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IR Revalidation - What to expect?

Old 22nd Sep 2015, 13:53
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IR Revalidation - What to expect?

I sat my IR skills test almost 12 months ago and so the time has come for a revalidation. I am attending a UK based school next week and hope to achieve this in a single day - I've planned 1.5 hours with an instructor followed by my test (all in an ALSIM FNPTII).

Being my first revalidation, I am looking for some tips on what to expect and how to maximize my chance of a pass?

I have not flown a single hour since passing my skills test because I am based abroad with my job and opportunities are few and far between. I am therefore quite nervous for several reasons:

- All of my IR training was on "real" aircraft due to no approved simulators in my based country. I'm therefore not particularly familiar with a sim environment.

- I lack currency except a bit of messing around on Microsoft Flight Sim practicing hold entries and NDB/VOR tracking.

- I can only schedule to return back to the UK for 1 day. So if I mess up, I've wasted a tonne of money and my IR will expire the week after. I believe after that expiry date I will then need to renew my IR, which will be much more costly?

Any advice would be much appreciated. I also have a few other questions bugging me:

- In a sim test environment, will I be expected to make fake ATC calls to the examiner?

- Will the FNPTII be set up to resemble a particular aircraft type, and if so will be I be expected to learn the POH numbers for various phases of flight, flap extension speeds, etc?

- Will the examiner understand a bit of rustiness based on my lack of currency, or is that my problem rather than his?

FWIW, I sat my skills test in a DA42.

Thank you!
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Old 22nd Sep 2015, 14:13
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Probably not the best planning to try to cram it into 1 day just before it is due to expire but you might have circumstances that have stopped you getting it done earlier, if your IR does expire you will have to do it in the aircraft this year rather than the sim.

Depending where you go you might have a sim set up as a DA42 with simulated glass cockpit and central control column or it may be set up as a generic MEP with traditional control yoke and simulated analogue instruments.

How tough the examiner will be depends upon the individual, you should expect to fly a full IR skills test profile with ILS and NDB approaches (one approach will be single engine) with an engine failure during the climb out from the twin engine approach. Both approaches will be down to MDA/ DH followed by a go around and then into twin engine GH. The final approach will be single engine go around into single engine circuit to land.

My experience has been that the revalidation test is way more relaxed than the initial skills test and examiners have been more than happy to reset and redo an exercise if it hasn’t gone well so I wouldn’t stress too much if I were you.

You will be required to simulate ATC calls and the examiner will play the role of the controller.

Good luck.
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Old 22nd Sep 2015, 16:00
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If you have no prospect of flying in the next 12 months, you can defer the next IR revalidation/ renewal and save money.
Ask the examiner, upon completion, about the renewal rules.
In essence there is no need to test yearly if you are in a dormant state.
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Old 22nd Sep 2015, 16:37
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Thank you for the answers.

I was tied down to this particular day as I have to fly back to the UK on day 1, to sit the renewal on day 2, to fly back home on day 3. Unfortunately this was the best I could manage however I have scheduled a flight with an instructor in the morning before my test later that afternoon. Hopefully a few hours in between will allow me to brush up on a few things.

If the sim is set up to replicate a DA42, will I be expected to know and memorise the important parts from the POH such as speeds for different phases of flight and configurations etc? I remember that the speeds I used to fly for my IR training (such as holding speed and approach speed) did not match the exact numbers in the POH and were set by the school I guess to keep the numbers simple.

Also, how about the cockpit instrument set-up, seeing as it won't exactly match the Garmin 1000 I was familiar with? I know during my initial test I was expected to know the Garmin inside-out but I'll only have 1.5 hours prior to get used to the layout in the sim.

Finally, a bit of clarity regarding revalidation v.s. renewal. I just found this line on the CAA website:
The IR is valid for 1 year from the date you pass the skills test. To revalidate the rating you must pass a proficiency check within three months of expiry. To renew the rating after it has expired you need to take refresher training and pass a proficiency check at an ATO which has been approved to conduct IR training.

Does this mean that if I fail the revalidation, I still have 3 months to re-sit the test before it then gets treated as a renewal? To answer the previous question, I'm hopefully due to start a Type Rating within the next 3-4 months and so I would like to keep the IR current.

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Old 22nd Sep 2015, 21:21
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Revalidate means a successful test prior to the expiry date.
A test once expired is a renewal
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Old 23rd Sep 2015, 08:53
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If the sim is set up to replicate a DA42, will I be expected to know and memorise the important parts from the POH such as speeds for different phases of flight and configurations etc? I remember that the speeds I used to fly for my IR training (such as holding speed and approach speed) did not match the exact numbers in the POH and were set by the school I guess to keep the numbers simple.
If you're going to use speeds other than those specified in the POH then you will be asked during the briefing to nominate them before you use them. You may be later questioned why you had nominated a specific speed.

Also, how about the cockpit instrument set-up, seeing as it won't exactly match the Garmin 1000 I was familiar with? I know during my initial test I was expected to know the Garmin inside-out but I'll only have 1.5 hours prior to get used to the layout in the sim.
Your examiner will allow you sufficient time to familiarise yourself with the simulator layout. It sounds like you're getting a training session in beforehand which will be of benefit before launching into the check.

Finally, a bit of clarity regarding revalidation v.s. renewal. I just found this line on the CAA website:
The IR is valid for 1 year from the date you pass the skills test. To revalidate the rating you must pass a proficiency check within three months of expiry. To renew the rating after it has expired you need to take refresher training and pass a proficiency check at an ATO which has been approved to conduct IR training.

Does this mean that if I fail the revalidation, I still have 3 months to re-sit the test before it then gets treated as a renewal? To answer the previous question, I'm hopefully due to start a Type Rating within the next 3-4 months and so I would like to keep the IR current.
There is no difference in content between a IR Revalidation and IR Renewal. If you fail the Proficiency Check, then your examiner will advise you that you can no longer exercise those privileges.

At present you need a valid multi-engine IR(A) if you are starting your first multi-pilot Type Rating course (FCL.720.A (d) - see CAP 804, Section 4, Part H, Subpart 1, page 2). This may change in the future (EASA NPA 2014-29(A)).

More information about the IR Proficiency Check can be found here:

Standards Document 14 (A): Class, Type and Instrument Rating Skill Tests and Proficiency Checks (Excluding single-pilot high performance complex Aeroplanes) | Publications | About the CAA

ifitaint...
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Old 23rd Sep 2015, 10:48
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At present you need a valid multi-engine IR(A) if you are starting your first multi-pilot Type Rating course (FCL.720.A (d) - see CAP 804, Section 4, Part H, Subpart 1, page 2). This may change in the future (EASA NPA 2014-29(A)).
Interesting, found the change on page 64:

Multi-pilot aeroplanes. An applicant for the first type rating course for a multi-pilot aeroplane shall be a student pilot currently undergoing training on an MPL training course or comply with the following
requirements:
(1) have at least 70 hours of flight experience as PIC on aeroplanes;
(2) hold or have held a multi-engine IR(A);
...
Any idea when this change is going to come in to force?
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Old 23rd Sep 2015, 13:52
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If you're going to use speeds other than those specified in the POH then you will be asked during the briefing to nominate them before you use them. You may be later questioned why you had nominated a specific speed
I understand as this was the same as my IR skills test.

However, my question is whether the FNPTII will be set up to reflect the handling characteristics and speeds of a particular aircraft type? And how am I to know in advance which type has been chosen and therefore which speeds are expected of me? Especially as it seems some schools differ from the POH.
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