PPL Skills Test
 

What exactly is envolved with the skills test? What does the oral part consist of? Are there strict limits on manouvres and the diversion?

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JAA PPL Skills Test

cool cheers. How strict is the exam?is it a case of if you get through it, not perfectly, but no major dangerous mistakes you'll pretty much pass? or is it quite strict?any tips for passing apart from proper flight planning before it.

Treat the examiner as if he/she is your mother/father-in-law-to-be. After all, the main question your examiner is going to ask him/herself is: "Would I allow my mother/partner/child to fly with this person?"

Apart from the technical flying/RT/navigation skills, this also requires a bit of social skills. Give the examiner a briefing as if he's a passenger, explain what you're doing, what your decision making process is and so forth.

I think it depends on the examiner. My examiner explicitly said he did not want me to go through the whole routine of treating him like a passenger, but he did want me to answer some questions about it during the oral part.

The JAA skills test is in two parts, the navigation exercise which will contain a diversion and the circuit activity. Assuming one of these parts is successful you can have another attempt at the other part.

Needless to say I know this because of my rather poor performance on my skills test!

Drop me a PM if you think I might be able to help with any specific questions...

Edited to say - In terms of limits, my examiner wanted to see +/- 100 ft altitude and 5 degrees on heading - but I understand there is some flexibility there - particularly on a bumpy day. In terms of the diversion, the most important thing is that you get to your diversion airfield and you identify it.

Diversion
 

I think you needed the word 'safely' also in there somewhere.
My examiner arranged my diversion to take us through a danger zone and very close to a winch site and I got max brownie points for dodging around these on the way:)

MM

Sounds strangely identical to my skills test modelman :E

Try and enjoy the skills test, it's a long (and expensive) bit of flying (Personally, I disliked the majority of it, but in a way, it put me on edge a bit more). If you cock up, do not assume you've failed. Redemption is possible.

Have a search on the CAA site for the test tolerances.

My Oral part was a few questions about the aircraft, again, I got a few questions on leaning wrong (go figure?), and got that drilled into me, but the remainder we're on the aircraft in general, so read up beforehand!

All the best

Passed, but still a, Put.

Try not to take the attitude "how can I get through this test" but instead think "how can I impress this man".
Every time he?she askes you to do anything DON'T RUSH - just take your time, work it out in your mind and do it well. Even with a diversion it's not an emergency - take a while to study your chart then do what you want. Always a VERY good idea to mark the wind direction on your chart before you take off so that you don't get caught out with your emergency landings.

If you want to take a moral from my skills test, then bascially just do everything wrong, over and over again and you'll still pass :}

Seriously though, I know people who have busted airspace, red-lined the engine, dropped several hundred feet in steep turns and mucked up even 3 or 4 PFL's (not all of the above on the same skills test may I add!) and still walked away with a pass so no need to panic :ok:

FF

Holy! well hopefully the examiner wont be too bad! I usually get PFLs 2nd or 3rd time if not 1st!!!