CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 11 Issue 3 - 7

AN FAA PRACTICAL TEST IS SOMETHING
FOR WHICH AN APPLICANT, A STUDENT,
IS CERTAINLY NERVOUS. BEING NERVOUS
MAKES US FORGET THINGS-AND THIS IS NO
DIFFERENT ON TEST DAY.

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CFIs can help make things a little bit easier
for their students by making sure that they
have all the requisite materials with them on
checkride day.

This means taking a little charge as the CFI and
making sure that you "mother hen" them a bit
the day before or even on the day of the test. Go
through their materials, do the last check of what
they have with them, and make sure they have
everything they need.
Most of these should seem obvious, but as a
designated pilot examiner (DPE) I can honestly
say that they are frequently forgotten on the day
of the test. So, here are what I notice are probably
the top five things applicants don't have with
them on test day.

1. FAR/AIM- A CURRENT COPY

Regulations do change. Seriously. Every year.
So, how can an applicant have the most current
information and reference if they show up at
their practical test with a 3-year-old copy of the
Federal Aviation Regulations/Aeronautical
Information Manual (FAR/AIM)?
It happens all the time.
Okay, a little leeway is natural if the new copy of
the FAR/AIM just shipped last week, but when
we get beyond a month or so from the publication
date, make sure your applicants have current
copies. If nothing else, it looks bad if they have
old reference materials. (You wouldn't fly on
3-year-old charts, would you?)
This can be critically important-especially
for CFI applicants who will need to reference
materials, and who will run into landmines
when regulations have changed and they aren't
using current information on their practical test.

HAVING A COPY OF THE POH/AFM WILL ALLOW AN APPLICANT TO REFER TO
AIRCRAFT'S SYSTEMS INFORMATION, PERFORMANCE CHARTS, AND WEIGHT
AND BALANCE INFORMATION DURING THE GROUND QUESTIONING PORTION
OF THE TEST.

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2. POH/AFM-A USEABLE COPY

I certainly hope any applicant will have a current
pilot's operating handbook/airplane flight
manual (POH/AFM) in the aircraft he or she
will be using for the practical test, since that is
required, but it is also a really good idea to have a
copy in physical or digital format available to use
during the ground portion of the test.
Having a copy of the POH/AFM will allow
an applicant to refer to aircraft's systems
information, performance charts, and weight
and balance information during the ground
questioning portion of the test. Lack of having a
POH/AFM copy present makes these questions
much harder to answer, and it will likely force
the applicant to use the official one from the
aircraft. This means not only more wear and tear
of the POH/AFM from the aircraft (something
that can certainly take its toll in an aircraft used
in a busy flight training environment), but it also
increases the potential that it will not be put
back in the aircraft for the scheduled or future
flights. In a heavily used aircraft with a busy
schedule, it may even result in that aircraft being
flown by other users without the official POH/
AFM on board while the ground portion of the
test is conducted.
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 11 Issue 3

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 11 Issue 3
