The “real test” in aviation is everyday flying! The FAA evaluation is a highly scripted and carefully controlled event. And it is only a “check” of the CFI’s recommendation and should be perfunctory (if the CFI prepared their candidate correctly). Flying on any other day must be taken just as seriously – a “failure” here is more than a pink slip!” Accidents can be “game over, 
no replay!” We must be personally prepared and actively work to stay vigilant for *every* flight. The advice below is for applicants to prepare for a flight evaluation, but it’s also excellent preparation for every pilot going flying.
An FAA evaluation is a highly scripted…the “real test” in aviation is everyday flying...Flying on any other day must be taken just as seriously. We must be personally prepared and actively work to stay vigilant.
Preflight The Pilot; Optimal Performance
On a flight test, most applicants are too nervous; usually on the verge of an anxiety attack. Hyperventilation can happen to any overstressed pilot and “self-calming” is an important skill to practice. As pilots we all have encountered some scary moments, and the ability to calmly analyze and decide a course of action is critical to a safe outcome; take a few breaths. Self-calming is a skill we all need as pilots. In the case of a flight test, every applicant starts with a 100% – you are a “pilot” as soon as the 8710-1 is submitted and fly as PIC! Before any test, every pilot flew all these maneuvers with their CFI who (hopefully) would not recommend you without full confidence in their success.
By contrast, many veteran pilots who go flying are too casual; complacency is the enemy here. We should be “Code Yellow” tuned up for surprises. This “optimal activation” is called “syntonic” and is the top of the human motivation curve. My good friend Mario, a Vietnam vet with 125 combat missions – 5 distinguished combat metals – advises “always approach a flight with an element of doubt and apprehension;” it tunes up your awareness and makes you vigilant (and safer). Otherwise, we normalize threats and they disappear from view.
Verify Your Planning
Hopefully, every flight starts with some level of preflight. The plane usually gets a careful inspection by flight candidates, but the pilot seldom gets a thorough review (I-M-S-A-F-E). Just take a moment and review this self-analysis and also the P-A-V-E acronym. The majority of accidents are in motion before the engine even starts (slow-motion accidents). Safety requires every component – including the pilot -is ready. Magical thinking is implicated in almost every fatal accident (I think I can, I think I can). Hope and luck should never be part of the planning process, stoicism is the proper mindset for safety.
Practice “Verbalizing” Your Knowledge
Applicants preparing for flight tests study intensely with reading and videos, but seldom verbalize or interact actively with their material. These applicants become tongue-tied in the discussion part of the evaluation (oral) and the majority of failures currently seem to happen here. If you are facing a flight test, practice out loud verbalizing your answers with your CFI, your dog, or even a rubber duck, but get talking! Hearing yourself talk teaches you the material on a different, higher level.
For rated pilots faced with a test – remember, every unplanned and potentially scary situation in flight is a “test”- say out loud what the threats are and the potential solutions. You will be surprised how this slows down the inner chaos and clarifies the situation. Choose the best course and commit. That FAA 3P method was drawn from the amazing combat warrior, John Boyd.
Do A Ground School: Good Grade!
Dragging into a flight evaluation with a 70% is only signaling to a DPE that you either don’t care or don’t know anything. Do a full ground school and work hard to get a good grade on your knowledge test. All this information is actually useful and required for advanced ratings – as well as safe flying. No one likes a dummy in the NAS.
Don’t Be a Hero; Conservative Response Rule
It is easy to get an elevated vision of our mission in the air. Overconfidence can lead to some excessive challenges and bad outcomes. Staying aware of our vulnerability (all those moving mechanical parts and the amazingly changeable weather) should keep any sensible pilot cautious. SO what are we doing flying over unhospitable terrain in a single-engine aircraft at night?
On flight tests, the “go-around” or “missed approach” are too seldom executed by applicants. If that landing is not going to work out (accuracy or stability) please execute a go-around – we need to see one anyway and you get points for good judgment. On a botched IFR approach, why are we continuing instead of missing the approach? Always pre-plan and execute your safety option before you fail. And why are we challenging a 20 knot crosswind on a 180° power-off commercial maneuver – discontinue!
For the veteran pilots, remember that though we enjoy challenges as pilots, some challenges are a “bridge too far” and lead to the same result; pain and suffering. Our primary mission is to fly (and return) safely!
Stay Vigilant To Detect Threats
This is again a mental exercise in tuning up our neurology to stay vigilant, aware, and avoid “normalizing.” We easily slide into the comfortable “human screensaver mode” when the autopilot goes on. Over time, “success breeds complacency” so keep raising your standards and critique your performance with reflective analysis. Complacency erodes both physical skills and mental acuity. All pilots need continuous learning and a suspicious regard for “when things go right.” Apply some stoic discipline: “the premeditation of evils.” When things are going too well, something is bound to go wrong; stay vigilant. Fly safely out there (and often).
Tune into our SAFE Webinar tomorrow on expanding your “comfort zone!” Rich Stowell will be our guest speaker.
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