One of the first things a new pilot examiner learns is that his/her
favorite way of explaining something or performing a maneuver is often
not the only way. During eighteen years examining glider pilot
applicants, recommended by over one hundred different instructors, you
get to compare a lot of different approaches to training pilots.
Obviously, selecting the "best" ones is influenced by the examiner's
perception of what is really important, but the Practical Test
Standards help establish the criteria. The following table lists the
"top ten" reasons applicants fail glider pilot practical tests. The
percentages shown indicate the percent of failing applicants who failed in
each area. The total exceeds 100% because applicants often fail more than
one category. The last column in the table contains a link to an
animated description of one examiner's choice for what works "best".
In some cases the same link applies to more than one failure area
because the tasks are related. Much of the information presented here
is included in a CD-ROM, "How to Fly Gliders and Pass FAA Tests",
designed to help glider pilot and instructor candidates prepare for FAA
knowledge and practical tests.
| RANK | CATEGORY | PERCENT | LINK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LANDING | 38 | "Landing" |
| 2 | PERFORMANCE-A/S | 28 | "Performance Airspeeds" |
| 3 | SLIP-TO-LANDING | 21 | "Landing" |
| 4 | AIRSPACE | 19 | "Collision Avoidance" |
| 5 | SLACK-LINE | 17 | "Aerotow" |
| 6 | INSTRUMENTS | 12 | "Systems" |
| 7 | OXYGEN | 11 | "Systems" |
| 8 | BOX-WAKE | 10 | "Boxing the Wake" |
| 9 | CLEARING | 10 | "Collision Avoidance" |
| 10 | POSN-ON-TOW | 8 | "Aerotow" |
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