Distraction's thrown at you during training/checkride

[flyersfan31]

On my ppl checkride, the DE was fiddling with some knob at the far right of the panel (Archer III). Asked "Do you know what this does?" in a really befuddled tone of voice. I really tried to be helpful, fearful of showing my lack of complete knowledge of the panel, and provided some suggestions. Hmm, maybe it's this, maybe it's that, really wanting to help him out of his evident confusion.... The doodad ended up falling out of the panel while he was fiddling with it. He said "oops, guess it wasn't that important since we're still flying." I COULDN'T BELIEVE that I didn't know what that knob was. I still don't know what it does.

I didn't figure out what the heck he was doing until I was driving home. Then I felt like a jackass.

Fortunately, since I continued to avigate, navigate and communicate, I guess the distraction didn't unduly distract me and I ended up passing.

Can't remember any distractions on the IR test. Probably because my concentration was so complete that if you had stepped into my field of vision you would have immediately burst into flames from my laser-like focus. That focus remained even after Philly Approach, when asked to shoot a LOC/BC to KPNE after having shot the ILS, responded in the most knee-jerk, exasperated, [expletive deleted] tone of voice I've ever heard, "I don't have time for THAT!" Duh, now what do we do, Mr. Examiner??????

 

[Dave Krall CFII]

We took off for a straight out departure for the first few legs of the simulated X-country portion and on lift-off the FAA examiner popped the usual door but, also "accidently" jerked the chart enough that it flew outside into the slipstream! I figured, "I'm not going to fall for him tricking me into starting out on a cross-country with no chart." He then pretended to get sick with the dry heaves as I turned a precautionary crosswind and then we actually hit an air pocket and he did puke up quite a bit with the bumps, asking repeatedly for a sickbag which I gave him while turning onto the downwind. He kept saying, "Just fly normally and treat me like a passenger. Sorry about the puke stink, I'll light a match..." but the whole matchbook caught on fire with considerable sulphorous smoke.

I opened my window to vent the smoke and stink out but the breeze blew the sticky sickbag down onto the cockpit floor and blew the flaming matchbook into his crotchal area as I turned onto base. Like many others in the heat of summer, he'd worn khaki shorts for coolness but the exposed skin was in quite a bit of pain from second degree burning at that point and I had to hit his crotch with a blast from a little canister of Halon from my flightbag, I don't know, maybe that wasn't neccessary because of all the wet puke, but best to be sure, for safety. He was now making quite a bit of noises altogether like coughing, gaging, spitting up vomit and yelling (but no cussing) -all mixed up.

I knew to expect distractions and by now I'm thinking, "Man, this guy's GOOD!" I can also tell you that I NEVER smelt anything like it at that point. Then as I turned onto final he sort of spasmed up all ridgid like and quit making noise, except his legs were spasmed straight out onto the rudder pedals and he was grasping at his throat and chest. He was a pretty big ol' boy too, so I had to reach over and sort of bang upwards on the back of both his knees with my right fist to unlock his legs from blocking my rudder pedals.

He had a lot of years on his airframe too, so to speak, and I figured it was no check ride drill anymore and a real honest to goodness cardiac arrest at that point and was reaching for the mike to radio for an ambulance on short final when he said, "OK, go around and we'll finish the checkride." Altogether a pretty standard checkride and then later on after the flight he gave me my temporary PPL.

 

[TangoWhiskey]

We took off for the first few legs of the simulated X-country and on lift-off he popped a door and jerked the chart enough that it flew out in the slipstream. He then pretended to get sick as I turned crosswind and puked quite a bit, then asked repeatedly for a sickbag which I gave him while turning onto the downwind. He kept saying, "Just fly normally and treat me like a passenger. Sorry about the puke strink, I'll light a match..." but the whole matchbook caught on fire with considerable sulphorous smoke.

I opened my window to vent the smoke and stink out but the breeze blew the sickbag down onto the cockpit floor and blew the flaming matchbook into his crotchal area as I turned onto base. He was in quite a bit of pain at that point and I had to hit his crotch with a blast from a little canister of Halon from my flightbag, I don't know, maybe that wasn't neccessary cause of all the puke, but best to be sure. He was now making quite a bit of noises altogether like coughing, gaging, spitting up vomit and yelling all mixed up. Then as I turned onto final he sort of spasmed up all ridgid like and quit making noise, except his legs were spasmed straight out onto the rudder pedals and he was grasping at his throat. He was a pretty big ol' boy too, so I had to reach over and sort of bang upwards on the back of both his knees with my right fist to unlock his legs from blocking my rudder pedals.

He had a lot of years on his airframe too, so to speak, and I figured it was no check ride drill anymore and a real honest to goodness cardiac arrest at that point and was reaching for the mike to radio for an ambulance on short final when he said, "OK, go around and we'll finish the checkride." Altogether a pretty standard checkride and then later on after the flight he gave me my temporary PPL.

BWAH HA HA! That was the funniest post I've read in a long time. Thanks for the laugh...

(P.S.--You owe me a new laptop...)

 

[Dave Krall CFII]

BWAH HA HA! That was the funniest post I've read in a long time. Thanks for the laugh...

(P.S.--You owe me a new laptop...)

Yes, there's no reason the checkrides shouldn't be fun.

 

[EHITCH]

I had a CFI who used to turn down the radio all the time. You know, "lookie there!" and you turn your head to the left and in a flash she's turned down the volume. Sounds simple now, I know, but it only takes 1 or 2 times to learn that if you don't hear anything on the radio, check the volume! Then politely tell your CFI "don't touch my plane." She may well say to you what this one said to me: "That's what I've been waiting to see: a command attitude!"
Elizabeth

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Hi HPNFlyGirl!

The DE didn't distract me in the air, but he tried making run around on the pre-flight. I was going through the check list, he asked if I'd checked the brakes on one of the wheel. My reply: "Not yet- I'll get to it in a second- thanks for the reminder". Just remember- you are the PIC for that flight. If s/he misbehaves, just threaten to spank him/her like a bad, bad donkey.

 

[AuntPeggy]

I am curious as to what kinds of "distractions" your instructors threw at you during your training or what do the instructors on here do to their students?

I don't know whether it was intentional or not--- On my latest BFR the instructor babbled on continuously asking questions. On final he asked me about landing conditions at another airport. Momentarily I began to visualize final at that airport and immediately realized my mind was at cross-purposes and said "Hush,I'm being distracted."
He replied, "You're doing great." and repeated his question.
My reply was, "I'm PIC and I need it quiet." Not another word came from him.

 

[MSmith]

On my PPL checkride, it was a hazy day (7-8SM vis). My DE pulled power and I picked a field. It was a nice, long, brown field.

During the descent, he kept peppering me with questions about emergency frequency, how to determine winds, etc. I think that was my distraction test. I was calm and collected enough to answer each question AND fly the plane. I think he was disappointed.

As I got downwind to my field, I noticed radio towers at the corners. I told the DE that I'd have to avoid them and any guy wires on them (they weren't visible from altitude when I picked the field). Right about that time, we both realized that I'd chosen the field behind the Lockheed Martin Aegis cruiser simulation (a big building that looks like the superstructure of an Aegis cruiser sticking up out of the NJ countryside). I was about to do an approach to a defense contractor. He told me to recover from the end of downwind.

On my pre-checkride "mock" checkride, the instructor (not my regular one) pulled mixture rather than power. My checklist had Full Rich on it so I put the mixture back up and pulled power myself. I won't fly with him again - no need to create a situation where the engine might not restart.

 

[EdFred]

Nothing that comes to mind on any of my check rides. My primary instructor did everything he could think of to distract me with "emergencies," and finally after about 2 weeks he finally asks why he can't rattle me. I respond with, well when you are doing martial arts training and have 3 black belts coming after you, you have about 1/2 a second to figure out what you are going to do. When I'm at 4,000 AGL, I can establish a field and glide in about 15 seconds giving me about 4 to five minutes to troubleshoot and broadcast - that's an eternity to get everything done in a 152. He finally gave up on distractions with me.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

On my PPL checkride, it was a hazy day (7-8SM vis). My DE pulled power and I picked a field. It was a nice, long, brown field.

<SNIP>

As I got downwind to my field, I noticed radio towers at the corners. I told the DE that I'd have to avoid them and any guy wires on them (they weren't visible from altitude when I picked the field). Right about that time, we both realized that I'd chosen the field behind the Lockheed Martin Aegis cruiser simulation (a big building that looks like the superstructure of an Aegis cruiser sticking up out of the NJ countryside). I was about to do an approach to a defense contractor. He told me to recover from the end of downwind.

<SNIP>

The "ship in the cornfield" off I-295? You'd be amazed how many people go past that thing regularly & don't even know it's there! It's certainly one of the more unusual items on the drive between north & south Jersey.

Any chance you could have made the Rancocas Metals private field? I know it's around there someplace, supposedly just off I-295, but I've never seen it.

To avoid hijacking the thread:
Brooke- just keep in mind that you're the boss in the plane & you do what it takes to fly it safely.

 

[RotaryWingBob]

On my PPL checkride, it was a hazy day (7-8SM vis). My DE pulled power and I picked a field. It was a nice, long, brown field.

During the descent, he kept peppering me with questions about emergency frequency, how to determine winds, etc. I think that was my distraction test. I was calm and collected enough to answer each question AND fly the plane. I think he was disappointed.

As I got downwind to my field, I noticed radio towers at the corners. I told the DE that I'd have to avoid them and any guy wires on them (they weren't visible from altitude when I picked the field). Right about that time, we both realized that I'd chosen the field behind the Lockheed Martin Aegis cruiser simulation (a big building that looks like the superstructure of an Aegis cruiser sticking up out of the NJ countryside). I was about to do an approach to a defense contractor. He told me to recover from the end of downwind.

On my pre-checkride "mock" checkride, the instructor (not my regular one) pulled mixture rather than power. My checklist had Full Rich on it so I put the mixture back up and pulled power myself. I won't fly with him again - no need to create a situation where the engine might not restart.

Was your DPE Brodwater? That's what he did to me!

I circled that stupid field and towers until we both got bored...

 

[gismo]

I respond with, well when you are doing martial arts training and have 3 black belts coming after you, you have about 1/2 a second to figure out what you are going to do. He finally gave up on distractions with me.

Maybe he was afraid you would knock him around if he didn't shut up.