Originally Posted by
Broadlands
I was disappointed to hear how much a local examiner charges for a PPL Skill Test. A brief look at the websites of various clubs is even more disturbing. One charges £120, and that was just a first look.
So think about that £120 fee. A skill test takes about 2 to 2.5hrs. Add on the time before flight to brief and allow the candidate to prepare, the checking of all paperwork, the post flight debrief and admin, and then the responsibility for signing off a pilot. For me that takes at least hours and I frequently find errors which need addressing.
All that for £120 which begins a race to the bottom. I am almost of the opinion that test fees should be set by the CAA and booked through flight test bookings.
For any examiners setting low fees, please be realistic and charge a fee appropriate to the experience and professionalism of our position otherwise the end result will be that the good examiners will give up.
If you can't asses a candidate in a 20 minute conversation and 45 minutes in the air you are in the wrong business. But I am sure the game is full of pedantic gits looking for a nice little earner at someone else's expense and to flex their anal know how.