Yay! Skills Test Passed!

[sennadog]

Finally, after seven months and 48 hours I've managed it. I took the Skills Test today and for some strange reason the CFI thinks I'm good enough to be given a PPL so I'm off to Gatwick on Monday armed with heaps of paperwork to see the CAA.

My flying was awful I have to say and apparently the CFI wondered what the problem was as I was huffing and puffing away as I made mistakes but I got there in the end!

Anyway, I've been looking forward to making this "Brag Post" for some time so forgive me whilst I indulge myself on a lovely sunny day. I've booked a lesson for next week as my PFL after take off was pretty dire and I'm not too happy about my PFLs anyway and as they say, you get your PPL and then you learn to fly. After that it's some Spin Training and then hopefully a holiday in California to get some more experience and hours.

To Evo , Hersham Boy and the rest of you on your PPL training keep enjoying yourselves and book your Skills Test soon and then maybe we can have a Class of 2002 get together.

:D :D :D :D :D :D

[AerBabe]

Woohoo!!! Excellent, well done :)
But, where did you go? What was your diversion? How were your landings? Did the examiner pull any mean tricks on you??? Come on, give us the gossip! ;) :D

[FNG]

Well done you. I've always thought that I flew like a total wazzock on my skills test, but "oh yes, you've passed" quipped the Examiner nonchalantly as I walked tight-lipped away from the aircraft after shutting down (a gag of his: he never tells anyone the result until they ask him, but I didn't know this at the time). I didn't know whether to be totally chuffed or totally outraged at appallingly lax examiner standards. OK, that's a lie, I was just chuffed, as you must be. I suppose that examiners must be able to see through the nerves and decide if a candidate is basically safe enough to be let lose on the unsuspecting populace at large. Have lots of fun in the next few months doing the "I flew about learning from that" gig.

[tacpot]

Well done,

It's been great watch the progress of the people doing their training via PPruNE and even better to see pople make it!

I think most people think that they didn't fly their best during the test - my PFL was ropey too, but hey we passed. So onwards and upwards.

Enjoy the freedom.

[Evo7]

Congratulations mate :D :D :D

Now come on, give us the details. Need something to give me nightmares... ;)

[Bluebeard]

:D Well done!

On my skills test there were a few moments of panic when the DME packed up right at the start of my diversion (for which I was given about 2 mins. notice!), cue much fiddling with the box as we drifted off my planned track. Fortunately I guessed lucky when the examiner asked me what the town was to the left of us:cool: I was convinced I had ballsed up the diversion so was expecting a fail - when we got on the ground I asked the examiner meekly whether I'd passed and he kind of muttered "yes of course" as if it were obvious.....

[sennadog]

I'm not going to go into too much detail as I was atrocious and although I am my own worst critic I do have some pride!;)

Started off doing the circuits, 1 x normal, 1 x flapless in which I did my usual - approach like being in the fast lane of the M25 shortly followed by a pretty marginal simulated engine failure and instead of trying put it down on the RWY muppet decides to defy the laws of physics and stretch the glide. I would just have cleared the M23 but it would have been in the lap of the Gods after that - hence the need for some more training.

Then off to Southend for a Zone Penetration and routing down to Ashford. I couldn't get hold of London Information for the ASR so I switched to Southend Approach, got the info but forgot to tell them I was routing from Redhill - Ashford - Redhill......d'oh!

Flying was generally a bit ropey and we had some nice turbulence to contend with which helped mask some untidy handling.;)

Examiner took over to get us "lost" and I had to shut my eyes which I gave up on in the end as I started feeling queasy so I stared at my lap. Took two radials off Sleaford and Southend VORs and was reasonably close to our position but I decided to play the game a bit as I knew where we were just by looking out of the window.

I did the 180 turn in IMC - wow, that was weird! Not a completely even angle of bank all the way round but it did the job.


Had a divert to Rochester which was fine and a VOR track to Biggin Hill. Did the stalls and recovery from a spiral dive reasonably well and even remembered to climb from 2400ft to 3500ft for the safety margin which I was impressed with as I felt under enormous pressure. It was at this stage that I thought I had failed so I was pretty pissed off particularly when the Examiner is a Captain for a major UK airline - you just want to impress the bloke and I felt that I hadn't!:(

Got down to 1400ft for the Gatwick Zone and did the rejoin OK apart from putting the QFE in too early and then landed feeling pretty disponded.

Whole flight lasted about 2.5 hours and I was totally maxed out! I had more points of criticism on the debrief than the Examiner but all in all I'm pleased although I realise that there is more that I don't know than I actually do!

Totally worth it but very tiring!

:)

[vancouv]

Congratulations on passing. I finally passed my skills test last month after 20 months and 70 hours (don't you just love the British weather)!! In fact I got a partial as I completely messed up my PFL (it took me a LONG time to pick my field by which time I was VERY low and couldn't position into wind) :eek:

Went off a couple of weeks later to redo the PFL and this time it was better. My test was two and a half hours long as well, and I was absolutely shattered by the end. I think it's too long really, I had never flown that long before, even on my QCC.

Good luck to anyone who is waiting to take it.

[LowNSlow]

Congratulations sennadog, welcome to the land of the 100 quid cup of tea!

Enjoy the post PPL flying and getting out of the local area for the awayday cup of tea :D

[Grim Reaper 14]

Fantastic! Well done mate! I know exactly how you feel. Good innit!!!!!:D

[SKYYACHT]

SENNADOG!

I knew you could do it - even if you didnt......Keep in touch, and perhaps we will share a Katana to somehwere? Perhaps a jolly to IoW?

Popham?

Cheers mate - and well done.

:)

[Hersham Boy]

Hearty congrats, mate! I hope I'm not too far behind you...

Don't be over-critical - the examiner wouldn't have passed you if he didn't think you were capable of being a safe pilot now... and maybe a great pilot now that the real training (ie. the next 50... 60? years of flying) has started!

Hersh

[Final 3 Greens]

Well done Sennadog.

Enjoy the license - your a Skygod now!

[Who has control?]

Congratulations Sennadog, :) :) :)

[eveepee]

Congratulations Sennadog and GR14 from a newbie who's finding most things difficult ! You're an inspiration:)

[In Altissimus]

Congrats Senna.

Just wondering, now that I've finally done my QXC :) and the GFT looms, did your school make you do a full mock test beforehand? (Maybe I'm being paranoid, but I wonder if my school is just after an extra few £££s..)

[tacpot]

Yes. To be honest I found the mock test useful as there were some exercises, e.g. steep turns, that I had not done for a number of months prior to the test. In theory, the Skill Test only tests you on things you have done before, doing a mock ensures that you have done most things RECENTLY and should increase your confidence before taking the tet.

As with many testing situation, pre-test nerves have scuppered many a chance of passing. So take a mock, at least for the non-NAV part of the test, but make sure you have done at least one airborne diversion and are happy with the process.

Best wishes for the Skill Test.

[sennadog]

BlokeInAnArcher . They didn't make me but I thought it was an excellent idea and as I had a couple of hours left to complete the 45 hours I did so.

The Nav side of the Mock gave me heaps of confidence going into the test as it reinforced what I did know and I'd suggest that you practice PFLs, EFATO, Stalls, Recovery from a Spiral Dive and a Diversion so that you are completely up to date.

My EFATO wasn't too hot and my PFLs need some work so I've booked a lesson on Thursday to go over them again.

Any idea when you will take the GFT?