Originally Posted by
no_one
There is a subtle point missing in your comparison, that the casa approach is still painful . In the USA you need an instructor to give you a logbook endorsement that you have the knowledge before you can take the test. You cant just rock up and pass the test. Read 61.123, an extract is below. In a way the test in the USA is really just checking on that instructor. If the instructor gets too many fails then the FAA may have a chat with them. Usually, at a minimum, the instructor that signs off that you are ready for the knowledge test gives you a bit of a grilling to make sure that you will pass the test. If you do a theory course, online or in person you would get that on successful completion of the course.
Thanks no_one, that's actually kind of what I was wondering. The yanks call this the 'oral', right?
I haven't sat a CPL flight test but I always thought is there something like the lengthy pre-flight part of the PPL flight test where the ATO does something similar to a USA 'oral'?