Hi CR.
how long does it take to 'book' a date for your skills test?
Skill Tests have to be notified to the CAA, and approved by them in advance, so a couple of days may be required for that. Otherwise, it only depends on how busy your chosen Examiner is. Some Examiners are particularly popular with candidates.
Do you have to have completed all exams before you can take your skills test?
Yes. Except for the RT Practical Test, which can be done afterwards.
...and lastly any tips & advice for the day?
All examiners like candidates who look the part, and demonstrate that they can organise their time well, so don't keep him/her waiting, or show up dressed in shorts and flip flops, because that gives the impression that you are not taking the event seriously.
Arrive with as much as you can pre-prepared, and with lots of time to spare. There will always be things you have forgotten.
Show the examiner that you are well organised, by offering him the weather, mass/balance, takeoff/landing performance, and applicable Notams you have already prepared.
Know your way around the aircraft documents. Be able to demonstrate how you have determined, from the Documents Folder and the Tec Log, that the aircraft is legal to fly.
Make your Nav planning neat and tidy. This gives that essential 'organised' impression, with the added advantage that it is easier to use in the air.
Ask all your questions in the briefing. It's too late at the end to say that you didn't understand something at the start!
During the Nav section, don't tell the Examiner anything he doesn't need to know. Especially don't unnecessarily point to a landmark and identify it. It might not be the place you think it is, but he need never know!
At the beginning of each leg, the Examiner will ask you for a heading/level for the leg, and an estimate for the next turning point. Do not change heading or level, without telling him first!
When telling him of changes to heading, level, or estimate, don't attempt to explain why you are changing them. This will waste your concentration, and you might be doing the right thing for the wrong reason!
I won't go through all the GH exercises, as you can either do them competently, or not. If you demonstrate something that turned out well below your usual standard though, ask for another go. The Examiner may not give you another attempt, but this is no indication of a failure, as he may have assessed your first attempt as adequate.
Remember that the Examiner isn't there to trick you into making a mistake, but he's not there to help you either. For Instance, if he asks you to show him a stall, he won't remind you to do the HASELL checks first.
Generally treat the Examiner as an interested passenger, who will need a pre-flight briefing on the safety procedures, and can help you keep a lookout if you ask, or hold your map, or clipboard for a few seconds. Don't expect a lot of chit-chat from him though, as he will be careful not to distract you.
From time to time, during the test, the Examiner will write things down on his pad. Don't try to see what he has written, or imagine that it's a list of mistakes you have made. He is just keeping notes of the flight, so that he can reconstruct it afterwards, and he will write down things like times, headings, changes of estimate, etc, so that he can keep track of what you are doing, and refer to it afterwards in the debrief, without making a mistake.
At the end of the test, you will be tired, but don't let your guard drop. 'It's not over until the fat lady sings', as they say, and the test isn't over until he says that he's pleased to tell you that you have passed the test, and shakes your hand, so dont screw up right at the end, and forget to turn off the mags, because you didn't follow the checklist!
Finally, Examiners are human too, and they really want to pass you, if only because the CAA paperwork for a fail, or partial pass, is way more difficult than a pass!
Good luck.
MJ
