knowledge test results coming back to haunt you

Chris,
From your description of your ground work, it shouldn't take all that much
effort to study toward a score in the 90's so that you (and your father)
can come away proud of your score. Instead, it sounds like you are taking
efforts to ensure that you score the lowest score possible without failing,
just so your dad can't be proud of you.

The risk there, of course, is that unless you actually know 100% of the
right answers, you might make a mistake and end up failing after all. Now
THAT is a TOTAL waste of time and money!

As far as landing on the centerline every time - on a 150' wide runway, it
probably is not very critical. But if you were landing on a narrow runway,
it might be more important. And if you let yourself get sloppy on the 150'
wide runway because it didn't matter, you might get into a world of trouble
when you found yourself on a 40' wide runway with other objects along the
sides... If instead you consistently landed on the center line, after a few
hundred landings it might not be so hard anymore, and you'd do it without
much effort every time - so that if you got to a narrow and short runway,
you could focus on the other, more critical novelties...

The same thing even goes for toilet bowl cleaning. While I'm no expert, I
would agree that the first time you cleaned the toilets inside and out with
a dishrag and some spray soap, it might not make much difference. But after
a few weeks, the toilets would no longer look the way they do now - between
destroying the porcelain with soap that is too harsh, and spreading the
germs and bacteria from the inside to the outside. And the cost of
replacing all of the toilets or of losing customers because the toilets are
gross would be much higher than spending a few extra minutes every day
cleaning the toilets correctly...


The cost of getting good grades and studying properly for your flight
training will payoff later - even if you don't realize it. Be mature enough
to recognize that the easy way out is usually not the best...



chris priest wrote in
:

It just seems silly to me to have to spend all of that time studying
just to get a perfect score, when you can spend 80% less time studying
and still pass, giving you the same result. My summer job currently is
basically being a janitor at a RV park. My job is to pick up trash,
clean the bathrooms, sweep the floors; stuff like that. The biggest
thing I dislike about this job is how they instructed me to clean the
bathrooms. I have to spray the toilet bowl with chemical #5, then
chemical #7, then after a few minutes, I have to scrub the inside of
the bowl with brush #1 soaked in bleach. The the outside of the toilet
with brush #2 in bleach. After that I have to wipe it down with a wet
rag, then with a dry rag. Then I have to do it all over again to the
rest of the toilets. After this whole process the toilets have the
exact same appearance they did before I started. It just seems like I
spent all that effort for nothing. I could have achieved the same
effect with a 30 second spray-n-wipe then be done with.

I sort of feel the same when I study for these knowledge tests. I don't
see any reason to go all out when a 70 is all thats required. Thats not
to say only 70% of all there is to know is only worth having.

I don't see the written exam tests as the SAT. To me the only point of
taking the test is to pass. The grade is irrelevant. Heck, when I took
my PAR, I remember skipping questions because I just didn't want to do
them. They were mostly those calculating problems that use the E6B
which I knew how to do, I just didn't see the point in laboring over
the problem, when i could have as easily skipped it. I must have did
this a lot, as you all know I came close to not passing. Now, mind you,
if I was in the air, I would have done the calculation without second
thought. It's all about putting the effort where it belongs.

Looking back, I probably had too much confidence. I'm part 141, and
during ground school I never got below a 85 on all of my tests, so I
have no doubt in my mind that I was going to pass that test. When I
take my instrument knowledge test sometime in the next week, I'll most
likely use a slightly diffrent approach, but I'm still not going in
there with a 100% as my goal. My goal will be to pass.

Is it really important to concentrate on a perfect on-center smooth
landing every time, or to just focus on landing each flight safely?

chris priest wrote:

snip

Looking back, I probably had too much confidence. I'm part 141, and
during ground school I never got below a 85 on all of my tests, so I
have no doubt in my mind that I was going to pass that test. When I take
my instrument knowledge test sometime in the next week, I'll most likely
use a slightly diffrent approach, but I'm still not going in there with
a 100% as my goal. My goal will be to pass.

Is it really important to concentrate on a perfect on-center smooth
landing every time, or to just focus on landing each flight safely?

LOL! You had me going before this post. Hopefully anyone leaning
toward the position you parody will learn something from this
exchange!
--
Alex
Make the obvious change in the return address to reply by email.

On Sun, 29 Aug 2004 10:21:04 -0400, chris priest
wrote:

My summer job currently is
basically being a janitor at a RV park. My job is to pick up trash,
clean the bathrooms, sweep the floors; stuff like that. The biggest
thing I dislike about this job is how they instructed me to clean the
bathrooms. I have to spray the toilet bowl with chemical #5, then
chemical #7, then after a few minutes, I have to scrub the inside of the
bowl with brush #1 soaked in bleach. The the outside of the toilet with
brush #2 in bleach. After that I have to wipe it down with a wet rag,
then with a dry rag. Then I have to do it all over again to the rest of
the toilets. After this whole process the toilets have the exact same
appearance they did before I started. It just seems like I spent all
that effort for nothing. I could have achieved the same effect with a 30
second spray-n-wipe then be done with.

Oooohhhh, bad example Chris. The reason you were told to use the
various chemicals, along with bleach and two different brushes and the
wet and dry rags is because you are doing more than just making the
toilets look alike, you are killing germs. Test after test after test
have all come back with the same result, there are germs in public
restrooms and patrons can pick them up there. Your job is to kill
them, not make the toilets look the same.

Even though just barely passing the written still means passing it,
most pilot wannabees want to do better than barely adaquate.

Corky Scott

"Corky Scott" wrote in message The reason you were told to use the
various chemicals, along with bleach and two different brushes and the
wet and dry rags is because you are doing more than just making the
toilets look alike, you are killing germs.

Perhaps the camp director noticed a slacker amongst the workers and directed
that slacker to mix the ammonia with the bleach. Figured he wouldn't be
using those brain cells anyway.

D.

There's a bad smell here, could it be a Troll I wonder?
"chris priest" wrote in
message ...
tony roberts wrote:
I spent a long time contemplating your post.
I even started a very detailed response, and then deleted it, because it
seemed to me that an honest and impartial response was not what you were
truly seeking - so I'll just say this.
I truly believe that the rewards you get out of this will roughly equal
the effort that you put in. Just don't tell the interviewer that you
will not put in xyz because you actually have a life - because, believe
it or not, so does everyone else!
Most employers, particularly in your field seek excellence, but you may
get lucky and find one that is satisfied with mediocrity.
Otherwise - do you have a second career choice?


Tony
P.S. I'm not trying to **** you off - I'm trying to wake you up!


It just seems silly to me to have to spend all of that time studying
just to get a perfect score, when you can spend 80% less time studying
and still pass, giving you the same result. My summer job currently is
basically being a janitor at a RV park. My job is to pick up trash,
clean the bathrooms, sweep the floors; stuff like that. The biggest
thing I dislike about this job is how they instructed me to clean the
bathrooms. I have to spray the toilet bowl with chemical #5, then
chemical #7, then after a few minutes, I have to scrub the inside of the
bowl with brush #1 soaked in bleach. The the outside of the toilet with
brush #2 in bleach. After that I have to wipe it down with a wet rag,
then with a dry rag. Then I have to do it all over again to the rest of
the toilets. After this whole process the toilets have the exact same
appearance they did before I started. It just seems like I spent all
that effort for nothing. I could have achieved the same effect with a 30
second spray-n-wipe then be done with.

I sort of feel the same when I study for these knowledge tests. I don't
see any reason to go all out when a 70 is all thats required. Thats not
to say only 70% of all there is to know is only worth having.

I don't see the written exam tests as the SAT. To me the only point of
taking the test is to pass. The grade is irrelevant. Heck, when I took
my PAR, I remember skipping questions because I just didn't want to do
them. They were mostly those calculating problems that use the E6B which
I knew how to do, I just didn't see the point in laboring over the
problem, when i could have as easily skipped it. I must have did this a
lot, as you all know I came close to not passing. Now, mind you, if I
was in the air, I would have done the calculation without second
thought. It's all about putting the effort where it belongs.

Looking back, I probably had too much confidence. I'm part 141, and
during ground school I never got below a 85 on all of my tests, so I
have no doubt in my mind that I was going to pass that test. When I take
my instrument knowledge test sometime in the next week, I'll most likely
use a slightly diffrent approach, but I'm still not going in there with
a 100% as my goal. My goal will be to pass.

Is it really important to concentrate on a perfect on-center smooth
landing every time, or to just focus on landing each flight safely?

In article , chris priest wrote:
Is it really important to concentrate on a perfect on-center smooth
landing every time, or to just focus on landing each flight safely?

Yes, it is really important to concentrate on that perfect on-centre
smooth landing (even if it's inevitable you won't always get it). If you
are practised at trying to reach perfection, the day the conditions are
difficult you're much more likely to make a safe landing instead of
rolling the plane into a ball.

--
Dylan Smith, Castletown, Isle of Man
Flying: http://www.dylansmith.net
Frontier Elite Universe: http://www.alioth.net
"Maintain thine airspeed, lest the ground come up and smite thee"

Is it really important to concentrate on a perfect on-center smooth
landing every time, or to just focus on landing each flight safely?

I land on short runways, in very high density altitude, that are 25 feet
wide (sometimes with a ditch down the runway edge). So - answer your own
question. Any fool can land off centre when the runway is 125 ft wide -
when it's 25 ft wide - well, that takes a bit more precision.

Tony
--

Tony Roberts
PP-ASEL
VFR OTT
Night
Cessna 172H C-GICE

Back in the late 70's, when I started sending out airline applications, I
remember only one airline (United) that asked about the score results on the
FEX exam. I was glad to see that, as I had scored 100 %. I ended up getting
a job with another airline,
which didn't seem to care about the results (although during the interview,
we were given a similar exam).

I wouldn't think that knowledge test results are that important today,
given that the test questions are available to the applicant beforehand.
Many exam guides (King, ATC, etc.) seem to prepare you for the test. Back in
the early 70's , you read your "Zweng" manual from cover to cover, learned
something in the process, and then took your "written exam". Cheers
"chris priest" wrote in
message ...
This has been on my mind for a long time now. I am planning on pursuing a
career in aviation, whether that be in the military, corporate, regional,
the airlines, or possibly as just an instructor. Now when it comes down to
hiring, will the results of my private, instrument, commercial etc.
knowledge tests come in as a factor?

My dad who is at about the same place as me in training (he is only doing
it as recreation) keeps drilling to me that it is EXTREMELY important to
do as best as I can on these tests, because he is sure that if I get a bad
grade, then it will hurt me in the long run when it comes time to get a
job. Of course, when he took his instrument test two weeks or so ago, he
got a 100%. But then again he probably spent 15 hours a week for 4 or 5
months studying (mildly exagerated), which I am just not willing to do as
I actually have a life. I personally haven't taken the instrument test
yet, but i got a 72 on my PAR, and when my dad found out about my score,
he (typically) threw a fit.

I personally feel that if the test results indeed do effect me in the long
run, it shouldn't. Even though I got a barely passing grade on my private
knowledge test, that doesn't;t necessarily mean I only know 72% there
needs to know about being a private pilot. If I was to retake the test
now, I guarantee I'd get at least a 90. That is to say I learned a lot
during my training, as I *did* afterall pass my checkride.

So does it really matter, or is my dad just being a over-achiever?

Recently, chris priest" "cp3[remove-this-part]68202
posted:
(largely snipped for brevity)

This has been on my mind for a long time now. I am planning on
pursuing a career in aviation, whether that be in the military,
corporate, regional, the airlines, or possibly as just an instructor.
Now when it comes down to hiring, will the results of my private,
instrument, commercial etc. knowledge tests come in as a factor?

If you're career-oriented, then how would it serve you to perform at lower
levels than you might be capable of achieving? This is more of an issue of
attitude, and while the actual score on written exams might not ever come
to light, that attitude is likely to affect your performance and thus your
viablility as a professional in whatever field you choose. Bad habits are
very hard to overcome. What kind of pilot would you rather trust your life
to; the overachiever, or the underachiever? It's a no-brainer question for
me to answer!

Neil

chris priest wrote in message ...
This has been on my mind for a long time now. I am planning on pursuing
a career in aviation, whether that be in the military, corporate,
regional, the airlines, or possibly as just an instructor. Now when it
comes down to hiring, will the results of my private, instrument,
commercial etc. knowledge tests come in as a factor?

Study just enough to barely make it. Then worry about making it.
Sounds like a good plan to me.
--
Gene Seibel
Hangar 131 - http://pad39a.com/gene/plane.html
Because I fly, I envy no one.