Suggested new ettiquette - Checkride reporting deadline

TMetzinger

TMetzinger

Final Approach
Joined
Mar 6, 2006
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Northern Virginia
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Display name:
Tim
Like many others waiting anxiously to hear how our favorite blimp new airperson did on her checkride, I stayed up late hoping for word...

Did she pass?
Did she fail?
Did she crash? (yes, this speculation did arise!).

In order to ensure old/ugly folks like me don't miss any more of our much needed beauty sleep than necessary, I propose that all POA'ers report their checkride results within 30 minutes of the completion of the IACRA transaction. If IACRA is used, there is internet connectivity on-site, so it should be no problem to post either:
"I passed, details later"
or
"I'll pass next time, details later".

If IACRA is not used, then perhaps we can give the candidate a break.

What say you?

PS - Blimperly:yikes:, Great Job!
 
TMetzinger said:
In order to ensure old/ugly folks like me don't miss any more of our much needed beauty sleep than necessary, I propose that all POA'ers report their checkride results within 30 minutes of the completion of the IACRA transaction. If IACRA is used, there is internet connectivity on-site, so it should be no problem to post either:
"I passed, details later"
or
"I'll pass next time, details later".
Click to expand...
This post brought to mind a bad story from my private checkride. I neglected to tell my CFI that I passed, then I went out to dinner with a couple other pilots in their airplane. My CFI called my home (I lived with my mom) but I had not communicated with her either. It was only after I became a CFI myself that I realized what a major faux-pas that was. :redface:
 
So Sac Arrow and the Polar Bear were sitting in the hangar talking up a storm on aviation.

“So, Polar Bear, how did the checkride go?”

“I passed it. Barely. I’m glad it’s over with though. Turns out the DPE’s father in law was eaten by a bear.”

“Oh jeez, so you started out in a bad tone then?”

“No, not at all, he hated his in laws, that’s why I passed! I flubbed every maneuver!”

“So what happened?”

“Well, we were doing steep turns right, and I could NOT hold my altitude whatsoever!” I lost five hundred feet!”

“Didn’t you use the trim wheel?”

“Sac…. Look at these claws. Have you ever tried to turn a trim wheel with these meat hooks?”

“Oh, yeah, I see what you mean. So have you posted your success on any message boards or social networking sites?”

“Helllllllllllll no! The whole story of a flying Polar Bear was a debacle to start with. You know, the news commentators raising a stink on how a Polar Bear could get issued a Class 3 medical, pass the vision test with no color perception, yada yada yada… it sort of made my life miserable. I’m trying to downplay the whole thing.”

“Aren’t you worried your friends might lose sleep over not hearing the results?”

“My friends? You mean other Polar Bears? First of all, even if they COULD read or write, I seriously don’t think they would spend all their time on the Internet following a blow by blow account of how my checkride went down. I mean they have other things to do. They have a life! So I’m not too worried about it.”

“So what are you going to do to celebrate?”

“I dunno, maybe head out to the bars tonight, use my new pilot card. It might help me get some action! Oh, oh, and maybe I’ll get so sit in an airline cockpit the next time I fly commercial!”

“Polar Bear, I don’t think your pilot card is going to get you in the cockpit of an airliner these days…”

“Oh I don’t care about the cockpit too much. I’ll be happy if I can just ride in coach. Air travel in a zoo cage sucks!”

“Okay, well, have a good time then.”
 
Everskyward said:
It was only after I became a CFI myself that I realized what a major faux-pas that was. :redface:
Click to expand...

Me: Have fun, text me the second you are done.
Student [at expected completion time]: ........
Student [at expected completion time + 1 hour]: ........
Student [at expected completion time + 2 hours]: ........
Student [at expected completion time + 3 hours]: ........
Student [at expected completion time + 4 hours]: ........
Me [playing Tom Petty's "The Waiting Is The Hardest Part" in the background, calling DPE]: Hey how did my boy do today?
DPE: Just great, it was a thrill to fly with him, he was a great applicant and even better pilot.
Me: :mad3:
 
I honestly don't advise anyone to advertise an impending check ride here or anywhere else. Inform only privately on a need-to-know basis. Otherwise you are just adding to the emotional burden, and you don't need that. Some people can be surprisingly condescending and superior if you have to admit publicly to failure.
 
Oh my gosh - send me a PM next time - I didn't even know about this thread.

First of all, 30 minutes later I was just getting in the plane - to solo back to the flight school from the DPE's office. Then I drove all the way to SF and was in a car. Then I was hanging out with my Mom who I had not seen in months. I was nowhere near a computer and had to use my cell phone's internet.

Secondly, I had put the fly-in prep on hold (packing etc) so that was my next focus.

Then off to MI for the POA 6Y9 Fly-In and now I'm back.

But all excuses aside - the real reason I didn't post my "story" is that all other stories have been soooo good. I don't know if I can remember 100% of everything and I hesitated. Now it seems like the moment is lost.

Tell you what - I'll post my story today.
 
MarkL said:
Me: Have fun, text me the second you are done.
Student [at expected completion time]: ........
Student [at expected completion time + 1 hour]: ........
Student [at expected completion time + 2 hours]: ........
Student [at expected completion time + 3 hours]: ........
Student [at expected completion time + 4 hours]: ........
Me [playing Tom Petty's "The Waiting Is The Hardest Part" in the background, calling DPE]: Hey how did my boy do today?
DPE: Just great, it was a thrill to fly with him, he was a great applicant and even better pilot.
Me: :mad3:
Click to expand...


LOL. When I emailed my CFI, asking for "feedback" (expecting all the things I need to work on to come up from the DPE to him during their private debrief), I got a similar response. I mean I don't think they said "great pilot" but the feedback was that I did well and was very interested in flying and being safe. Who knew? Kimberly um blimperly made the DPE happy.
 
Found the email. He is a good teacher and writes great advice.

Here it is:

"Kimberly, there is really nothing you need to "work on" because of the way your flight test went. What you need to work on is gaining experience in a safe manner. Going places, talking to ATC, filing flight plans, landing at other airports, continuing to conduct short and soft field takeoffs and landings, keeping up with weather briefs, continuing to maintain your knowledge level at your current level--at a minimum-, and oh yes, you are allowed to have a little fun too. Be smart, and figure your performance, and follow the rules. There will be enough temptation to do otherwise. (that's another conversation).

As you have probably figured out most accidents are pilot error. That's actually great news for pilots who follow the rules, because they are far less likely to have an accident.

As for your scared and flaky passengers--it's not surprising given what most of the non-flying public knows about how many general aviation accidents there are. Just in the last month or so, the Mooney in Watsonville--killing all his family, and this last week a couple of Bonanzas went down for some reason. Perhaps the DPE told you that his brother was killed in an airplane accident? Everybody knows someone who was killed in a small plane. Don't take it personally that people hesitate to fly with you. I was 18 when I got my Private, and thought that friends and family would be beating down my door to fly with me. After a while, I just stopped asking, and let it come up in conversation, and let others ask me to take them flying. In the mean time, just enjoy flying on your own, and gain more experience.

I did talk to the DPE about you, and he said you did a good job. But then we knew that would be the case otherwise I would not have signed you off for your flight test!!"
 
Nice note. Someday when you're old and grey, that e-mail will be fun to read. Print it out and keep it somewhere, since the digital version will likely be long gone by then.
 
denverpilot said:
Nice note. Someday when you're old and grey, that e-mail will be fun to read. Print it out and keep it somewhere, since the digital version will likely be long gone by then.
Click to expand...

I started a new thread. I have been getting PM's from pilots at / near / done with their own checkrides - which leads me to believe it is valuable advice for any new pilot.

A well written, nice, thoughtful note. It seems worthy of passing along.


Kimberly

PS - I think you're right. I'll print it out now. Thanks.
 
Jim Logajan said:
I honestly don't advise anyone to advertise an impending check ride here or anywhere else. Inform only privately on a need-to-know basis. Otherwise you are just adding to the emotional burden, and you don't need that. Some people can be surprisingly condescending and superior if you have to admit publicly to failure.
Click to expand...

I thought about this but only after I posted that I was going for the ride. Then again, I learned a lot by reading about other people's failures so . . . for me it was not an issue. In fact, it was more MOTIVATION to pass since I would be sharing the news.

And it was never my intention to KEEP PEOPLE UP PAST THEIR BEDTIME. LOL.
 
But..but...but.......we don't have internet at our little airports out here in the boondocks! We're so far out in the hills that our TV's run on propane.

Doc

Kim,

That was a great and encouraging note from your instructor. Great job! LB
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
I thought about this but only after I posted that I was going for the ride. Then again, I learned a lot by reading about other people's failures so . . . for me it was not an issue. In fact, it was more MOTIVATION to pass since I would be sharing the news.

And it was never my intention to KEEP PEOPLE UP PAST THEIR BEDTIME. LOL.
Click to expand...
Hell, you can sleep when you're dead. Unless you're up early and flying, the only reason to go to bed early is the hurricane took out your power.
Glad you passed; hope it was as much fun and an educational experience as I had. My DPE was a 20,000+ WWII pilot. Even with his stories, as entertaining as they were, he wasn't hardly the distraction he thought he was.
 
silver-eagle said:
Hell, you can sleep when you're dead. Unless you're up early and flying, the only reason to go to bed early is the hurricane took out your power.
Glad you passed; hope it was as much fun and an educational experience as I had. My DPE was a 20,000+ WWII pilot. Even with his stories, as entertaining as they were, he wasn't hardly the distraction he thought he was.
Click to expand...

Mine was more an instant friend than a DPE. I had the best time. I felt at ease. What a great guy he was and of course he had tons of flying experience, with small airline companies, the highway patrol, and others. He is a helicopter pilot, airplane pilot, and (was) instructor. He is retired now and that love for aviation is still apparent.... in a laid back way.
 
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