FINAL eXAms - British Airways Virtual

Airways magazinefeatureCPL TESTOxford Aviation AcademyThe CPL Flight Test Experienceby Tom McHowatThe last five months of prettyintensive flight training allcame to a head in this two and ahalf hour flight. I woke up on themorning of my CPL flight test with thebutterflies and the hot flushes, as youwould expect. I’m not one to get nervousat any sort of written exams, which is whyI was fairly relaxed during the ATPL groundschool phase. But I knew that flight testswere a real weakness when it came to beingcalm – it was the same on my PPL flighttest in Australia, and it was the same onthe four progress tests that Oxford put youthrough in Arizona, all completed before theCPL. But, at least I’m not like my housematewho sat his test the previous week.The day before his he was curled up in thefoetal position on the sofa with his head inhis hands.As I ate breakfast (a banana, a coffee, acan of Red Bull and a cigarette) I added upthe pros and cons, as I had done over thelast few days. On the plus side, it’s onlytwo and a half hours of mental and physicalstress. The pass rate at Oxford is prettygood. On the negative side, it’s two and ahalf hours of mental and physical stress.I’m seriously nervous and should I fail Iwould have to pay for the privilege of resittingthe test. Obviously in that state ofmind, the negatives are at the forefront ofyour thoughts.I gave the weather a quick check beforeI went in for my 8:30 brief. Surface observationswere good; the TAF from LukeAir force Base and Phoenix indicated thatclouds, visibility and wind would be goodfor my flight up until about 2pm where thewind would start gusting to about 30 knots.We would be back by 12:30pm. Looks like Iwas set to go!After another smoke (I bought a packjust for the before and after of the occasion)I made my way upstairs for my briefingwith Paul Taylor, my examiner. He was niceenough, I’ve seen him milling around – he’sa grumpy old man at heart and he knowsit, which is why he can pull it off – actuallyquite nice. The briefing started withsome verbally discussed questions, rangingfrom our route for the day, the aircraft andother things. He asked me about suitablealtitudes, entry for circuits at our aerodrome,how the landing gear on the aircraftworked, why there were two static ports,what kind of ailerons the Seneca had andhow they prevented adverse yaw, what to“two and a halfhours of mental andphysical stress. I’mseriously nervousand should I fail Iwould have to payfor the privilege ofre-sitting the test”look for in the nose compartment duringthe pre-flight check. Also asked was whatwas needed in the aircraft for it to be airworthy,what the airworthiness directivesin the technical logbook meant, what the-200T in ‘PA34-200T’ meant (200bhp withturbocharger) and other technical questions.After the questions we discussedthe ones that I answered ambiguouslyand then he moved on to discuss exactlywhat was going to be done in the aircraft.I received my route from him the previousday and had planned it out. We would headfrom Goodyear to a disused aerodromeabout 40 miles to the West. About twominutes before our ETA to that aerodromehe would ask me to divert to somewhereelse. On the diversion he would simulatean engine fire. We would then move on togeneral handling, then circuits at an aerodromecalled Gila Bend (untowered) andthen back to Goodyear. On completion ofthe brief, I collected the aircraft documentsand went out to start the pre-flight.Adrenaline was too high at this pointto feel nervous. As I exited the building Iwas greeted with this disgusting heat thatyou get in Arizona. A wind in a hot situationis meant to be pleasant, cooling – butout there it’s like someone has lit a bonfireand is blowing the flames your way. Afterabout half an hour I was finished withthe pre-flight, and Paul was on his wayout towards our beautiful Piper Seneca,N2828L. I called a fuel truck and asked for50 gallons each side. Looking at the priceon the fuel truck as the numbers climbedanswered my question of, “Where doesall that money that we pay Oxford actuallygo?” Once the truck left, Paul and I hoppedin.Before start-up I gave Paul a full passengersafety brief. He’s heard it a milliontimes, but the purpose of the test is toensure that I can operate the aircraft asa single pilot in command. During startupand taxi out, the aircraft was behavingitself. Engines started without a problem,all of the power and pre-takeoff checkswent smoothly. My mate was telling methe other day how his Gyro Pressure warninglight was inoperative during his run upchecks and he didn’t know whether it wasa go or no go situation. Luckily none ofthis happened to me. After the pre-takeoffchecks I gave ground a call and asked fortaxi to the active.On arrival to holding point A1 for runway21 I gave tower a call asking for a straightout departure with a short delay on the runway,also with a simulated rejected take-