Busted Checkride - How to Explain?

[Fly_Chick]

As we parked and I was getting out, I mentioned that since this was a commercial add on to my Comm R/W, holding was not required by PTS. He looked it up and I was right. He made me go back out and re-enter holding to make sure I knew how to do it. I did exactly what I should have done on the first attempt. He was more than fair and was considered one of the hardest in the area.

Did you enter the hold a second time on the check-ride or did he just want you to go out and enter it by yourself or with and instructor?

Curiously, as it is not required by PTS, under which Area of Operation was he going to classify the bust?

 

[atlcrashpad]

Holding

He was going to bust me on holding. I held on the wrong side of the fix. I went right back out with him that afternoon. He was satisfied and I've never forgotten my mistake. No Bust. PTS did not require holding if you had an instrument rating in another catagory. ie. I had a comm R/W with instrument and was adding comm SEL w/ instrument.

 

[WhiteCloud]

For interview purposes you answer honestly. If asked it's usually something like..."Have you ever busted a checkride" You can pick one of your busts that you take credit for and say "Well, I blew X on the CFI checkride so I had to go up again and redo it. I knew how to do it but I was nervous and lost my concentration. Everything else went well and I retook that portion of the test the next week and got the certificate." Be honest but don't recite all the busts unless directly asked. They'll probably move on to other things since the goal of the question is to find out if you accept responsibility and not necesarily to determine if you're superpilot.

 

[banned username 1]

Let me give you some perspective from the standpoint of a person who used to give pilot interviews- and that of a flight instructor too.

Even the best pilots have busted check rides. An interviewer is looking for somebody who takes the adult attitude toward that sort of thing, takes full responsibility for it, makes it right and learns from it and moves on.

Let's take a look at the situation as you've described it. You've failed MULTIPLE check rides. One failure- hey it happens, two- wow, unlucky, but the number that you're talking about would raise an eyebrow (if they even ask you at all). Failing a checkride isn't the end of the world, but pilots, being egotists, usually make doubly-sure that that sort of thing doesn't happen again- almost to a fault. It's embarassing.

Where there's smoke, there's fire, and you're describing something smoking here. You started out by laying out the facts, but then when somebody made an honest critique and opined on your situation, you got defensive. I'm seeing the red flag from something that you never even considered. Since I don't have the luxury of getting to know you for an hour or so, that's all I'll say on that subject.

Next, don't blame your failures on your instructor. It's a shared responsibility of you both. I had to laugh about the E6-B thing because although it's old-school, you should be able to use it- and weren't you an instructor already? Your instructor is supposed to get you ready to pass a check ride. That includes the oral. Any instructor should pretty much know the scenario that the examiner uses and not only prepare you based on the checkride guide, but extra emphasis for particulars that the specific examiner hits. But he's only human and not a mind reader- if he truly prepared you for every possible situation and question, your training would cost four times what it does already. YOU have to share the responsibility for learning and retaining what you've learned. If you don't feel like you can be the best applicant the examiner has ever seen, then you're not ready. Easy as that.

Back to your question. You need to give yourself some introspection. If the question ever comes up, and it was required to be asked of every applicant I interviewed, you'd better have an adult, cogent response. If you haven't really sat down and asked what are the underlying, common threads that connect all of the checkride failures and what have I done to address them, you will fail the interview. Sorry, it's the truth. Nothing is easier to detect than insincerity and you better believe what it is that you're telling the interviewer. They've seen and heard it all- don't BS them.

You wanted opinions. Here's mine. It's worth what you paid for it. IMHO, if you take my advice and get to the root of the problem, you won't fail another ride. If you handle the situation like an adult, who has learned something about himself and has made definite, positive steps to change, it will be a non-event on an interview.

Good luck.

 

[Ralgha]

I have one, my student pass ratio is superb... a bust is more a refection on the instructor than the student. Outside my PPL I never received ANY ground from my instructor.

Actually, 4 busts, 3 of which were in a row, is not a good track record. A bust is SOMETIMES a reflection on the instructor, and sometimes on the student. If any of your instructors after PPL said word one about anything you did or would do, then you did get ground from them.

Incorrect, you need to know the examiner I went with. I have been referred to as "crazy" and "masochistic" for my choice in examiners. This mans pass rate is about 50%.... now you tell me how many checkride you would have bused had you failed 50% of them?

If you thought what he did was unfair, then you should have taken it up with the FSDO. If not, then you're just making excuses.

I fly as well and know as much as ANY pilot of similar experience you will find, period.

Funny. You wouldn't have busted a single one of those checkrides where this true.

I agree these busts are MY FAULT.

Quite obviously you don't, since you referred to the examiner as hard. If you truely took responsibility, you wouldn't have said a word about the examiner.

 

[Lead Sled]

What's an E6B?

For what it's worth, no one cares how hard your examiners were or how high your personal standards are. On paper it appears that you have busted nearly every checkride you've ever taken. That's going to be difficult to explain away in some circles.

Personally, I can understand where you're coming from, but in the grand scheme of things all that really matters is that you have those certificates in your pocket - unless you can show me on your certificates where it says that you took your ride with an "extraordinarily" difficult DPE.

One other thing, I always get a little concerned whenever I hear pilots talk about how good they are compared to everyone else. However, there's a little of that going around - from time to time we hear from a certain T182RG pilot how how well he flies in ice.

Get off of your high horse, you've got to get your experience one hour at a time just like everyone else.

'Sled

 

[psunder]

Actually, 4 busts, 3 of which were in a row, is not a good track record. A bust is SOMETIMES a reflection on the instructor, and sometimes on the student. If any of your instructors after PPL said word one about anything you did or would do, then you did get ground from them.

Agreed, that is not a good track record (actually, I was talking about MY students) however, neither would a 100% pass rate with examiners who’s idea of an oral is to ask you what you want to talk about and BSing about his moony and classic cars for 2 hours. My choice to excel (which by literally ALL standards except for checkrides I have) and to challenge myself is unfortunately not reflected in my pass rate. All I am looking for is suggestions on how to off-set this.

If you thought what he did was unfair, then you should have taken it up with the FSDO. If not, then you're just making excuses.

I never said he was unfair... he was just very difficult (by his own admission).

Funny. You wouldn't have busted a single one of those checkrides where this true.

Simply untrue. For six people I know of at my flight school the ONLY checkride they ever busted was the ONLY time they ever took this examiner... that’s a fact. As for my initial (MEI) with the FSDO, NO ONE from our school has EVER passed an initial checkride with this man.

Quite obviously you don't, since you referred to the examiner as hard. If you truly took responsibility, you wouldn't have said a word about the examiner

Once again, incorrect. I AM TAKING RESPONSIBILITY, the only thing I am saying is that I would not (as a categorical fact) have busted but maybe one checkride had I chosen different examiners. So, yes I SCREWED UP, however... that would not have cost me a bust with other examiners. Let me say that again, I SCREWED UP, I leaned from that, and I am as good an instructor as you will find today because of it with a student pass rate that is far more a reflection of my abilities than what before essentially amounted to a test of how well I trained myself since my instructor never did a dang thing but milk me for time (I pretty much taught myself from the multi-private up).

 

[Bjammin]

Dude, Chill out!!
These guys are only giving their opinions based on what you wrote, and from my point of view I agree with most of them. I have taken many upon many checkrides and have busted one or two, but I would NEVER blame the instructor no matter how hard he was supposed to be. By the way you have descibed this so far it truly does not sound like you prepared yourself correctly for this particular guy. Did you seach out others that had him for the same checkrides and get some gouge? Did you study the PTS and know how discuss every subject in there? Knowing how to use an E6B for checkrides has always been standard practice, at least I thought it was. You should have know the valid period of a TAF for a checkride and should know when and when to not use a procedure turn. IP's can teach the wrong thing from time to time. It is up to you to validate what they teach you with some simple research. Almost everything to do with flying you can read in a book. I view instructors as someone to teach you flying techniques, help you practice, and make sure you don't kill yourself. All the rest is up to you.

I understand the need to challenge yourself and good on you for wanting to do that, but don't use that as an excuse in this case. If you are looking for an airline job and only if you are asked, I would explain exactly how you failed each checkride using the least amount of words possible, be humble in your answer, and explain what you learned.
What kind of job are you going for anyway? Give us some more insight and maybe we won't be so harsh.

 

[TimsKeeper]

Seek Help!

If you "chose" the harder examiner why are you trying to justify it now? Too late....you failed, deal with it.

You need to pass the PTS not the examiner. You made a bad decision to not reconsider examiners after the first failure.

As far as your students go, it means nothing that they are passing their checkrides when it comes to your career down the road. You failed your checkrides, that is what sticks to your resume. Also, not that it matters, are your students going to this "hard" examiner too? I doubt it.

Instead of worrying about your past...worry about your future. You ask for some advice, then jump down the responders throat! Excuse, excuse, excuse.

Stop typing and just listen to what some of these nice people are trying to offer you.

 

[landlover]

Agreed, that is not a good track record (actually, I was talking about MY students) however, neither would a 100% pass rate with examiners who’s idea of an oral is to ask you what you want to talk about and BSing about his moony and classic cars for 2 hours. My choice to excel (which by literally ALL standards except for checkrides I have) and to challenge myself is unfortunately not reflected in my pass rate. All I am looking for is suggestions on how to off-set this.



I never said he was unfair... he was just very difficult (by his own admission).



Simply untrue. For six people I know of at my flight school the ONLY checkride they ever busted was the ONLY time they ever took this examiner... that’s a fact. As for my initial (MEI) with the FSDO, NO ONE from our school has EVER passed an initial checkride with this man.



[COLO

Based on your description of this easy DPE and your profile im guessing you went to the Aviator. The easy DPE being crazy Bill Corcoran? And the difficult one being Bill Ball. If this is true let me tell you, I went to the Aviator and passed every single checkride first attempt with Bill Ball. 2nd I know of 3-4 guys that also did this. Also Bill Corcoran does fail applicants, I've seen it. Is Max still doing rides? I used him mostly for my students when I was instructing. Finally people from the Aviator have passed at the FSDO on the first try.