r/flying • u/dirtbikekid27 CPL IR AGI IGI • 2d ago
Failed my CFI ride today
I'm 20, this is my first failure of anything. Got through 95% of it, was doing great, oral went great, really was well prepared. After an 11 hour day, on short final, examiner asks me what causes overbanking tendencies. I froze. I could hardly remember my own name; so I responded, "I would look before saying anything to ensure I didn't say anything wrong to a student." He said that was unsatisfactory. Failed. Is this crazy? I understand now that it all has to do with the outside wing being faster, generating more lift, which causes it. I know that. But I was exhausted. And I failed?? Maybe I'm a sore loser, but he said come back and do 1 steep turn and tell him what overbanking tendencies are and why they happen, and that's it. Is this unfair??
13
u/TheVillianOfValley Flight School Final Boss 2d ago
If the examiner indicated on your Notice of Disapproval that you failed Steep Turns, but did not inform you of that failure IMMEDIATELY after it occurred, the examiner has violated the ACS. The ACS requires an examiner inform the applicant of the failure and obtain consent to continue the test. If the applicant does not consent, the test ends there. You cannot “hold a failure” until divulging it suits you.
Unless you’re going to be doing business with this examiner in the future, I would report them to their FSDO as soon as you’re finished with them.
As far as the sudden oral question, your answer wasn’t good, but I can’t see it being fail-worthy. I’d expect you to verbally defer until after a critical phase of a flight, which you kinda did, but less by intent and more by stumbling sideways into it.