PPL Exams

[Garfs]

Apologies but I just need to vent a little frustration

I started self study for PPL Exams around the 18th of May 2008.

I booked all my PPL exams for the end of June 2008, giving myself around 5-6 weeks of study time to study for and hopefully pass all exams. Reasonable amount of time I thought.

Then I get a call today (28/5/2008) from a mate also doing the exams, 4 minutes before exam start time, saying I am down for the exams and need to be there now. If I dont sit the exams, it goes down as a fail, so I may as well sit them.

I havent even started reading some subjects, including Navigation (as I thought I had till the end of June to do it). I reckon I (may) have passed what I have read up on (Air Law and Aircraft General), but definately failed the rest.

The lady who handled my exam application maintains that I definately said I wanted to do all the exams today.

Why on earth(having no prior flying knowledge apart from a TIF 2 years ago) would I opt to do all PPL exams with only a week and a bit study time?

So it goes down as a fail, and I have to fork out extra for the next round of exams. On the bright side, I have an idea of what the papers are like

Rant Over

[Flashover999]

Dont you mean CPL?

PPL exams here can generally be taken one at a time with no real set time limits.

??

[Gymble]

And so are the days of our life.

Make yourself a salad sambo.

Gymble

[Ioan]

Must be PPL I'd have thought; CPL / ATPL exams require the 5-600 (or whatever it now is) hours of structured study with periodic tests.
Garfs - I'm not sure why all the pressure though. Who're you doing them with, and why

If I dont sit the exams, it goes down as a fail, so I may as well sit them.

?

Maybe it's just been the places I've done them over the years, but if you want to take an exam you take it, if you pass you pass, if you fail you fail.
It is possible to do them all in that time mind... I started my powered flying with a fixed wing PPL at a less than reputable US company some years back. "PPL and night rating in 21 days" was the claim, and as a super-keen and fairly naive ex-A-level-student (that means almost broke btw) I paid what little money I had, booked flights so I'd be there 22 days, and off I went. An exam every two days, it was a nightmare yes what with everything else going on, but with a good timetable or plan of what you're doing and when it is possible... though it obviously does help to know that you do have exams coming up on a certain date! Just remember you do also get three attempts at each paper though so no huge pressure yet!

Fingers crossed mate

[Garfs]

Flashover999]Dont you mean CPL?
PPL exams here can generally be taken one at a time with no real set time limits.

No I mean PPL. The exams here are held every month, and you can do as many/few as you like. The thing is that I opted to do them all in one sitting, but only I thought I was doing them next month. I am not in the UK anymore, but everything here is done in line with the UK as far as I know

So means that as far as the examinors were concerned, I was down for all exams today. No show = fail.

At least I now have an idea what sort of questions to expect

Originally Posted by Ioan

Must be PPL I'd have thought; CPL / ATPL exams require the 5-600 (or whatever it now is) hours of structured study with periodic tests.
Garfs - I'm not sure why all the pressure though. Who're you doing them with, and why


Fingers crossed mate

I moved out to the far east 4 months or so ago, so am doing it out here.

At least next month I'll be prepared, and know they are coming, so wont be too much of a problem hopefully. Those I have read up on, I feel pretty happy about.

Why all the pressure? Maybe I am just keen to get it done, and want to go on to get my CPL(H). Most other people at the flying club I'm with havent got their PPL even after 10-11 months, and thats with them devoting all their time to the PPL (ie no day job or commitments).

[md 600 driver]

Garf

sounds like you may start to think about a different school

[Bravo73]

Originally Posted by Garfs

Most other people at the flying club I'm with havent got their PPL even after 10-11 months, and thats with them devoting all their time to the PPL (ie no day job or commitments).

If that's the case, I would be having a very long and hard look at the quality of the instructors...

[airborne_artist]

Most other people at the flying club I'm with havent got their PPL even after 10-11 months, and thats with them devoting all their time to the PPL (ie no day job or commitments).

Are you really sure about that? Seems very odd indeed. What on earth are they and the FIs doing all day?

[Garfs]

Wel theres one instructor, one aircraft, and between 8-10 students.

Then things like weather, aircraft availability, servicability etc get in the way. The only instructor there runs the school as well, so quite often he is away, dealing with anything and everything. In fact, I dont think I have seen the instructor at the school for a week

Its the only school for miles. So I dont have much of a choice really

[Jonese]

That seems crazy and totally unfair. Where abouts in Europe are you? I live in Switzerland, but did all mine in the UK as I was frequently in London on business. I found the exams quite tricky and studied for ages, it took me just under a year (as you only have a year) to complete them all and I had re-take some. I only gained my PPL last year so it is all still fresh.

[McBad]

Hi Garf, I'm going through the PPL(H) exams here in the UK at the moment, and I'm surprised at what your write.

Here when I am ready to sit an exam I just give the school a ring, tell them I'll be in tomorrow afternoon, go in, do it and, if the CFI is around he marks it afterwards and we both know where we are. If he's not around I get a phone call later; very civilised, stress free and it means I can go at my own speed and do the exams in the order I want to do them in. It really does sound like you need to change flying schools (although I note what you say about there being few in your area). You are the customer after all, and no doubt paying a shed load of money for your PPL like the rest of us, so perhaps they could be a little more flexible. Their tough luck if they messed up the bookings, it shouldn't be your problem.

Also, when I sit the exams I have to sign the exam answer paper. If you 'don't show' you won't have signed the paper, so I don't see how they can count it as a 'fail'. You never sat it, there is no paper with your signature on it. I believe that there are formal rules about how many times you are allowed to fail, before it gets referred to the relevant authority (CAA in UK); I've not investigated the detail of this because I'm hopeing to pass them all at first attempt and that it won't be an issue. But, it seems unlikely that a school would record 'fails' against their students for this reason.

Finally, good luck with them when you do sit them!

Cheers,

M

[Whirlybird]

This whole set-up is definitely NOT like the UK. I've done a PPL(A) and PPL(H), so I do know a little about it...in the UK at least. You take the exams when you want to and when you're ready. If you don't take them, you don't - no way can it be counted as a fail!!! As for this ridiculous situation of one instructor who's never there - forget it! Go somewhere else, even if it means a trip to another country for a few weeks intensive flying. You can't learn to fly this way.

[Garfs]

Originally Posted by McBad

Here when I am ready to sit an exam I just give the school a ring, tell them I'll be in tomorrow afternoon, go in, do it and, if the CFI is around he marks it afterwards and we both know where we are. If he's not around I get a phone call later; very civilised, stress free and it means I can go at my own speed and do the exams in the order I want to do them in.

Well here its done like this.

Exams take place at the (our CAA) building at the end of every month. a Few weeks prior to the exam(s), you have to book a place and pay the exam fee. You book as many or as little exams as you want. I booked all of them.

Once you have paid and your place confirmed, your name is then down on the computer for that date, and no matter what (ie you dont turn up for whatever reason) it goes down as a fail.

A week or so after the exam, you log onto the (our CAA) website and your results are displayed there under your candidate number.

Another difference I have noticed here (compared to the CAA) is that if you didnt achieve a certain level of results in school (O Levels) you cant embark on your CPL.

Thank god I have the results they want

[Garfs]

Originally Posted by WhirlyBird

Go somewhere else, even if it means a trip to another country for a few weeks intensive flying. You can't learn to fly this way.

The only thing with doing that is our version of the CAA makes it quite a lengthy process converting foreign licenses, and would prob take the same amount of time overall

[Garfs]

Got My Results Today

Results came out early.

I passed 3/5 exams. Passed Air law and Aircraft General, the 2 which I had actually started on.

Out of the ones I hadnt started on yet, failed Navigation and HPL as expected, and managed to pass Radio Telephony.

So that just leaves Nav and HPL to pass hopefully next month