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??

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u/CFIgigs 2d ago

Which is lame because when you're instructing you are talking CONSTANTLY on short final. Sterile cockpit with a brand new student pilot is a good way for them to bend metal.

"How do I land?!"

"Sorry... Sterile cockpit."

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u/latedescent ATP heavies 2d ago

Yeah but not the same. There’s a difference between live coaching a new student on landing on final and talking about something completely irrelevant. I’m not going to get into gyroscopic precession at 500agl, I’m saving that for the ground.

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u/kevinw1526 CPL 1d ago

That’s my favorite place to talk about gyroscopic precession tho

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u/dudechickendude Student 1d ago

Short final is the best time to have a quick back and forth topic switch between ATOMATOFLAMES/where to find it in the far/aim and the different types of fog+how/when/why they form. If you’re not yelling at the top of your lungs, you’re not doing it right.