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I'm sure I'm going to get hate mail over this but hear me out.
Some flight schools, CFI and students are hard to deal with. Applicants aren't qualified. Aircraft that aren't legal or in poor maintenance condition. Missing paperwork. Frequent cancelations, delays and/or No shows. Instructors that don't care and students that consistently perform poorly. Why should an examiner put up with this? A lot of DPEs simply won't return phone calls, texts or emails from people they don't regularly work with because of this. Now we all know that all examiners talk with each other. They share experiences. Like Santa, they know who's been naughty and who's been nice. Why not enjoy a nice checkride experience at a good school and not deal with the dumpster fire at the other? I like to watch a good dumpster fire every now and then but then I'd rather sip my tea from a safe distance and not get involved. I travel for some of my rides. I've quickly discovered there's a reason why some schools are adding perks and cash incentives to do rides at their location, the local examiners simply don't want to deal with them. This hasn't been just my experience. One examiner friend had a dozen rides he couldn't do in one month due to the stuff listed above. Another examiner friend traveled 300 miles to do 8 rides over 4 days at one school. Only 3 were accomplished for a variety of reasons (non weather related). These schools are very vocal about there being an examiner shortage. They complain to everyone. Kind of like a 2 year old throwing a fit. "Call the FSDO", "Contact your Senator" you see the post on a variety of social media. In reality, they'd get more help if they got their act together and provided a trouble free checkride experience for the examiner.
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The FAA has issued some update in the last few months. Here are few you should be aware of....
New 8710-1, Privacy Statement and Pilots Bill of Rights. https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Form/FAA_Form_8710-1_12-2024_final.pdf Aviation Weather Handbook https://www.faa.gov/regulationspolicies/handbooksmanuals/aviation/faa-h-8083-28a-aviation-weather-handbook All FAA certificate holders must have a Physical US Address on file with the FAA. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/10/08/2024-22000/us-agents-for-service-on-individuals-with-foreign-addresses-who-hold-or-apply-for-certain Changes to Part 61 regarding CFI expirations, currency and the requirements to teach initial CFI https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/10/08/2024-22000/us-agents-for-service-on-individuals-with-foreign-addresses-who-hold-or-apply-for-certain AC 61.65J Endorsements https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/advisory_circulars/index.cfm/go/document.information/documentID/1043278 TSA requirements for CFI to have an account https://www.fts.tsa.dhs.gov/home The easy answer: get a high score on your knowledge test.
Did you know there is no requirement for an evaluator to test every knowledge and risk management element in a Task? The evaluator has discretion to sample as needed to ensure the applicant's mastery of that Task. The required minimum elements to be tested from each applicable (or required) Task include:
Now, the evaluator doesn't know the exact knowledge test question missed, but they do know the ACS test element missed from the ACS codes on the knowledge test report. These elements are primarily tested during the ground/oral portion of the checkride. A good evaluator could use some, or all, of those missed elements to develop a realistic scenario to shorten the test. For example, I recently had a initial CFI applicant with the following ACS element codes on the knowledge test:
Now the issue. Most recommending CFIs fail to adequately review the missed elements on the knowledge test. They sign off the required 61.39 endorsement saying they reviewed it, but I have found those elements to be pretty weak during checkrides. Make your checkride as easy as you can by scoring high on the knowledge test and really bone up on your knowledge on the elements you did miss. I've been doing a boat load of Initial CFI rides this last year, averaging about 7 per month. Needless to say, the initial CFI test is probably the hardest and longest test an applicant will take. Why? Well a lot of it depends on the applicant. Let's take the Knowledge test for an example. If an applicant has a passing score in the 70s on the FIA or FOI, the oral will take considerably longer and one with scores in the 90s. The DPE is required to through every one of those Learning Statement Codes. While a DPE maybe able to use some of those codes and combine Tasks in a scenario, it's still going to add significant time to the test.
Another reason affecting the length of time is the preparedness of the applicant. Some have gone through and developed lesson plans and others have not (if you have them, you can use them). Some have brought all the reference material known to man and others try to download it off the internet during the oral. (I can't believe CFI applicants show up without reference materials or haven't downloaded and saved the info to their EFB beforehand.) One of the things I like to do is to use scenarios and test at the correlative level of learning. It allows me to cover multiple Areas of Operations and Tasks all at once. The problem for some CFI applicants is they only have a rote level of knowledge. In other words, they maybe able to spit out some mnemonic memory aid but are unable to apply it or teach it. A classic example occurs on my instrument/CFII orals. I'll present a TAF and ask if an alternate is required base on our ETA. Most answer incorrectly. I'll ask what the rule is and they can recite that but then I ask to look at the TAF again...still getting it wrong. The CFI ACS allows a DPE to sample from the Tasks. In other words, the DPE doesn't have to ask every single element from the chosen Task. Some of those Task and Elements are required to be tested but not all of them. This allow the DPE to pick and choose to test the applicants mastery in said Task. A good example of this is Area of Operations I, Task K from the CFI ACS. Per the Skills section of this task, the DPE must test "at least two of the events specified in the elements or sub-elements of K1 through K5. Cool, keep it short, keep it simple right? Well, what if the CFI applicant gets those two elements wrong? Does that mean the DPE can, or should, continuing testing in those elements until the applicant gets 2 correct? Nope. The FAA doesn't allow that. In this case, the applicant didn't show adequate knowledge in logbook entries and endorsement. Another way for the DPE to shorten the CFI practical test is to combine Tasks. An example of this might be combining Area of Operation I, Task F "Elements of Effective Teaching that include Risk Management and Accident Prevention" with any other AOO or Task. For example Night flying (AOO II, Task M) or any flying Task, like Area of Operation VII, Takeoffs, Landing and Go-Arounds . In this situation does failing one Task mean failing both Task? That depends and would rely on the judgement of the DPE. I've seen CFI applicants able to discuss the Risks and Hazards of stalls but not be able to understanding why/how stalls occur. So some credit could be given. The flight portion of the initial CFI can be conducted a little differently than other practical test. The DPE is allowed to do some of the flying to emulate a student pilot. I like to do this to see if the applicant can pick out the common errors and make suggestions for corrections. A couple of things I've been seeing a lot of lately is the CFI appliacant is afraid to let student actually fly the aircraft and/or the CFI takes the controls without going through a positive control transfer. In the first situation, the CFI applicant is overriding the controls and not letting the student make errors or corrections to those errors. In the second, the student doesn't know who is actually flying the airplane. Don't get me wrong here, there is a time and place to take the controls for the safety of flight but the student must be able to make and correct errors on their own in order to learn. Plus, the student will not build self confidence if the CFI always takes over for any little error. In the air, the student will do exactly as the CFI tells them to do. If the CFI tells the student the stall recovery starts by adding power, the student will do that. Remember the law of Primacy? Guess what? Now the CFI and the student have a bigger problem to fix. So teach it right the first time and every time. This is the reason the DPE listens to every word you say and watch every action you take. Words matter! Don't turn this stuff in to rocket surgery. Keep things simple and concise. One suggestion to help with passing this thing is practice teaching. Do it with other pilots first but remember they basically know what you're talking about. After you're confident with your delivery, work with students with little or no aviation knowledge (do this under the supervision of an experienced CFI). You'll be surprised on the questions those students will ask and how one student "gets it" and the other doesn't. This past January marked my 20th year as a DPE. Here are just 3 of the things I've learned.
1. If you test it, they will teach it 2. If in doubt, keep testing. 3. You will attract the type of applicant based on your testing standards. Yes! Per FAA 8900.1, Vol.5, Chapter 2, Section 9 Paragraph 5-436.
5-436 AIRCRAFT AND EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS. Section 61.45 prescribes the required aircraft and equipment for a practical test. The regulation states the minimum aircraft registration and airworthiness requirements as well as the minimum equipment requirements, to include the minimum required controls. Consistent with § 61.45(b) and (d), the aircraft must have: • The flight instruments necessary for controlling the aircraft without outside references, • The radio equipment required for ATC communications, • The ability to perform IAPs, and • GPS equipment must be instrument certified and contain the current database, if installed The new ACS became effective May 31st 2024. Most of the changes have been made known by a wide variety of sources. (see stuff by Jason Blair and Max Trescott). Here are may take on them and some of the items that have not come up elsewhere.
Private and Commercial airplane: The FAA made some changes to the coding and clarified a few things but overall, not much has changed. Instrument Airplane: More coding changes and clarification of the use of RNAV approaches with DA could be used to demonstrate a precision approach on the checkride. The FAA also added requirements for non-precision approaches to be flown with a course reversal and one without the autopilot in a non-radar environment. Yes, the partial panel non-precision approach is still in the ACS. Instructor ACS: This is the new ACS everyone has been waiting for! How will it affect your CFI ride? In my opinion it could shorten the ride. How? Under the old PTS, a DPE had to test all the elements under the Task required and/or selected. However, under the ACS, the DPE can "sample" if you will. The requirement under the ACS is for the DPE to select one knowledge element, one risk management and all the skills under each required or selected Task. For example, under the CFI PTS, one required Task was runway incursions. That Task had 17 elements under it that were required to be evaluated. Under the CFI ACS, a DPE could develop a scenario that covers 1 Knowledge element, 1 risk management and all the Skills. So lets say the DPE give you a scenario like this......"Your student came back from his private pilot checkride with a notice of disapproval. Your student failed to write down the taxi instructions and almost crossed a runway without a clearance. The examiner had to stop the airplane as the hold short lines where reached." The DPE could ask you to take a few minutes to decide the necessary retraining and then provide it to him/her. There are a couple of new required Task in the CFI ACS. One is Risk Management. For those of you who took rides with me, odds where pretty high that we covered this. Well, now it's a required Task. Again, this is one where a scenario could be developed by the DPE for you to show your risk management teaching skills. When I did this on previous CFI rides, it was basically an academic discussion. Under the new CFI ACS I won't be doing it that way. The other new change is the applicant has to do either AOO X Task A "Maneuvering During Slow Flight" or Task B "Demonstration of Flight Characteristics at Various Configurations and Airspeeds". Task B is new. Unfortunately, the Airplane Flying Book doesn't give us step by step instructions on how to fly this maneuver but the ACS kind of eludes to how the FAA wants this maneuver to be conducted. I look at it as an energy management discussion/maneuver. Here's the problem with the ACS that may make your Ground/Oral longer, a poor score on the FOI or CFI Knowledge test. The DPE is required to include all the test codes on the knowledge test into the checkride. So if an applicant showed up with a 70% on the FOI, they will be tested on all those missed elements. You could see how this would add time. Instructor Multi Engine Add-on: First of all take a look at the Add-on Table on Page 98 of the ACS. Notice the minimum Task Required (Note, the DPE is authorized to add Tasks beyond the minimum required at their discretion. However most don't) Under AOO II Task C, K and P are required. Under the old PTS, we could skip the Runway Incursion Task under certain situation. That exception is gone. Also note that AOO XIII Task C is now required (most know this Task as the Drag Demo). Under the old PTS this maneuver was optional CFII: Well, look no ACS for the CFII? Yep. However, the FAA did do an update to it. Most of the update aligns the PTS with the requirements and policies of the Instrument ACS. Helicopter ACS: The PTS is gone and the long awaited ACSs are here. This is a major change to how helicopter check rides are conducted but overall the knowledge and Skill requirement remain the same. Except for the Autorotations. Take a look at those. I'll follow up with a more detail discussion on here shortly but for now, I recommend you give me a call to discuss. That way I can answer questions as they come up and hopefully eliminate confusion. New ACSs and PTS have been released by the FAA and are effective May 31,2024. Here's the link to the FAA website.
https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/test_standards |
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