Car, bike and plane first time.
On the bike test (recent), I stopped within the first 30 seconds as I couldn't hear the instructor. He said the volume was at max and there was nothing he could do, so would I like to cancel the test? I gulped, got back on the bike and did as best I could. Within the first 5 mins I thought I'd failed - everything went wrong, I was really unsettled and then thought - feck it.
After that, I rode very relaxed and was amazed I'd passed - the instructor said what on earth were you doing in the first five mins?!?!?! lol!
Scariest test was the twin aircraft rating - I was in a Seneca II Turbo 200T twin aircraft and the examiner made me bank the aircraft left and look out the left window for a scan before I did a max rate left hand turn.
At that time the left engine spluttered and lost power. Being as I was in a left hand banking turn the plane went into a steep left hand dive, I banged the right rudder pedal to stop the extreme yaw and tried to stabilise the plane. I looked right at my examiner with a face that said "what the **** do we do!?!?!" He just turned around and said "go through the emergency checklist NOW"
Feck me! I got the plane steady, power max, props max, mixture full rich. Right rudder, left leg dead. Left engine dead. Confirmed left engine dead. Fuel tanks: check. Fuel cutoff switches: bastard!!!! The examiner had surreptitiously cut the fuel off to the left engine as I was looking out the window.
I turned to him and smiled and carried out the engine feathering and shutdown drills for the left engine.
Now, that's the proper way to make sure you've understood and are capable of carrying out your training in an examination!
On the bike test (recent), I stopped within the first 30 seconds as I couldn't hear the instructor. He said the volume was at max and there was nothing he could do, so would I like to cancel the test? I gulped, got back on the bike and did as best I could. Within the first 5 mins I thought I'd failed - everything went wrong, I was really unsettled and then thought - feck it.
After that, I rode very relaxed and was amazed I'd passed - the instructor said what on earth were you doing in the first five mins?!?!?! lol!
Scariest test was the twin aircraft rating - I was in a Seneca II Turbo 200T twin aircraft and the examiner made me bank the aircraft left and look out the left window for a scan before I did a max rate left hand turn.
At that time the left engine spluttered and lost power. Being as I was in a left hand banking turn the plane went into a steep left hand dive, I banged the right rudder pedal to stop the extreme yaw and tried to stabilise the plane. I looked right at my examiner with a face that said "what the **** do we do!?!?!" He just turned around and said "go through the emergency checklist NOW"
Feck me! I got the plane steady, power max, props max, mixture full rich. Right rudder, left leg dead. Left engine dead. Confirmed left engine dead. Fuel tanks: check. Fuel cutoff switches: bastard!!!! The examiner had surreptitiously cut the fuel off to the left engine as I was looking out the window.
I turned to him and smiled and carried out the engine feathering and shutdown drills for the left engine.
Now, that's the proper way to make sure you've understood and are capable of carrying out your training in an examination!
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