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3 Answers

Is it fair….is it ethical?

Asked by: 1562 views Student Pilot

My friend, who I've written about before, is on his 3rd DPE to get his private.

Failed the initial oral (-$550). Went back. Passed the oral but then failed the check ride by failing to find one of his checkpoints on the mock cross country (-$550).

His ground test expires middle of June 2022. The DPE knew this from day one. 

"Earliest date I can get you back in is July" he was told last evening.

He's devastated. He had maybe another hour or two to complete a few landing maneuvers and redo that cross country.

 

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3 Answers



  1. Bryan on Jun 01, 2022

    The expiration of your friend’s written test results and his ability to pass the checkride to standards are his responsibility to manage, not the DPEs. It would be neither fair to everyone else who was required to meet the standards before their test expired, nor ethical for the safety of your friend, his future passengers, or the public for a DPE to pass him on his checkride when he doesn’t meet standards just because his written test results are about to expire.

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  2. John D Collins on Jun 01, 2022

    What is unfair? What is unethical? It seems to me that your friend was not prepared and it is his lack of performance that placed him in this situation, not the DPE’s schedule commitments.

    When you state: “His ground test expires middle of June 2022. The DPE knew this from day one.”, it suggests the student doesn’t know the regulations. If the student passed his practical test in the middle of June, he could still take the practical test through the end of June, two years later. The fact that the DPE is scheduled more than a month in advance, is not the DPE’s issue. The cure for this predicament is better preparation on the part of the applicant. If he wants to proceed and take his test in July, he will have to retake the knowledge exam.

    § 61.39 Prerequisites for practical tests.
    (a) Except as provided in paragraphs (b), (c), and (e) of this section, to be eligible for a practical test for a certificate or rating issued under this part, an applicant must:
    (1) Pass the required knowledge test:
    (i) Within the 24-calendar-month period preceding the month the applicant completes the practical test, if a knowledge test is required;

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  3. KDS on Jun 02, 2022

    It is impossible to tell from just what someone said of what someone told them, but I would tend to look more at the flight instructor than anyone else. The student puts their trust in the instructor to guide them through the process of being prepare. Obviously he wasn’t prepared.

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