View Full Version : My UK PPL(a) skills test didn't go to PLAN!!
Hi, I had my skills test earlier today for my PPL(a). About 15 minutes into the test we was level at around 2500' and was ready for the first test, a MATZ crossing.
I requested a MATZ crossing from the controller (Linton Zone 118.55) to cross the airspace of Church Fenton. I had no reply and tried again. I had various attempts with no joy. I then asked for a radio check and again no reply. So I asked the examiner if he could request a radio check to test his radio. It worked, however, we could no continue the flight if I couldn't use the radio.
We headed back to Leeds with the examiner making all radio calls. We landed smoothly and safely.
I was wondering, has anyone here got any stories to tell from their PPL skills test, or CPL for that matter.
My test has been rebooked for Tues 7th Nov by the way.
Oh Yeah,
CPL (1992) nose gear failed to come down. Had to land without.
nice way to end a test :)
M.
If you walked away, good landing, lol. At least you completed yours, hehe.
Gnirren
2nd Nov 2006, 17:34
Initial MEI (multi-engine instructor) in FAA land. Rejected takeoff because a door popped open, great start... ok calm down.
Last landing, demonstrating traffic patterns... examiner pulls both(!) engines downwind. Glide in, land. Handshake. White slip. There was much rejoicing.
All after a nice eight hour oral examination the day prior to the flight test. Tell me american licenses are easier to come by :uhoh:
Creep Feed Grinder
2nd Nov 2006, 17:37
HR200
Bad luck. You had a cracking day for it as well. Which Robin were you in?
HR200
Bad luck. You had a cracking day for it as well. Which Robin were you in?
You from Leeds aswell? I was in the unlucky G-BXDT. I had G-BXGW this morning for a quick revision flight. I no, I could see for miles, couldn't ask for a better day!
Creep Feed Grinder
2nd Nov 2006, 18:53
Yep I’m from Leeds aswell. Done lot’s of hours in DT. When I passed and embarked on hour building I bought an Icom spare radio for £200. Money well spent in my opinion. Today proves it! ;)
HR200,
Yes walked away and I passed. :)
Kick a$$ on the 7th!
Keep us posted.
I hope they didn't charge you for the flying time, but I bet they did!
Humaround
2nd Nov 2006, 19:46
Within 15 mins of the start of my skills test, cloudbase pushed us down to 1600'. i wanted to carry on but the Examiner said "I think we'll go home shall we?"
Which was very decent, as I should have been the one to call a halt....
He didn't count it as a test, no charge (apart from the flying), passed next time....
It's true what they say, Examiners are human, and they want you to pass. At least mine was.
HR200,
Yes walked away and I passed. :)
Kick a$$ on the 7th!
Keep us posted.
I definately will! Weather permitting.
I hope they didn't charge you for the flying time, but I bet they did!
They certainly did, annoying seen as its not my aircraft to maintain.
tmmorris
3rd Nov 2006, 08:35
Raises an interesting point: how many clubs/schools will charge if you reject the ac (after starting and taxying) as u/s?
This only happened to me once (suction failure on the power checks, so I hadn't yet taken off) and I taxied back and took another ac - they didn't charge for the first one. But I'd be pretty p*ss*d off if I'd had your experience, I must say.
Tim
Bahn-Jeaux
3rd Nov 2006, 08:46
Had a similar radio experience some months back although not on a test nor airborne but solo consolidation.
Had just been cleared to taxy to holding point.
Duly halted at said point and proceeded with pre takeoffs.
All OK then called ready for departure.
Nothing, Called again, nothing.
Unplugged headset and reconnected, nothing.
Radio on and off, scrolled through channels and back again, nothing.
At this point I was getting a bit worried but luckily, another school plane was behind me and i could signal to the instructor who then jumped out and came to me.
His headset was working OK and after fiddling around with mine got it working again.
Knocked my solo confidence back a bit but luckily the radio was fixed soon after so confidence restored.
I dread to think what I would have done had it failed when airborne as I am based at a fairly busy commercial airport and it was my 3rd hour solo.
Would I have remembered my airlaw and comms or would I have had a freeze up.
Hard to say, easy to think in a non stress situation but its in the past now and I am wiser for the experience. Promptly got the books out again when I got home and brushed up on procedure for such an event.
GWidgery
3rd Nov 2006, 14:46
I had a similar experience during my training. It was my first time away from the airfield on my own, started up, radio working fine, taxied out, radio still working, took off, flew up to one of the reporting points and turned back.
Called for rejoin info, heard nothing. Tried again, still the same. Getting a little worried, did all the checks to see what the problem was, couldn't find it. Came back into the circuit landed - full stop, came off the side and did a radio check.
Finally they answered saying there had been a temporary problem with their radio down on the ground.
My instructor was happy that i stopped though :)
After it was back on, carried on with the flight!
Gertrude the Wombat
3rd Nov 2006, 16:16
About 15 minutes ... we was level at around 2500' and was ready for the first test...
Er, no. You'd already passed several tests by then. There were plenty of opportunities for the examiner to call a halt before you'd got that far!
foxmoth
3rd Nov 2006, 16:17
Why is it no one seems able to cope without a radio these days? Many of us do this routine.:rolleyes:
Raises an interesting point: how many clubs/schools will charge if you reject the ac (after starting and taxying) as u/s?
This only happened to me once (suction failure on the power checks, so I hadn't yet taken off) and I taxied back and took another ac - they didn't charge for the first one. But I'd be pretty p*ss*d off if I'd had your experience, I must say.
Tim
Paying for it didn't bother me too much, its just the hassle, it could of been worse, it could be a full radio failure. But, obviously know I have to worry until tuesday bout my test. I plays on ur mind.
Er, no. You'd already passed several tests by then. There were plenty of opportunities for the examiner to call a halt before you'd got that far!
I should have said that differently, first pronounced test, obviously im being tested the whole time.
Had a similar radio experience some months back although not on a test nor airborne but solo consolidation.
Had just been cleared to taxy to holding point.
Duly halted at said point and proceeded with pre takeoffs.
All OK then called ready for departure.
Nothing, Called again, nothing.
Unplugged headset and reconnected, nothing.
Radio on and off, scrolled through channels and back again, nothing.
At this point I was getting a bit worried but luckily, another school plane was behind me and i could signal to the instructor who then jumped out and came to me.
His headset was working OK and after fiddling around with mine got it working again.
Knocked my solo confidence back a bit but luckily the radio was fixed soon after so confidence restored.
I dread to think what I would have done had it failed when airborne as I am based at a fairly busy commercial airport and it was my 3rd hour solo.
Would I have remembered my airlaw and comms or would I have had a freeze up.
Hard to say, easy to think in a non stress situation but its in the past now and I am wiser for the experience. Promptly got the books out again when I got home and brushed up on procedure for such an event.
Im sure you would, after diagnosing the fault as my radio, one of the first things that came to be would have been to sqwuak 7600 and find a quiet aerodrome, but, I thought I would ask the examiner to perform a radio check with this mike, and all was well, so, no need for alarm.
Bahn-Jeaux
3rd Nov 2006, 22:42
Why is it no one seems able to cope without a radio these days? Many of us do this routine.
Not when you are waiting for a nice little 737 to land before you can line up i'll wager.
I am sure those nice men in ATC would have been most impressed with my initiative had I decided to line up and depart off my own back.
foxmoth
4th Nov 2006, 09:09
I am not suggesting departing from CAS in this manner, but for example - I requested a MATZ crossing from the controller (Linton Zone 118.55) to cross the airspace of Church Fenton.
is obviously airbourne and outside CAS so why not finish at least the GH part before heading home - you could possibly even do the nav, going around or over the MATZ if wx allowed, thus demonstrating your knowledge and capability of dealing with unplanned events.:D
Actually I think the person I feel most disapointed in here is the examiner, especially with him having a functioning radio, many I know would at least have suggested getting done what they could!
Also took off, flew up to one of the reporting points and turned back. - again, seems people class r/t failure as a major problem, if not needing to go through CAS then it should be possible to continue.
Creep Feed Grinder
4th Nov 2006, 19:04
I think they were absolutely right to turn back, taking into account they are based in CAS.
Ok they have functionality on one side, but for how much longer? They assessed the threat and dealt with it accordingly. Who knows, if they had been really unlucky something could have been smouldering somewhere.
If you don’t have to press on – don’t.
Good luck on the 7th HR :)
badboy raggamuffin
4th Nov 2006, 21:06
There was a guy at Flight Training Europe in Jerez about a year or so ago whose CPL skill test examiner took a **** in the back of the plane, during his CPL test! This is absolutely true, not just a wind up I promise. Cheeky bastard failed the poor guy as well.
Dont think Id be too happy about that, both the **** and the fail.
foxmoth
5th Nov 2006, 06:43
taking into account they are based in CAS.
Nothing I read suggested that. And how did the chap who turned back at the first reporting point get back in if that was the case.
Creep Feed Grinder
5th Nov 2006, 11:39
Ok point taken, it's only because I Know the aircraft involved and where it came from. This is how they got back in.
So I asked the examiner if he could request a radio check to test his radio. It worked. We headed back to Leeds with the examiner making all radio calls.
I am not suggesting departing from CAS in this manner, but for example -
is obviously airbourne and outside CAS so why not finish at least the GH part before heading home - you could possibly even do the nav, going around or over the MATZ if wx allowed, thus demonstrating your knowledge and capability of dealing with unplanned events.:D
Actually I think the person I feel most disapointed in here is the examiner, especially with him having a functioning radio, many I know would at least have suggested getting done what they could!
Also - again, seems people class r/t failure as a major problem, if not needing to go through CAS then it should be possible to continue.
The examiner said he could not let me continue at all if I couldn't use the radio because its part of the test. It was his decision to return home to LBA and not continue.
I am not suggesting departing from CAS in this manner, but for example -
is obviously airbourne and outside CAS so why not finish at least the GH part before heading home - you could possibly even do the nav, going around or over the MATZ if wx allowed, thus demonstrating your knowledge and capability of dealing with unplanned events.:D
Actually I think the person I feel most disapointed in here is the examiner, especially with him having a functioning radio, many I know would at least have suggested getting done what they could!
Also - again, seems people class r/t failure as a major problem, if not needing to go through CAS then it should be possible to continue.
I disagree, I would much rather have a radio, taking to someone with at least a FIS for basic traffic information.
I think they were absolutely right to turn back, taking into account they are based in CAS.
Ok they have functionality on one side, but for how much longer? They assessed the threat and dealt with it accordingly. Who knows, if they had been really unlucky something could have been smouldering somewhere.
If you don’t have to press on – don’t.
Good luck on the 7th HR :)
Thanks, yea, I agree, for all I know, that could of been the start of something serious. Test 2moro, ill keep you all updated.
For all concerned, I did the test today, very poor conditions, make it extremely hard, vis down to about 4k when at Doncaster, but almost passed, just failed on the glide approach, so I am going up again sometime this week just to do the glide approach, then I have passed.
jakerr
7th Nov 2006, 20:31
Ended up landing at the end of my flight test in the dark. We were late setting off as the examiner was 2 hours late. We finally went up, did all the tests and finished as the sun was going down. By the time we got back to the airfiled it was technically night time. I'm just glad I had the instructor with me for confidence. Good fun though.:p
JK
MarcJF
7th Nov 2006, 20:57
My examiner asked me to take a detour to overfly a small village where his kids were walking home from school. I nearly saw them ,were it not for so much smoke in the cockpit form his Silk Cut. Can't complain, passed first time.
nosignificantweather
7th Nov 2006, 21:12
My examiner asked me to take a detour to overfly a small village where his kids were walking home from school. I nearly saw them ,were it not for so much smoke in the cockpit form his Silk Cut. Can't complain, passed first time.
Marc - I seriously hope you are joking about your examiner smoking in the cockpit? If not, I hope this was twenty years ago.
NSW