AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2014 - 85

Making it through
charm school
Earning examiner status involves a bit of hazing

JOHN UELAND

B Y J AC K B OY D

IT WAS OCTOBER 12, 1980, when I met Sig
Uyldert, my local designated pilot examiner (DPE). I was ready for my private pilot
practical test. Nine months of training by
three instructors in two different states
prepared me to do battle with myself
as an applicant for this rating. Uyldert
wasn't expecting me to demonstrate new
maneuvers or command another model
of aircraft; he simply hoped to see me perform the same way I had done in the past
few weeks.
Uyldert was an intimidating figure
when I met him. I imagined his years of
dodging thunderstorms and making seemingly impossible instrument approaches to
unfamiliar runways. My case of checkrideperformance anxiety peaked as my mind
raced through what was expected from me
that day. Long story short-my checkride
was successful, but I often wondered how
Uyldert got to the esteemed position of DPE.
For me, the DPE appointment process
started with submitting an application to the
FAA's National Examiners Board (NEB) documenting my certificates and experience,
and an essay detailing why I should be considered. I met the requirement of thousands
of flight hours in various categories and a
record free of accidents, incidents, and violations. My essay stated that my years of flight
instruction, corporate aviation, and airline
experience uniquely qualified me for the role
of pilot examiner. The NEB thought so, too,
and notified me that I was selected to participate in the applicant pool among hundreds
of other candidates-some swimming furiously for years in hopes of being one of the
top three in each region chosen when a DPE
position opens.

Last January the anticipated phone
call came from the assistant manager of
the South Florida Flight Standards District
Office. I was asked to interview in consideration of appointment as a DPE.
After an interview and online knowledge exam, I was shipped off to Oklahoma
City to attend the DPE initial training seminar-"FAA Charm School," as one of my
instructors called it. The other candidates in
my class included retired military test pilots,
current and retired airline captains, and an
oil rig helicopter chief instructor pilot. We
were drilled in our knowledge of the FARs,
practical test standards, and how to conduct
a practical test and evaluate an applicant.
We were videotaped conducting mock oral
exams, then critiqued by our instructors and
fellow candidates. The mock orals became a
competition to test our level of aeronautical
knowledge. We also were schooled in methods to make an applicant feel at ease during
a practical test, which I found quite helpful.
The charm school came to a close and
we were tested on our absorption of knowledge with another online exam that required
successful completion to graduate; it led to
further evaluation and training at our local
FSDO. Back in Miami, this started with an
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2014

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