Tricky examiners

I've only met one in my life. It was an asshole out of Marysville in the
Sacramento area who bounced me on a CFI renewal because I couldn't explain
to him how the nosewheel centering mechanism on a C-172 worked while I was
doing to-the-limits chandelles for him.

He said he had pretty well decided to pink me because I couldn't remember
from memory the tetraethyl lead limits in milligrams per gallon for 80, 100,
100LL, and 115. Like it makes a hell of a lot of difference.

Jim

I've known very few what I would call "bad" examiners.

RST Engineering wrote:
I've carried this process on to my third career as a college professor. I
teach a college vocational education ("shop") electronics class and I tell
my students right on the first night that they have an "A" in the class and
the only way they can get an "F" is to not complete the class project or
drop the class and not attend.

"Don't worry about your grade. You've got an A. You are here to learn, not
to get a grade. If you don't understand I'll help you or I'll assign one of
the students that DO understand to help you if I'm occupied. We aren't
going to move on to the next part of the project until everybody has
completed the first part. If you've completed the first part, help somebody
who hasn't completed it so we can all move on. The only thing the folks who
finish the project first get are the first pieces of pizza the last night of
the class."

Jim

In fact, many of the examiners I knew and know today are the type who
enjoy the work to the point where once a decision has been made that the
applicant will pass the flight test, they will use the remaining time to
"teach" a bit and share with the applicant the good feelings associated
with the moment of passing the flight test.

--
Dudley Henriques



I always told the pilots I trained for a CFI rating that teaching
doesn't come from books. The mechanics of teaching comes from books.
What makes the teacher a teacher comes from the heart.

--
Dudley Henriques

RST Engineering wrote:
I've only met one in my life. It was an asshole out of Marysville in the
Sacramento area who bounced me on a CFI renewal because I couldn't explain
to him how the nosewheel centering mechanism on a C-172 worked while I was
doing to-the-limits chandelles for him.

He said he had pretty well decided to pink me because I couldn't remember
from memory the tetraethyl lead limits in milligrams per gallon for 80, 100,
100LL, and 115. Like it makes a hell of a lot of difference.

Jim

I've known very few what I would call "bad" examiners.



Notice I said "very few" :-)) The good thing is that the few assholes
make the good guys look even better :-))


--
Dudley Henriques

On Sat, 05 Jan 2008 15:42:40 -0500, Dudley Henriques wrote:

Sometime years down the line, one of those
pilots might catch something that saves lives because you and I traded
something together on Usenet.

Usenet might be the next Library of Alexandria... if Google decides to
maintain the database intact, everyone of us could be dead 60 years from
now and people in 2068 could be researching and reading our words as we
write them today.

Your words could be saving lives of pilots 50 years from now.

[Ouch... too much too think about... brain on overload... need scotch...]

--
Dallas

On Sun, 6 Jan 2008 10:08:28 +1100, dVaridel wrote:

In the licence test the student is listed as Pilot In Command
for the ride, the test officer is an observer.

Yup, many people write about taking up their "first passenger"... but the
reality is that the examiner is their first legal passenger.


--
Dallas

On Sun, 6 Jan 2008 01:13:30 +0000 (UTC), Bertie the Bunyip wrote:

Never would, but I got stopped in uniform doing about 85 once and the
guy asked me "getting airborne a little early aren;t we, captain?"
he let me go!

Brotherhood of the uniform syndrome.

--
Dallas

"RST Engineering" wrote

Sorry Jim, I should have prefaced my post with "In Australia".


Well, your premise is incorrect. As the PIC you are allowed to fly from
California to Maine with your wheels an inch above the terrain so long as
you 91.119(c) stay 500' away from any person, vessel, vehicle, or
structure.

As mentioned in another part of the discussion, here in the Land of Oz we
have a rule (CAR 157) that you can't fly below 500' AGL unless:
- Landing, taking off etc.
- Stress of weather
- Undertaking training with an approved instructor
- You poses a low flight endorsement
- You're a crop duster pilot
- You're crashing

Btw, over populated area's it's 1000' ...... Australia, the land that
legislates the bleeding obvious!


And they aren't a "Test Officer". They are a Designated Examiner.

Down here they are a "(CASA) Approved Testing Officer" or ATO. CASA is the
Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
http://ioa.casa.gov.au/scripts/ATO.asp


Somehow I think this is a troll thread.

Nope, just a pilot with an opinion. Trolls try to stir up trouble and
"typically" morph their email address to make it hard to kill file them.


Name the guy. Name the FSDO from which he operates.

Nope, not gunna happen. Especially since I don't know what a FSDO is!


As a retired examiner, I can tell you that you cannot ask or require the
examinee to do anything illegal. Now he can ASK would you fly below xxx
altitude around here? And if the answer was yes and clearly illegal, then
you are correct, exam over.

Here in Oz it is illegal. I think we are in violent agreement!


Cheers,

David

--
Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

Dallas wrote in
:

On Sun, 6 Jan 2008 01:13:30 +0000 (UTC), Bertie the Bunyip wrote:

Never would, but I got stopped in uniform doing about 85 once and the
guy asked me "getting airborne a little early aren;t we, captain?"
he let me go!

Brotherhood of the uniform syndrome.


Could be I guess.

Bertie

"RST Engineering" wrote in
:


One local Test Officer has a reputation of asking PPL candidates to
"keep going, lets see if make it" during the simulated forced
landing to a paddock in the exam. Drop below 500 AGL and BAM ......
test over.

As the PIC you aren't allowed below 500' (unless taking off,
landing, training for a rating or crashing), and you have shown poor
judgement in allowing your "passenger" to goad you into low flying.

Tough but real worldish.

Well, your premise is incorrect. As the PIC you are allowed to fly
from California to Maine with your wheels an inch above the terrain so
long as you 91.119(c) stay 500' away from any person, vessel, vehicle,
or structure.

And they aren't a "Test Officer". They are a Designated Examiner.
Somehow I think this is a troll thread. Name the guy. Name the FSDO
from which he operates.


Uh, he's an Aussie.



As a retired examiner, I can tell you that you cannot ask or require
the examinee to do anything illegal.

Again, he's an Aussie


Bertie

"RST Engineering" wrote in
:

I've only met one in my life. It was an asshole out of Marysville in
the Sacramento area who bounced me on a CFI renewal because I couldn't
explain to him how the nosewheel centering mechanism on a C-172 worked
while I was doing to-the-limits chandelles for him.

He said he had pretty well decided to pink me because I couldn't
remember from memory the tetraethyl lead limits in milligrams per
gallon for 80, 100, 100LL, and 115. Like it makes a hell of a lot of
difference.


What? Who the hell knows that?

I had an interesting check ride many years ago with an FAA inspector.
It was for a ME CFI. It was an Apache and he asked me for a VMC demo. I did
the usual, allowing the airplane to begin to roll left and then recovered
and he said "no no no, I want to see a proper one, let it go some" So I
did. I did the same thng but let it go just that little bit further. Again,
he was unhappy and took it off me saying "let me show you"
Now, we had an overcast and we were only at 2500' or so, but he pulled hard
enough just at VMC that we rolled over and did about a half a turn. ****!
It wasn't intentional, BTW, just got away from him. He didn't seem too
flustered by it though, and admonished me to "make sure the student sees
what can happen"
BTW, the Apache is the only light twin that was ever cerified for spins,
though that was revoked not long after.
My boss went ballasitic abotu thsi when he found out and wanted a written
report so he could go after the guy. I told him to forget it. There was no
way I was getting between him and the FAA ( he had a history of knocking
heads with these guys)


Bertie