How not to start a practical test
I finally made an appointment and passed the private pilot knowledge test in January 2005. After a long, windy Wisconsin winter that was immediately followed by a windy Wisconsin spring, my flight instructor, Chris, and I decided that I was ready to take the private pilot checkride. He said so first, which greatly boosted my confidence level.
The volatile spring weather had for months limited the good days on which I could sneak out to the airport and burn up the last bit of solo time, and get in the required three hours of dual within 60 days prior to the oral and flight test. It was also taking me a while to find an examiner with a clear schedule, but I finally got an appointment booked for the end of June.
One examiner I spoke with took plenty of time on the telephone answering questions and, to my astonishment, also referred other examiners if we could not get our schedules to mesh. I liked him, and I decided to wait for one of the few openings in his schedule--when I would take a vacation day from work. Let the butterflies loose and the strain on my nerves begin!
Of course I studied more to prepare for the oral, and did all my preflight computations for weight and balance, takeoff and landing distances, crosswind course corrections--everything I had been taught to do to properly plan a flight. I plotted out a thorough cross-country flight plan as assigned from East Troy, Wisconsin, to Winona, Minnesota, and made notes about checkpoints and radio frequencies to impress the examiner. I checked all the airplane logbooks--all OK, but the 100-hour inspection was coming up in only six hours. No problem--the FBO owner said he'd take if off the line--that time would be all mine for last-minute practice the night before and the actual test flight time. Things were finally falling into place.
The big day finally arrived. The weather looked bad on the way to the airport, but the Green Bay Automated Flight Service Station briefer said it was forecast to burn off in a couple hours. I tried to remain positive and not too worried on the way to the airport. My nerves were getting me the night before, but I realized about then that I actually felt OK today since it looked like weather might prevent the flight test portion.
My disappointment about potentially not completing the entire test began to overshadow my nervousness, and I got through the oral just fine. To kill some time, we went to lunch, but it was a no-go that day. I went home with only an official FAA Letter of Continuance. In retrospect, this delay probably worked in my favor, but over the next few days, with the frustration of not completing the flight test on the same day as the oral exam, this did not seem to be the case at the time.
The same designated pilot examiner (DPE) let me squeeze into his schedule for the next Tuesday afternoon, but I'd have to go to a different airport that day. Unfortunately, the weather that day was no better than the last time, and I had to cancel the test again.
The DPE went on a family vacation and told me by phone that he'd call me when he got home from his vacation if he got any cancellations. And then, on the following Friday afternoon he called--a cancellation!
This third day, we met back at the East Troy airport again. The weather wasn't looking great--there was no way I would have really left that airport with any intention of going through the front that was coming our way to my planned destination if I didn't already know that we'd be diverting anyway, and I told the examiner that. He told me, "You're pilot in command today." I decided to see how far I could get before one of us pulled the plug, and his statement indicated to me that it would need to be my decision. My preflight briefing and walk-around inspection went fine. We took off, got on course, and were almost immediately upon my first checkpoint. Things were going great, and I started to relax a bit, realizing that I hadn't really been nervous that day--doing the test in stages was actually working out for me! The reduced workload of my home airport advantage was certainly helping too.
The weather ahead looked awful. Then suddenly, my brief stint in complacency caved in on me as I moved my chart off to one side and referred to my cross-country planning log to verify my course and time to the first checkpoint. Something was very wrong with my course. I thought out loud--"This isn't right--did I add the crosswind instead of subtracting it?" I could then feel my blood pressure instantly double--so much for calm. I knew the examiner must have thought right then that this test would not go on much longer. My mind raced.
I mumbled into the intercom, "Well, I guess the wheels came off early on this one," expecting that I would need to try to schedule this nightmare yet again after some additional training. He said, "Look at your first checkpoint on your log." I read the name to myself in total disbelief--it was the log for departing from Janesville--I had the wrong flight plan clipped to my kneeboard! I blinked around the panel, still scanning, still flying, and cursing myself under my breath. Then I realized that he had not yet said the phrase I had been praying I'd never hear him say--that the test was over.
I dove my right hand into my flight bag in the cargo area behind me, desperately searching for the correct log sheet. Why had I kept all my other old ones in here too? After an eternity for both of us, I finally found the right one. As calmly as I could still manage, I referenced my last known position in the sectional chart, dialed up the Badger VOR to the northeast and began to show him our current approximate position. Before he could even ask, I spun the frequency of the nav radio to a different VOR in Burlington and triangulated our position. He asked which city was on to the left side of the airplane's nose, and I gave the correct response, just as it started to rain. He asked where I would divert to, and I rattled off every airport within 20 miles I could think of, pointing in the direction of each one. He said, "Good save--now turn around--let's get away from this weather."
After all the required maneuvers, the instrument work, and the standard set of takeoffs and landings, we taxied back up to the ramp just as the lightning started to close in on the field. I was still reeling from the error at the beginning, mentally reviewing my own performance. He left me in suspense for a few more minutes after I finished the shutdown checklist before congratulating me. I had passed the checkride in spite of my self-induced train wreck of a start!
The examiner never really said as much, but after talking with my instructor and all of my pilot friends and relatives, I believe that overcoming the confusion that generated an indescribable amount of mental anguish during the flight test probably helped me to pass in the end. Acting as a real pilot in command for the first time, I got myself out of a genuine in-flight predicament--a situation that required the demonstration of some actual pilotage and navigation skills, including reading the chart and using the nav radio.
By Sean Acheson
"Learning Experiences" is presented to enhance safety by providing a forum for students and pilots to learn from the experiences of others. It is intended to provoke thought and discussion, acknowledging that actions taken by the authors were not necessarily the best choices under the circumstances. We encourage you to discuss any questions you have about a particular scenario with your flight instructor.
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