failed private pilot checkride

[johnnyseko]

Took me 75hrs for PPL. I dont feel that I was robbed. Training part time can really slow progress.

 

You probably know what you need to fix to pass the checkride. So just fix it and move on! I know, easier said than done. I'm struggling to complete my IFR now.....between my personal schedule and the weather it hasnt been a great winter.

[The IronMan]

Your instructor is simply not doing his/her job in finding your problems and giving you the tools, time, and advise you need to overcome these issues. Everybody has things they must overcome to fly a helicopter. If you have a good instructor, with enough experience, he/she should immediately recognize these issues and instruct you in ways that will allow you to overcome them. If this is not the case then do some instructor shopping!!

 

Rotor is correct!

 

As a professional helicopter student (since 83') this is probably the case. I've been fortunate because all of the instructors I've had have been able to pickup on the mistakes immediately and get them corrected. You're either with low-time or paper-CFI instructors who either don't know what to look for or who are just building time or doing bare minimum --- which to me is unsafe. Might explain why a mostly silver company is wrecking a lot of birds. Crap In, Crap Out.

 

Most good instructors will phase you into maneuvers by letting you be on the controls with them a couple times through the whole maneuver and then letting you take a functional piece each successive time until you do the whole thing. You should then be able to attempt the whole thing with them being on the controls to save you, just in case. You should get some good feedback on mistakes and in setup for the next attempt. An instructor who talks too little, to me, isn't a good instructor. Your instructor should be asking you, "Any questions?", "You think you're OK with this?", "How do you feel?", etc. You shouldn't be afraid to speak up or say you don't understand something. I haven't met an instructor who hasn't told me how to build a watch when I merely asked for the time. But as I said, I guess I've been fortunate.

 

Before you go for checkride, your instructor and a chief/senior instructor should give you a pre-check ride to ready you for what you may be expected to perform and evaluate that you're safe and likely to pass. It should also boost your confidence on check-day. Having a good second opinion from a senior/chief instructor will not only verify you're good-to-go for the checkride, but will also serve as a gauge for the quality of instruction that the instructors under him/her provide.

 

Two philosophies I subscribe to with teaching--- (1) There are no bad students, just bad instructors! (2) When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.

 

If you have to, find a senior instructor or someone with some tenure as a heli-instructor to polish you up. Don't waste any more money where you're at if the job isn't getting done. The time is literally your money. It's business, not personal. Refer to philosophy (1)!!

 

Here's a tip I received from a high-time, no BS, military instructor pilot.....try to talk yourself through your maneuvers. He said to do it throughout the rest of my flying career. -- It does work!

 

Good luck to you, keep your chin up and go for it again. Keep us posted!

[flingwing206]

(1) There are no bad students, just bad instructors!

As a professional instructor since 1977, I have to take exception to this trite and overused phrase. Actually, there are bad students. In general, these are the ones who (for a variety of reasons outside of an instructor's control) do not hold up their end of the partnership. It doesn't matter how good an instructor is if their student doesn't put the work in (and please don't blame a CFI for having a lazy student).

 

The number of hours somebody takes to achieve a rating is no reflection on their effort or their instructor's effectiveness. Given enough time, effort, patience and money, pretty much anybody who can get through medical certification can get a rating. The problem is, there isn't an infinite amount of any of those resources. If a student has 40 hours worth of cash but needs 54 hours worth of training, does this equal "bad instructor"? How about a student who can't manage to get out of bed - should the instructor go wake them up every day (after they don't answer the phone)? What about the guy who works the 2AM - 10AM shift at the local 7-11, then shows up for training halfway through a 64-oz cup of coffee? Is it due to a "bad instructor" that he is progressing slowly? Perhaps it is in fact due to the choices some students make (or don't make). We wouldn't tolerate a CFI doing any of these things, do we simply ignore them with students (then blame them on their instructor)?

 

There's no question that an instructor shares a high level of responsibility in the student's success, but to say "there are no bad students" is to place 100% of the responsibility on the instructor. By absolving the student of any responsibility in the learning process, at best you guarantee less than optimal results. At worst, you blame the faults of the student on the instructor. Of course, if a CFI should be teaching their students how to speak English, how to take notes, how to get out of bed, how to eat, how to study, how to use deodorant... ...then yes, we are all bad instructors.

[Brianmech72]

I agree, you have to want to work for it. After working with the machine for just a few hours I feel that anyone else out there at the controls of one should know what they are doing or you have a very dangerous piece of equipment on your hands.

 

And be nice to the night boys. I work 11p-7a. Though I would never show up in the middle of a 64-oz cup of coffee as I would have to set it down for a nature call in a half hour.

 

As a professional instructor since 1977, I have to take exception to this trite and overused phrase. Actually, there are bad students. In general, these are the ones who (for a variety of reasons outside of an instructor's control) do not hold up their end of the partnership. It doesn't matter how good an instructor is if their student doesn't put the work in (and please don't blame a CFI for having a lazy student).

 

The number of hours somebody takes to achieve a rating is no reflection on their effort or their instructor's effectiveness. Given enough time, effort, patience and money, pretty much anybody who can get through medical certification can get a rating. The problem is, there isn't an infinite amount of any of those resources. If a student has 40 hours worth of cash but needs 54 hours worth of training, does this equal "bad instructor"? How about a student who can't manage to get out of bed - should the instructor go wake them up every day (after they don't answer the phone)? What about the guy who works the 2AM - 10AM shift at the local 7-11, then shows up for training halfway through a 64-oz cup of coffee? Is it due to a "bad instructor" that he is progressing slowly? Perhaps it is in fact due to the choices some students make (or don't make). We wouldn't tolerate a CFI doing any of these things, do we simply ignore them with students (then blame them on their instructor)?

 

There's no question that an instructor shares a high level of responsibility in the student's success, but to say "there are no bad students" is to place 100% of the responsibility on the instructor. By absolving the student of any responsibility in the learning process, at best you guarantee less than optimal results. At worst, you blame the faults of the student on the instructor. Of course, if a CFI should be teaching their students how to speak English, how to take notes, how to get out of bed, how to eat, how to study, how to use deodorant... ...then yes, we are all bad instructors.

[rm7]

Where has gaz been anyways? He never elaborated on his situation.