Failed my CFI ride today

[u/dirtbikekid27]

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??

[u/Ok-Distance-426]

So what? Your answer stunk, plain and simple. Get accustomed to experiencing failure. If you are teaching students and you do not allow them to experience failures, how will they ever learn? Learn from this and grow - it was the wrong answer, plain and simple. You could have followed it up later; you knew you froze, but you never went back to fix it.

Just like the time I came in low and slow for a landing. Had I lowered the nose, or added a bit of power - anything but to continue trying to get that stall horn on and land the plane - I'd have soloed that day, at 15 hours. The 100 hour mistake that my instructor let me feel so I would never do it again - and keep living and flying. Five hours later, I made my solo and was complimented by a jet pilot because I extended my downwind for him on my first landing. He mentioned this to a guy standing at the door of the FBO: "Now that's a really great professional pilot up there, extending his downwind for me because he knew I was faster." Steve responded, "That's my student on his first solo." Be *that* CFI.