SRG 2128

[memories of px]

Can any one help me on this please, under section 2, General Airwork, section f, flight at critically low airspeed with and without flaps, is this 10a?
slow flight, or can it be combined with another section of the skilltest?
also, general Q's what do you ask the candidate?
thank you.

[Fl1ingfrog]

During any skill test a number of assessments of skill can be made without a specific element being included; e.g. standard rates of climb, descending, turning and S.L. etc. can be assessed during the normal course of events. If the candidate has demonstrated a good PFL, exercising good judgement and flown an accurate best glide speed, there is no value to require a glide approach at base.

An appropriate time to assess Slow Flight could be during the stalling phaze. The student has most likely been introduced to slow flight prior to the first stall exercise during training, perhaps during the same lesson, so will not be overly stressed. The conduct of the test should be fully outlined by the examiner prior to the test being undertaken of course.

The flight test report form is divided into numbered sections but it is not required to conduct a test in any particular order.

[Whopity]

A flight test should be a practical exercise rather than a series of "Exercises" from the syllabus. The Examiner should arrange the flight in such a way that they can observe all of the items listed on the test form without having to call for each one individually. The FLWP can be useful in that it involves both slow flight and flap, from which you can initiate a go-around requiring management of the aircraft when full power is applied. You also have the opportunity to observe slow flight when the candidate demonstrates stalling.

The candidate should be asked a series of practical questions regarding the operation of the aircraft, its equipment and any threats they are likely to encounter. I find asking the candidate what they are looking for on the post flight Mag check is quite revealing. Once upon a time the CAA provided Examiners with a little book.

All of this is of course core material on a Flight Examiners Course and in an Examiner AoC.

[BigEndBob]

I get the ball rolling by asking what is going on if the AH topples and what might be wrong or what might happen next. Few can answer.
Not come across a single candidate who could explain that final mag check and it's importance for their health or others.
I had a 20 year PPL stop the engine of his private aircraft by switching off the mags. He said that is the method he was taught. I said no way.
So i asked him what might happen if the guy putting the aircraft away in the hanger, had to turn the prop to get the tow bar on.

[memories of px]

thanks guys, i'm asking as i have an initial examiner test with a Staff Examiner soon.

[Duchess_Driver]

I would have expected if you are doing the initial examiners assessment of competence that you would have been doing mock testing with PPL candidates for some time and therefore should already have a significant repertoire of the kind of questions that would be asked on a real skills test.

As an examiner you can ask whatever question you deem appropriate but remember it is designed for you to check the students understanding of the tasks that they are about to undertake. I find “ why have you chosen....” or “why are you using...” or “ where did you get that information from “ seem to work best.

[anchorhold]

Can I add that items of flight preparation should not be missed, as they often are by examiners. On intial contact give the candidate your weight, that way when you arrive they should have a completed a loadsheet. Make sure the candidate checks the documents as per the check list, which includes your licence and medical. Finally the emergency brief, which from my experience is often not taught or carried out. So ask the student to give you an emergecy brief as if you had never flown in a light aircraft before, so location of fire extinguisher, firsr aid kit, how to open and close the door/canopy, use of the harness, parachute (if fitted) and acitions in the event of an engine failure.

[RTN11]

Make sure the candidate checks the documents as per the check list, which includes your licence and medical. Finally the emergency brief, which from my experience is often not taught or carried out. So ask the student to give you an emergecy brief as if you had never flown in a light aircraft before, so location of fire extinguisher, firsr aid kit, how to open and close the door/canopy, use of the harness, parachute (if fitted) and acitions in the event of an engine failure.

Good advice here.

I always try and make it more scenario based to help the candidates get into the groove with the flight tests, as they are often not sure what they're meant to be demonstrating, some seem to think they have to pretend they're solo and I'm not there at all.

For PPL I try and brief something like I am effectively your first passenger, and so treat me as an enthusiastic acquaintance, maybe a friend of a relative who has never been in an aircraft before, so as soon as we step air side, please brief me and treat me as such until I say otherwise. This means in flight, you don't have to pretend I'm not there. You can ask me to help look for things either on the ground or in flight, I can hold your map or pick something up, but I will not be able to offer technical advice.

For CPL I would maybe be a property dealer who wants to check out some large properties from the air, again able to look out of my side and say "yes, I can see a railway bridge crossing a dual carriageway" but nothing technical.

Along with the general brief that I will not instigate conversation to distract the candidate, but that if they feel they want to chat then that is also OK.