by GAHorn » Fri Oct 23, 2020 6:49 pm
You can do this if you don’t find anyone... find any designee and ask them for a “gouge” toward a checkride. (Remember, you don’t have to have a tailwheel-current examiner or applicant to get most of this info from.)
I haven’t administered a primary applicant exam recently (my designation has expired) but this is an insight to what I might do:
Typical might be to have the applicant present all his I.D., documentation, logbooks, written results, etc., ...( Be sure the applicant has completed their IACRA) ... then conduct an oral covering the requirements of the ACS, aircraft limitations, and a few questions that can demonstrate the applicant’s reliance upon the FARs/AIM and where to find such info.... Then on to the practical. I usually give them a x-country to plan and check their planning, then observe them perform a pre-flight, ... then depart the area to capture (under the hood) the outbound course for that x-country.... when they demonstrate they can do that, we break-off the navigation, remove the hood and do the airwork and ground reference maneuvers. We then proceed to the airport... (this is an opportunity to see if they can FIND the airport selected from a random location we’ve maneuvered to) .... check his pattern entry and radio-work, and proceed to demonstrate take-offs/landings (short field, soft field, x-wind if possible) and a full-flap reject-go-around.... finishing the check-ride with an aborted take-off.
At the debrief I immediately inform them if the ride was satisfactory and ask them to help evaluate their own performance.... Or alternatively, I immediately let them know if it was UN-satisfactory, what areas need to be re-done and WHY.... asking them what they could have done better. (This enlists their own acceptance and agreement their performance was indeed unsatisfactory and allows them to address possible solutions ... rather than cause hard-feelings. I have found this to be the best way to get-beyond disappointment and plan for a successful re-take.)
Also, before the beginning of the practical, I explain to the applicant that I may stop the “ride” at any time I find a deficiency of major proportion... or I may allow the ride to continue and only address any deficiencies at the completion ...in order to allow a re-take of only those unsat items.... the choice will be mine in that regard.... HOWEVER the applicant can stop the ride at any time he/she so-wishes, but that may result in a need to re-take the entire practical test. Some examiners do this...some do not.... it’s a great “opener” for you if you solicit an examiner’s input while you are searching.
Also, if you can find a recent applicant who can relate the activities of their recent practical test, you can get an idea of how/what a particular examiner prefers.
Hope this helps. Others might also contribute.
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons. 