qustion regarding skills test

[matman]

i originally started doing my skills test about 4 weeks ago, i got given the route, i planned it, but then when it came to the flying later on in the day the weather turned awful and it got cancelled. For the next 3 weeks this happened again (i can only fly on weekends). i was just wondering if it is allowed for me to have a lesson (due to the fact i havent flown for 4 weeks) even though ive actually started the skills test.
cheers

[IRRenewal]

Of course you can have more lessons. If fact, I'd recommend you do if only for your own peace of mind.

Good luck.

[Gertrude the Wombat]

You'll have to repeat (most of) the planning anyway of course, as on a different day the weather (specifically the wind) and the NOTAMS and quite likely some other stuff (eg different aircraft so different W&B) will be different. About the only thing that you won't have to repeat is drawing the lines on the map - and you'll have to repeat that if you get a different examiner who prefers a different route, or if one of the NOTAMS dictates a different route, or something.

Oh, plus if you live in the south of England you'll have to repeat drawing the lines on the map simply because there's now a new edition so you'll be using the new map!

So I don't see that there's any sense on which you've "actually started" the test.

[maxdrypower]

Actually if all you did was plan then you havent taken a test at all . although planning is part of the test it is only assesed or looked at as part of the flying test itself .
I am hoping that you havent been charged some portion of a test that you havent even begun is do then someone is needing to answer some questions.
Could you imagine turning up for a ppl/cpl/ir test looking at the wx which is part of the planning and sying "its not good enough to go" and being told that is your test and your being charged ??
Hopefully I got this wrong

[Gertrude the Wombat]

Could you imagine turning up for a ppl/cpl/ir test looking at the wx which is part of the planning and sying "its not good enough to go" and being told that is your test and your being charged ??

Gotta be a pass though, innit?

Certainly it'd be a fail if you said "OK, that's fine" and the examiner said "no way am I getting into a little aeroplane in that weather"!

[maxdrypower]

I did hear of a tale at Bmth whereby a cpl candidate took off got five minjutes into the route and encountered cloud told the examiner he couldnt proceed , the examiner said okay climb through them and we will do the gh and subsequently passed him ???
Maybe an urban legend but its talked about quite a lot

[Whirlygig]

Could you imagine turning up for a ppl/cpl/ir test looking at the wx which is part of the planning and sying "its not good enough to go" and being told that is your test and your being charged ??

You wouldn't get charged (CPL skill test/CAA test fee) if the examiner agreed with your decision. However, if you said the weather wasn't suitable and the examiner thought it was, then you would forfeit the fee.

Cheers

Whirls

[Gertrude the Wombat]

did hear of a tale at Bmth whereby a cpl candidate took off got five minjutes into the route and encountered cloud told the examiner he couldnt proceed , the examiner said okay climb through them and we will do the gh and subsequently passed him ???
Maybe an urban legend but its talked about quite a lot

On one test I said to the examiner "I can't get where you want me to go without flying through that bit of cloud; obviously I wouldn't do that if I were on my own, is it OK if I do it now?". (Something to do with getting high enough to do the stalling, IIRC.) He said yes, I flew through the cloud, I passed.

[maxdrypower]

Yep me too I did almost my entire cpl test above cloud , but that was the examiners choice . Had I not pointed out that we shouldnt enter the cloud then no doubt it would have been a short test

[Chequeredflag]

On my ppl skills test, the weather was awful - low cloud, poor viz, showers. When the examiner (A300 captain) turned up I told him if it was my decision, then we would not go. "Good call", he said, "now go and prep the airplane, we'll be fine". It actually went very well, the nav section was very difficult 'cos the viz was awful. Luckily I knew the area pretty well, so was able to reach the turning points. For stalls, steep turns etc, I had to climb through the cloud, eventually breaking through at about 5000'. We managed to find a hole in the cloud to get down for the PFL etc.

Great examiner, great fun actually (he made it so), and a good test in the end. I've said so before, but sadly he was killed in a road accident a few weeks later. A big loss.