years. I wish I knew where that commerical instructor who just about ruined flying for me is now. I'd love to take the ATP certificate and shove it under his nose. :target:

Judy
 
Failed a tactical check in an RF-4C in 1978 when the chase crew called "SAM at 2 o'clock," I called "BREAK RIGHT," and my brain-dead pilot broke left, putting our tail to the missile instead of breaking into it. SEFE's said it doesn't matter what I said, we pass or fail as a crew on what we did.

Failed a sim check in the F-111 in 1980 when the left-seater pulled the throttle on an engine fire on takeoff with the gear/flaps still down (can't fly a fully-fueled Aardvark at 7000 DA like that -- the remaining engine hasn't enough thrust to overcome the drag even in full AB until the gear/flaps are up). "WSO failed to prevent pilot from..." The SEFE said I should have blocked the throttles. Kind of a BS call, I think, as the alternative would be letting the burning engine run, and the Air Force usually isn't cool about WSO's overpowering pilots' control inputs, but there it is.

Still batting 1.000 on FAA checks, both certificate/rating and 135/141.
 
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Failed my driving test the first time, and the Private. Like TM, the engine failure was the problem area for me too. Re did that part yesterday and now I have the PPL.
 
infotango said:
Failed my driving test the first time, and the Private. Like TM, the engine failure was the problem area for me too. Re did that part yesterday and now I have the PPL.
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Well, congrats!!!!
 
1/1. Hardly makes me perfect! We'll see how things go on the instrument this summer.
 
infotango said:
Failed my driving test the first time, and the Private. Like TM, the engine failure was the problem area for me too. Re did that part yesterday and now I have the PPL.
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Congrats Info, now you can fly to the next Fly-in up in Conn.
Dave G.
 
I passed my private, but was wondering about it the whole time I was taking it. Like some of the others, my landings are nothing to brag about at times. You would think I was a solo student, but the plane is still useable.:D You got to love that steel spring Cessna landing gear.:yes:
 
I failed my first drivers test. My '67 Nova was getting fixed after a slight accident (someone hit it in a parking lot) so my dad loaned me his '63 Impala station wagon. I failed the parallel parking.
 
I'm scheduled to take the first of my checkrides next weekend, so of course this thread caught my attention immediately.

A quick perusal of the replies indicates that those in the 20% who have failed are pretty unrepresented when it comes to actual facts.

I don't ask for the sake of making anyone revisit a painful experience, but as a student I'd sure gain a lot more if those who failed a checkride would post a quick explanation of which test standard they had a problem with, or the details of how it came up and what they did/didn't do.

Thanks!

Patrick
 
Pjsmith said:
I don't ask for the sake of making anyone revisit a painful experience, but as a student I'd sure gain a lot more if those who failed a checkride would post a quick explanation of which test standard they had a problem with, or the details of how it came up and what they did/didn't do.
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I can't speak from first hand experience, since I've never had a deficiency noted by a DE. But a friend of mine had his PP-ASEL checkride about a week after I did my PP-ASEL. He failed on two items (and passed on his 2nd try):

1. He didn't know how to do the VOR lost procedure.

2. He got slow on short final on one of his landings -- slow enough to set the stall horn off.

On my PP-RH checkride, the DE caught a minor point that my CFI hadn't taught me. He showed it to me (it had to do with slope landings) but didn't gig me for it.
 
So far, so good, with 3 checkrides.
Did fail my first driving test, though... One of my wheels went up onto the curb when I tried to parallel-park. Good thing there's no parallel-parking airplanes.

--Kath
 
some of the super cub landings ive seen remind me more of parrallel parking than landing :)
 
Pjsmith said:
I'm scheduled to take the first of my checkrides next weekend, so of course this thread caught my attention immediately.

A quick perusal of the replies indicates that those in the 20% who have failed are pretty unrepresented when it comes to actual facts.

I don't ask for the sake of making anyone revisit a painful experience, but as a student I'd sure gain a lot more if those who failed a checkride would post a quick explanation of which test standard they had a problem with, or the details of how it came up and what they did/didn't do.
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First off, thanks for the Congrats from everybody.

Patrick not a painful experience at all, no problem giving the details. I did my checkride and everything went beautifully, even earning me compliments from the DE except for the engine out procedures. We were supposed to land to a stop at an airport I'd only once landed at before, and I came in too fast to put the plane down. I tried again and, of course, over compensated coming in too hot because I tried to slow down too much. Failing was good for me, because I worked really hard on perfecting the engine out procedures and yesterday I went up and nailed one.
Take note that these were to a landing and not just into a field with a guaranteed go around. I think that had we gone around at the altitude one normally goes around when practicing an engine out procedure into a field, I would have passed. The problems cropped up on short final, so I think that the training was good, because most real engine outs don't involve a go around.
 
RotaryWingBob said:
2. He got slow on short final on one of his landings -- slow enough to set the stall horn off.
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Damn stall horn on my Tiger starts wailing just below 70 KIAS -- even almost empty. I listen to it all the way down final. Damned annonying.
 
Ron Levy said:
Damn stall horn on my Tiger starts wailing just below 70 KIAS -- even almost empty. I listen to it all the way down final. Damned annonying.
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Ron, how does the Tiger stall horn work? A vane, like a Piper, or something else?
 
I will not vote until some time in May.
 
RotaryWingBob said:
Ron, how does the Tiger stall horn work? A vane, like a Piper, or something else?
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Vane on a microswitch. There might be an adjustment, but I'm checking.
 
Steve said:
5/5 and I'm not tempting fate again...
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I'm so far from perfect, it's suprising to me that I haven't blown one yet. 7/7 so far (knock on fake wood desktop). Planning on tempting fate at least a few more times. RH sounds intriguing and I'm pretty sure I'll go the CFI route someday. Maybe ATP just for the heck of it and I gotta do AMES too.
 
I passed my PPL checkride (yesterday.) But it was not my best flying day. I did great on the oral. DE told my instructor that I did exceptionally well on the oral.

In the sky I was all over. Constantly going high on assigned altitudes. Tried to intercept a VOR radial at 90 degrees (WAH!?!?) Chasing headings. I just didn't have my "A" game. I did do really well with all of the emergency procedures and other manuevers, though. But, I did pass.
 
8 for 8 and darn lucky! I've had understanding DPEs who let me do some things over.:redface:
 
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