OP suggests that it is. That's enough for me to accept that his situation makes it a pain. Maybe the CFI signed him off for the checkride and then moved to Aruba. Maybe they just live in different towns. Maybe the CFI's pen ran out of ink. Whatever the reason, I think it's easier to overcome the hassle than to add a potential worry at the checkride and beyond.
It really sounds like the student just being difficult. Using an efb of any flavor as most do? Do it electronically. Don't need a pen. Don't need to even be present. Just a wifi connection. I fail to see how this is a burden in any way. Unless you have the most surly CFI ever.
If I signed off a student for a checkride, I'd be available for all sorts of last-minute problems, let alone a simple endorsement if needed.
Is it fair to say that it's not uncommon for a commercial multi checkride where the pilot never actually soloed?
By my (and the DPEs I used when I was doing a lot of ME training) reading, a 61.31d endorsement is still required for the checkride. 61.31d is required for the pilot to act as PIC, which they are on the checkride.
Why would it be required for a commercial practical test and not private pilot?
No, it isn't. 61.31(l)
That’s not what I was addressing. I was addressing ground instruction is required to be logged
That’s the quick short-cut to the end of the conversation, but I was curious what the thought process/justification was around commercial vs. private pilot levels of certification. (No difference with regards to this matter of course)
That’s right. I’m staying within the context of the thread (for a change
).
Yes, but as pointed out when I talked about 61.31(d), there’s 61.31(l).
Not everyone has to fly to the checkride. I always did, but plenty of students are based on the field where their DPE will begin the exam.
I just looked at slides 4/5 and don't see anything suggesting a multi-leg cross country flight should not be entered as a single entry (which is the most common way of doing it).
That would be someone from the FAA requiring something that the FAA doesn’t require.
No, that’s humans. Even at the FAA.
Gotcha.
Sometimes they can't. After a couple of cancellations for various (good) reasons, the private pilot applicant finally got a date. Unfortunately, the CFI was going to be out of the country. Fortunately, the student was using an electronic logbook so log entry/endorsement issues could be fixed. Unfortunately, what happened in this case was a checkride failure. Fortunately the DPE would be able to do the retest quickly. Unfortunately, the CFI was out of the country. Fortunately, the CFI and student had a backup and the student passed the checkride two days later.
I'm sure it's not original to either she or me
Your school does things very strangely. Are you not allowed/supposed to schedule the DPE yourself? When I was getting close-ish, we checked availability and then I scheduled for three to four weeks out. Then my CFI and I worked through everything left. I ended up taking my checkride six months later than my initial checkride schedule due to weather and backed-up schedule due to other weather cancellations and some other issues in the DPE's life and schedule, but if it hadn't snowed for practically two weeks straight leading up to and including my first scheduled date, there would have been little to no time between completing requirements and doing the checkride. It seems weird that you aren't allowed to schedule your own checkride, but maybe I'm just not familar with how schools work.
Did you get a new solo endorsement on your mock ride?
My guess is that it’s one of those areas where DPEs differ on detail.
Why joking?
No, I'm not joking. You'll note that the topic of "solo endorsement runs out before the checkride" hasn't come up here before, or at least not often enough for me to remember it.