Examiner "Distractions" During Checkride

Hi all,

My checkride is a long way off, but this evening I read the PTS for
Gliders for the first time. I noticed this section:

"Use of Distractions During Practical Tests
Numerous studies indicate that many accidents have occurred when the
pilot has been distracted during critical phases of flight. To
evaluate the applicant’s ability to utilize proper control technique
while dividing attention both inside and/or outside the cockpit, the
examiner shall cause a realistic distraction during the flight portion
of the practical test to evaluate the applicant’s ability to divide
attention while maintaining safe flight."

Obviously, the Examiner isn't going to do anything dangerous, but what
sorts of distractions have people encountered? It is obvious when the
distraction occurs....or is it something subtle?

--Michael

On Apr 29, 8:59*pm, Michael wrote:
Hi all,

My checkride is a long way off, but this evening I read the PTS for
Gliders for the first time. *I noticed this section:

"Use of Distractions During Practical Tests
Numerous studies indicate that many accidents have occurred when the
pilot has been distracted during critical phases of flight. To
evaluate the applicant’s ability to utilize proper control technique
while dividing attention both inside and/or outside the cockpit, the
examiner shall cause a realistic distraction during the flight portion
of the practical test to evaluate the applicant’s ability to divide
attention while maintaining safe flight."

Obviously, the Examiner isn't going to do anything dangerous, but what
sorts of distractions have people encountered? *It is obvious when the
distraction occurs....or is it something subtle?

--Michael

Let's see: Once in an airplane, he dropped his pencil and asked me
to pick it up. Once in a glider she tried to talk me into flying
further away from the airport than was safe by saying something ot the
effect of "let's go work that thermal way over there." Once in a
gider he popped open the airbrakes and then said "hey, what does this
do"

Look for stuff like that. Actually, the big thing is to remember that
you are in charge and that if he/she asks you to do something that you
aren't comfortable with, just say NO and offer to talk to them about
it once you are on the ground. You'll do fine.

dave

On Apr 29, 9:59*pm, Michael wrote:
Hi all,

My checkride is a long way off, but this evening I read the PTS for
Gliders for the first time. *I noticed this section:

"Use of Distractions During Practical Tests
Numerous studies indicate that many accidents have occurred when the
pilot has been distracted during critical phases of flight. To
evaluate the applicant’s ability to utilize proper control technique
while dividing attention both inside and/or outside the cockpit, the
examiner shall cause a realistic distraction during the flight portion
of the practical test to evaluate the applicant’s ability to divide
attention while maintaining safe flight."

Obviously, the Examiner isn't going to do anything dangerous, but what
sorts of distractions have people encountered? *It is obvious when the
distraction occurs....or is it something subtle?

--Michael


Not that I am giving anything away here but you can bet on a simulated
rope break.

More sneaky was an examiner who lured a student away from the field in
dead air. Eventually they had to do a patternless straight-in landing
which ended that examination pronto. Remember that you are the PIC;
not the instructor, and an off-landing is not a good thing!

Good luck!
/Adam

On Apr 29, 10:39*pm, wrote:
Once in a
gider he popped open the airbrakes and then said "hey, what does this
do"

Seriously?! I've only had two lessons, but I know those things stay
closed and locked until the PIC deems them appropriate in a landing
pattern!

Actually, I've seen some reports on the web that when doing the
preflight one should consider the Examiner a "unfamiliar passenger"
and give her or him some form of "don't touch this...don't touch that"
talk. Is this good advice?

--Michael

On Apr 29, 10:16*pm, Michael wrote:
On Apr 29, 10:39*pm, wrote:

Once in a
gider he popped open the airbrakes and then said "hey, what does this
do"

Seriously?! *I've only had two lessons, but I know those things stay
closed and locked until the PIC deems them appropriate in a landing
pattern!

Actually, I've seen some reports on the web that when doing the
preflight one should consider the Examiner a "unfamiliar passenger"
and give her or him some form of "don't touch this...don't touch that"
talk. *Is this good advice?

--Michael

seriously yes. It was my commercial checkride. It was a nice reminder
to brief the customer. It was fine. He held them open, I did an
abbreviated pattern. We landed, we fley some more, I passed and
learned another great lesson.

BTW, I'm not an instructor, but there a plenty of times when the PIC
might want or need to open the brakes before entering the pattern.
Keep your options open and use all the tools you have when you need
them.

Asking for maneuver after maneuver to distract you as you descend below a
minimum safe altitude for the maneuver, like 1500ft AGL and stalls. Or
distracting you with turning maneuvers over the top of a ridge that gets you
within 1500ft AGL and then asks for a stall.

BT

"Michael" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

My checkride is a long way off, but this evening I read the PTS for
Gliders for the first time. I noticed this section:

"Use of Distractions During Practical Tests
Numerous studies indicate that many accidents have occurred when the
pilot has been distracted during critical phases of flight. To
evaluate the applicant’s ability to utilize proper control technique
while dividing attention both inside and/or outside the cockpit, the
examiner shall cause a realistic distraction during the flight portion
of the practical test to evaluate the applicant’s ability to divide
attention while maintaining safe flight."

Obviously, the Examiner isn't going to do anything dangerous, but what
sorts of distractions have people encountered? It is obvious when the
distraction occurs....or is it something subtle?

--Michael

"Michael" wrote in message
...
On Apr 29, 10:39 pm, wrote:
Once in a
gider he popped open the airbrakes and then said "hey, what does this
do"

Seriously?! I've only had two lessons, but I know those things stay
closed and locked until the PIC deems them appropriate in a landing
pattern!

Actually, I've seen some reports on the web that when doing the
preflight one should consider the Examiner a "unfamiliar passenger"
and give her or him some form of "don't touch this...don't touch that"
talk. Is this good advice?

--Michael

Actually those things should be checked for proper operation during the
prelanding check list, before entering the traffic pattern.
BT

In article
,
Michael wrote:

On Apr 29, 10:39*pm, wrote:
Once in a
gider he popped open the airbrakes and then said "hey, what does this
do"

Seriously?! I've only had two lessons, but I know those things stay
closed and locked until the PIC deems them appropriate in a landing
pattern!

Those pesky passengers can do all sorts of crazy things, and simulating
various failures and emergencies is certainly in the cards. He'll
definitely be fiddling with your release knob at an inconveniently (but
not dangerously!) low altitude, and spoilers are fair game too.

Actually, I've seen some reports on the web that when doing the
preflight one should consider the Examiner a "unfamiliar passenger"
and give her or him some form of "don't touch this...don't touch that"
talk. Is this good advice?

Definitely treat him as a passenger. He *is* a passenger, both legally
and in reality.

That doesn't mean you have to treat him like an idiot, though. He's an
experienced, knowledgeable pilot, and you can treat him as such. Make
sure he knows the basics, but you don't need the "this is the stick,
when you move it like this the plane does that" or the "these are the
spoilers, they'll make a bang when they're unlocked, don't be afraid,
it's normal" speeches that you might give to someone who never saw a
glider in the flesh before that day.

For my distraction, my examiner somehow managed to cause some rain to
disrupt the airfoil on the horizontal stabilizer of the Grob 103 we were
flying, making it so I couldn't hold anything under 55 knots during our
last flight of the exam. Clever fellow! Still don't know how he did it.


Asking for unsafe maneuvers seems to be a common theme. One of my fellow
club members had the examiner asking strange, complicated questions
until he was down to pattern altitude, at which point he asked the
examiner to please stay quiet until they were on the ground, and he'd be
happy to answer any further questions then.

--
Mike Ash
Radio Free Earth
Broadcasting from our climate-controlled studios deep inside the Moon

At 04:16 30 April 2009, Michael wrote:

Seriously?! I've only had two lessons, but I know those things stay
closed and locked until the PIC deems them appropriate in a landing
pattern!

Doing something odd like that might be more appropriate during a
commercial rating ride, but still you should be able to handle the landing
either way, spoilers completely open, or held closed all the way. The
examiner at my field seems to enjoy the no-spoilers landing pattern.

During my PPSEL ride, the examiner started asking aerodynamic questions
while I was doing turns around a point: What makes the airplane turn? I
was slow in answering, but I think it was obvious that answering his
question was the lowest task on my priority list at the time. I suppose
if I had said that it was the rudder, he'd have failed me, but I'm not
that dumb. Close, maybe, but not that bad.

Jim Beckman

"Michael" wrote in message
...

Obviously, the Examiner isn't going to do anything dangerous, but what
sorts of distractions have people encountered? It is obvious when the
distraction occurs....or is it something subtle?

The most common "subtle" distraction is to ask you questions that have
noting to do with what is happening in the glider at that moment. Do the
best you can, but at some point it is perfectly OK to ask the examiner to
hold such questions until you get on the ground. One technique that I used
in my checkrides is to talk! Take a bit of control of the situation (you
are, after all, the PIC) by explaining to your "passenger" what you are
doing any why.

When you start to get low, don't wait for the examiner to suggest that
you land. You are the PIC. Just do it.

On my Commercial checkride, the examiner suddenly directed me to the
pattern just at the moment when the runway was jammed. I guess he wanted to
see how I handled the situation. We were alone in the pattern so I dumped
the spoilers and circled a couple of times on the downwind leg while I
pointed out alternate landing areas to him. By that time, the runway was
cleared for us so we landed normally. No big deal.

Another time he suggested that we land right in front of the glider
parking area to save us the push from the runway. I declined, and used the
runway. Again, no big deal.

Vaughn