IR Test

[DarkSoldier]

I am due my initial IR test sometime next week. Whilst things are going well, I know how easy it is to get caught out on the day so I was wondering what pearls of wisdom you guys that have been through this have - what caught you out (or nearly did)? What were the difficult areas and things you would suggest I brush up on in preparation for the test...

All thoughts and comments appreciated!

Thanks.

[flyboy1818]

Stay at or very near to the airfield the night before, even a short 30 minute drive will take away some of the precious mental capcity that you will require for this test.

Get as much stuff as possible ready the day before including notams, performance etc and makesure you get about 10 hours sleep!

If you have to fly a transit flight to the test centre, get the instructor who is with you to fly the plane as you need to be as fresh as possible for this test.

Good luck!

[ElitePilot]

Confidence, you know you can do it cos you've passed the 170a and stay ahead of the plane basics I know. If you're not doing something you should be be it ice checks or identing or getting weather or..... Oh and don't forget to start the timer! :) Good luck!

[SilveR5]

On the ILS, if it's going to be radar vectored, immediately request "further vectoring/repositioning" if you foresee things are going too fast for you ex. you still haven't finished all the checks.. or when you are being vectored for a straight-in ILS from high altitude/flight level which means the speed control and/or configuring the aircraft may be a bit more challenging while descending with the G/S.

Broadly speaking, do some mental rehearsal of the whole profile... Chunk down the trip and manage each section separately until it's done then move to the next section... Don't overwhelm yourself by thinking about how much blood and sweat it's going to take over the period of the test to pass the whole thing.
ex. Focus no further than the Departure section...get it done...
then the next step is the En-route section....get it done...
Joining/Initial Approach...Done..
Precision/Non-precision...done..
EFATO...done......
etc.....bit by bit..:ok:

[corporate-pilot]

Remember that you've started with a "pass", it's up to you to balls up the right stuff and turn it into a "fail".

The examiner is not trying to fail you.

If you do balls up on anything, tell the examiner. Fault recognition is vital. You can guarantee they saw the mistake before you did and by admitting it you are showing you're still in control. Don't be afraid to ask to re-do something.

Don't expect any special treatment from ATC just because you have an "exam" callsign. I was kept really high on my approach in order to get a couple of airlines in ahead of me. I did however tell the examiner what was going on and that I was high and what I planned to do, which was to get some flaps out and the gear down far earlier than "normal" in order I could descend at a higher rate and maintain speed control. I got good feedback on that during the de-brief, even if it didn't look pretty. It's what we do in a two crew environment so it's good practice anyway to mention out loud what you can see unfolding.

Remember to stay SAFE. If it's all unravelling you must ensure the safety of your passengers, you and the aircraft, know what the MSA is so you can at least climb to it if you find yourself in the sh1t. That is worst case scenario, I've never heard of anyone getting behind the drag curve to that extent but you'll need that "get out" for the rest of your flying life.

Oh and you'll never feel "ready". I've never felt "ready" for any of my tests including IR and Type Rating, but have managed to get them all first time. Even now I wonder how I managed to pass any of them based on what I have since learnt!

Personally I still think the IR test was the hardest thing I've had to do, far harder than my type rating.

Good luck

[Trolle]

All good words of wisdom.

If you do do something wrong don't let it get to you. Put is past you and fly the rest of the flight as if nothing had happened.

I took my test and hadn't flown for 2 months. I was not on top of things as I should have been. Accidentally, I reset my timer in the middle of the hold. I just told the examiner that it was a mistake, told him how I would correct it, and did that. I did some other things that were not ideal, but I was within standards on all aspects and I passed, even though I thought it was my worst IR flight ever.

[beardedclam]

Corporate-pilot's opening sentence is very true. I was so nervous before my IR test that I made multiple trips to the men's toilet during my flight panning for the test, and nearly threw up. The examiner was as polite and professional as possible, and I was still bricking it! He was laid back and said very little during the flight. They are looking for competence. If you find yourself high/low make sensible correction. Off course slightly? Same. Don't CURSE yourself, and throw dummies out of pram if something goes wrong. Telling yourself you deserve to be hung, drawn and quartered upon landing won't help the remainder of the flight. Examiner may be happy with your awareness and correction, or maybe getting back on track will result in a partial. (My partial re-test took 19 minutes to pass, from brakes off to brakes on.) They KNOW how stressed you are, and your stage of learning. Are you at Bournemouth by any chance??

[bravobravo74]

Try not to develop a negative perception of a route or a certain procedure that you might be asked to fly on the day. You don't want to make life more difficult than it needs to be by forming unnecessary mental barriers.

Whatever happens make sure that you at least appear to be calm and untroubled throughout the exam.

Best of luck.

[NukeHunt]

Focus no further than the Departure section...get it done...
then the next step is the En-route section....get it done...
Joining/Initial Approach...Done..
Precision/Non-precision...done..
EFATO (Engine Failure After Take-Off)...done......
etc.....bit by bit..

This is excellent advice. Also I'd add, once you are in one of the above sections, start to think what's next? What I am using? Radio/nav aids? What will I need next? Plan ahead - stay ahead. LISTEN to the radio. If you can hear London passing off a/c to a frequency that is in the same direction you are also going, dial it up so it's already there in the box when it's your turn - one less thing to worry about when your writing it down.

Be ready for the unexpected. On my IR renewal, I had in my mind what I was going to do on each section of my route however ATC gave me a "direct to" and I missed out 2/3 of my planned route so my plan in my mind went out of the window. But I simply revised my plan and carried on.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, talk to yourself. Some people say some examiners don't like it - tough ****. It's your test, you're paying and if it helps you - do it. Say out loud what you are thinking - you don't have to be giving a constant clear running commentary, just mutterings almost under your breath as you are thinking things will suffice. The examiner can't read your mind and if you have made a mistake, and you say out loud that you have recognised it and how you are going to correct it, that can make all the difference. If you do make a mistake though, don't dwell on it, deal with it and move on to the next bit. That could be the difference between a partial and a fail and a partial is much cheaper than a fail !!.

Good luck.

[DarkSoldier]

thanks for the very good advice everyone, it helped towards getting a first time pass

As difficult as the test was I found that breaking all tasks into smaller chunks helped a lot so thanks for that specific advice, would certainly agree that it helps

Now on to the even more challenging part...finding a job!