Failed Pilot Checks......just about all of them?

Question

I have checkrideITIS, really bad. I have busted just about everyone of my checkrides, but never the second time. The problem is not just with flying but i almost failed my drivers test when i was 16 and that was easy. Even if im super ready for the test, i get in the plane with an examiner and forget even basic flying information. However when im not with an examiner ive been told i have greater stick skills than most students at my university. I think that i am a great pilot, very knowledgeable. Im taking my CFI ride soon and i know im going to bomb it even though i know my stuff, i have only passed my instrument ride on the first time. i busted the last landings on my private and commercial. How am i going to prepare for an airline interview with all of my busts. even though its not my skills, its i cant take the pressure of being tested.

Answer 1

Find a sports psychologist.

Answer 2

Airline pilots are always taking checkrides. It doesn't stop when you get an ATP. As an airline captain, you will be taking a checkride every 6 months until you are 65 years old. You better figure out how to get through a checkride without messing up because airlines are not nearly as forgiving as the FAA is (they will fire you after failing a few of them and then your career is over).



Seriously, a checkride is no big deal. The examiner is just a person, like you. They are not trying to bust you. Just relax and do what he/she asks of you. Simple as that.



BTW, having a real emergency with 100 people sitting behind you is much worse than any checkride. Will you be able to handle that, or will you have "emergency-itis" as well?



You will have a hard time at an airline interview because they will ask you "Have you failed any checkrides". Now it's certainly not unusual for one to have to answer yes to that question but it is unusual for one to have to say "I've failed every checkride the first time". You gotta have a real good answer when they ask you "Why?". The correct answer is not "my examiners were unfair". Admit that you messed up and how you have learned from your mistakes.



Lastly, the first thing you need to fix is your outlook on how you will do on your CFI ride. Why do you say you are going to bomb? You already said you know the material and have the skills. Stop worrying so much and just demonstrate to the examiner that you are qualified to be a teacher.

Answer 3

Sorry to hear about that Justin. That's bad news, not just for your nerves and for your ego, but failing flight tests is going to have an effect upon your career. Sorry to add to your stress, but every written or flight test failure becomes a part of your permanent airman's record. Every application I've ever seen asks whether you have ever failed a flight test. Many airlines simply won't consider you if you have had a string of failures, so from now on you're going to have to get a handle on this problem. One failure is understandable. Two failures might be excusable, but three failures firmly establishes that you have a problem. DO NOT FAIL ANOTHER CHECK RIDE or your career could be in jeopardy, at least in terms of becoming an airline pilot.



I once had a co-pilot when I was a regional captain flying for a United Express carrier. He was a great guy and a competent pilot but he got extremely nervous in check rides. He bombed his captain upgrade ride twice, so badly that the FAA took his CPL away and grounded him. He was required to pass a multi- instrument-commercial check ride with an FAA examiner (not a designee) before he was allowed to go back to being a co-pilot for the airline. He did finally upgrade to captain, but after 20 years he's still flying for that regional carrier. The majors wouldn't touch him with his record of flight test failures. For one thing, it's a liability issue.



Just a word of warning. If you have to seek professional counseling to help you get a handle on your checkride-itis and also to pass interviews, it will be money very well spent. There are courses you can take on confidence-building and leadership that can help too.



Bottom line, examiners aren't looking for perfection, they're looking for competence. They're also looking for cool-headed decision making skills and an ability to function intelligently when under stress. They know that people get checkride-itis and allow for it, but they cannot abide anyone doing something unsafe or below standard.



Again, sorry to add to your stress level, but facts are facts. Get a handle on it or choose a different career path.

Answer 4

Would wish this to be a one line response, but that's not the reality of your situation...



Checkitis is not unusual. Debilitating checkitis is rare, but we've seen it before, and it can be overcome... I have been giving checkrides for over 25 years, and have seen all levels of competency, and EVERY airman has a level of "checkitis"... The trick is to keep it from controlling YOU.



A little anxiety is good - it makes your situational awareness better, and keeps you sharp. Too much anxiety can be debilitating. The good news is that you create it and you can learn to effectively manage it. Anxiety is born of fear, and fear is an emotion, and it can be controlled by thinking your way through it...



Checkitis is a form of performance anxiety, and is manageable either by self awareness or counseling...



As for using self awareness, you need to KNOW and BELIEVE deep down that you

A) Have the skills

B) Have the knowledge

C) Have ALWAYS been able to do the job well

D) Have always SUCCEEDED eventually. (This is undeniable proof of your ABILITY to do the task)



To do this, you have to convince yourself that you KNOW what you need to do, just DO IT, and that success is normal. Some of this may sound like psychobabble to you, and you are free to use or ignore any of it:



Your mind is a great computer, but like a computer, it only does what it's told... We program our minds daily by how we interact with it... This is an outline for further study... you have a whole internet to scour for information:



Self talk can be your best friend or worst enemy..If you say to yourself "I can't do it"... guess what... you won't. If you say "I CAN do it", you open up the possibility of success. WHEN you are successful, that is another block in the wall of your competence. If you fail, consider it an OPPORTUNITY to learn how to SUCCEED rather than "another failure".... Beating up on yourself gets you.... NOWHERE. Providing yourself opportunities to succeed is liberating A positive mental attitude and positive self talk set you up for SUCCESS.



Visualization is one of the most powerful techniques used by world class athletes and flight demonstration teams, and that I use it to focus anxiety for positive outcome... Starting about three or four days before the checkride, using a Practical Test Standard, run through the PTS, and visualize doing each of the maneuvers PERFECTLY. Your instructor has signed you off, indicating that you possess the ability. Visualization reinforces the belief that you KNOW how to do the maneuver.



This response to your question is lengthy and complex, because the challenge is complex. Immerse yourself in digging out information on these topics... there are hundreds of articles on the web... A session with a counselor can provide other resources or ideas, or help direct your efforts.



As far as the airline interview is concerned, the only path you have is to successfully complete a course of "anxiety control" and explain the process you used to overcome it adequately.... One thing is certain, unless you make a positive move to manage your anxiety, your dreams of being an airline pilot are unlikely to be fulfilled.



EDIT - @JetMech - IMO, more flying practice can't hurt, but it's pretty expensive, and the issue is headwork, not hand skills... reprogramming the brain for success is the goal...

Answer 5

Jimmbbo, right or wrong?.....should he fly more often to take the edge off, so to speak? Will getting more hours under his belt make the whole experience more mundane and therefore no sweat when it comes to the check ride?