Airplanes R Us: Could I Pass a Private Pilot Flight Test Today? (Part 2 of 2)

COULD I PASS A PRIVATE PILOT FLIGHT TEST TODAY ? (part 2 of 2)

Last month, I wrote “part 1” on the above-titled subject, looking at it from my point of view as a grizzled old CFI giving independent training and flight reviews “in the field”. Speaking for myself, YES, I could pass the PPC test since I have been fortunate to be exposed to the subject matter especially in recent years. (PPC stands for Private Pilot Certification, the oral and flight test) As for some of my FLIGHT REVIEW clients who are historical, experienced, and graying of hair, there would be some challenges if the “BFR” required a similar depth of testing. Here are some things that come to mind:

AIRSPACE AND EQUIPMENT. Compared with 20-30 years ago, the national airspace system has become more complex and daunting. It is hard enough to memorize the types of airspace and associated weather minimums as oral test items. Next (in flight) you may venture near or into Class B/C/D airspace and must observe all the rules. Post 9-1-1 regulations, especially TFRs are something we all must live with. Our legacy airplanes likely have some legacy avionics. Since we are on the cusp of mandatory ADS-B installations, a PRIVATE PILOT must now have pretty good knowledge of airspace and new equipment operation since there will soon be a new layer of regulation pertaining to same (the ADS-B stuff). AIRPLANE HANDLING. This would be the old, traditional part. On a PPC checkride, you would get to demonstrate some hand-eye coordination of skills which are usually well-practiced before the checkride. Examples would be stall demos, ground reference maneuvering, cross-wind handling, and more. For a checkpilot, these items are easy to score. For the “candidate”, these are difficult but appropriate. AERONAUTICAL DECISION-MAKING. This is “soft-science” but has been incorporated into flight training and checking for quite a while now. Every segment of a checkride will burden the checkpilot with determining/grading how the “candidate’s” thought processes provided an effective outcome (or not). Since the goal is accident prevention, it is appropriate that emphasis is given to this subject. Much more can be written but I will spare the ink at this point.

In summary, if you are an experienced Private Pilot, you probably were the “best” technical pilot on the day you passed your PPC checkride, and have trickled away from the sharpness-of-skill since then. (Just sayin’)

John Meyers Sequim, May 2019