Anyone know any perfect student pilots?
Posted by MultiMillionMiler@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 98 comments
Anyone know anyone who got a 100% on every written test and also passed every checkride they took on their first try?
Perfect_Big_5907@reddit
I don't remember what all my written test scores were but i passed all my check rides first time. Back in the day the DE's were a lot more fair i guess i would say compared to what i see on here. A lot of the guys that gave me checkrides made it a learning lesson as well. My CFII ride the DE wanted to fly some because he never got much free time. You let the DE fly the plane and you pass for sure.
Ecstatic_Signal_1756@reddit
I aced my PPL written and passed my checkride on the first try. I was no where near 40 hours but some of that was weather and health delays and just me not advocating for myself with the CFIs.
Regarding the written exam, I full acknowledge that I got the easiest questions out of the pool.
PsyopBjj@reddit
My instructor
dvcxfg@reddit
Hey that's me. I am John Pylote
LostHope152@reddit
I’ve passed every exam and flight test on the first go. But I’m nowhere near perfect, I got a 70% on my INRAT exam. As for flight tests, I’ve done fairly good on all of them so far but again, not perfect. Small mistakes like altitude, and I landed long on my multi-engine flight test resulting in my only major error.
I’d feel like there could be something fishy going on if someone had 100% on all of their exams, or were absolutely flawless on flight tests
StrangePersimmon5695@reddit
I had a student in AZ that came down in his early 20s after flying in Alaska with his dad since he was ~12 and also an a&p. I’m not sure it’s fair to compare someone with 10 years under their belt but no time logged to the average student pilot but I was truly just along for the ride with him.
MultiMillionMiler@reddit (OP)
I'm honestly surprised it's even legal for 12 year olds to "log" time like that at all. There's no way they're developing the same hand-eye coordination and retaining the skills the same way a 17+ yo is or a 21+ yo in flight training is for that matter.
VectorsToMileHigh@reddit
Didn’t Ace my private written, but IFR, CAX, FOI, CFI, CFII all 100’s. Shepard Air. After the first 100 on IFR it just became an unrealistic goal I kept going for. Not like anyone will ever look at those test scores so who cares 😂
MultiMillionMiler@reddit (OP)
Airlines don't look at your written scores?
VectorsToMileHigh@reddit
As far as I’ve been told, no. But I’m not at an airline. Maybe somebody on here who is can answer.
DanThePilot_Mann@reddit
Me I am the perfect pilot, Gods gift to aviation, as it were
fgflyer@reddit
Not sure if this counts, but while I was training for my instrument rating, there was a student at the flight school I used to go to that was extraordinarily bright. He must have been a little older than I was, by my guess. Either way, he got a 100% on his written and passed his checkride with 40.9 hours in the book. The chief CFI said that in all his years of instructing, that was the first genuine 40-hour PPL he’s ever seen or signed off for a checkride.
greaseorbounce@reddit
I was FURIOUS when I took my checkride at 41 hours, because it was a challenge I took personally when my instructor told me is "never happens."
I thought I was ready in advance and just burned 3 hours practicing maneuvers before checkride, and was at exactly 40. We then went through my logbook and noticed that I was missing ONE HOUR of hood time.
My instructor and I had to go out for the extra hour, and I was MEGA BUMMED to have 41 hours in my logbook at my checkride.
This was ONLY possible because I set aside my entire life to LIVE at the airport for two weeks straight, when I wasn't actively flying I was chair flying and doing ground school. I had an extremely accommodating instructor willing to spend all day every day with me. It wasn't easy, but it was a fun challenge.
NPFFTW@reddit
The Air Cadet program in Canada produces exclusively 40-hour PPLs because that's all the scholarship pays for lmao
MultiMillionMiler@reddit (OP)
Wonder what maneuver he needed that extra .9 on that made him miss the perfect 40.00 mark 🤣
I'm imagining some random Go-Arounds due to air traffic or a couple of 360s/downwind extensions that stole his one chance at the perfect min stats!
EnthusiasmHuman6413@reddit
Short field landings…
Appropriate-Oil555@reddit
Almost caused me to fail, and embarrassingly I am also high time former military rw aviator. Was flying an unfamiliar 172 with a stol kit and I guess everything else was good enough the DPE gave me a couple comments on the way back in and I hit the 1000 footers on the last landing.
dfelton912@reddit
That was probably the checkride itself lol
MultiMillionMiler@reddit (OP)
Curious can the checkride itself be counted in the 40 or you have to hit that before that to take it?
BlimpDriver1@reddit
No 40 then check ride
dfelton912@reddit
Could be wrong, but I think you have to have the 40 hours and all specified types of hours (night/XC/solo, etc) to be endorsed for the checkride
roguemenace@reddit
Does that school not see a lot of students who do their training full time? A 40 PPL isn't that noteworthy if someone is able to fly almost every day and had a strong ground school.
Longwaytofall@reddit
I did mine at 40.0
I don’t think I’m extraordinary but I do have an aptitude for flying, and was an airplane obsessed kid. Didn’t get into flying until after college and entering the professional workworld which helped. Had I trained as a young guy I would have slacked and cut corners.
MultiMillionMiler@reddit (OP)
Nice! Think you could have passed your checkride at say, 35 hours if you didn't have to log those last 5 or so?
Longwaytofall@reddit
Maybe? I don’t really remember what we did the last few. I do remember we taxied around the airport on the last flight waiting for the Hobbs to tic over .1 so that I had my 40.0.
8000 hours later I probably wouldn’t do any better on a private pilot checkride today.
mfsp2025@reddit
That’s what makes a huge difference honestly. I started flying at 16 years old. Took me around 80 hours to get my PPL. I didn’t solo until I had like 40
MultiMillionMiler@reddit (OP)
I started at 25 yo and currently nearly 26 hours in and no solo yet either (still need to take the written anyway so no stats to brag about or shame myself yet), but being near NYC airspace my CFI said alot of people take 90-120 hours for PPL cause of the extra difficulty.
Odd_Minimum2136@reddit
Most of the time they had thousands of actual flying with their parents who are pilots or a lot of flight sims
EnderDragoon@reddit
Have to also magically not catch a ton of bad habits that have to be unlearned in those circumstances.
Captain_Sheppard@reddit
Passing every checkride isn’t uncommon. 100% on every written would be insane though
ReadyplayerParzival1@reddit
The best I ever got was a 98 on the fii. I feel like there will always be one bs question that isn’t on Sheppard air and makes no sense except to some faa person.
bondvillain@reddit
Seat belts are required:
A. For passengers during taxi, takeoff, and landing B. For passengers during taxi, takeoff, and landing only C. For nobody
gbchaosmaster@reddit
The only 100 I ever got was on, of all things, FOI. I was shocked. I mean I studied, but I was still shocked. Fuck that test.
EnthusiasmHuman6413@reddit
I got a 99% on FIA. Would never happen again.
HateJobLoveManU@reddit
Or the “this is more correct” answer which is bullshit
Captain_Sheppard@reddit
I got a 98% on my commercial written. I missed performance calculations. Didn’t help that all the charts were displayed sideways on the little monitor and the answers were all so close to each other lol
fgflyer@reddit
My highest written test score to date was a 94 on my CAX. I didn’t know about Sheppard Air whatsoever until after I had already passed my Instrument 😅
Go_Loud762@reddit
Welcome to the (former) world of Gleim.
The FAA used to publish all of the written test questions, but not the correct answers, so a couple of companies, Gleim being the largest, would publish books that had the real questions with answers that were said to be on the official tests. That info came from people taking the tests.
So, you could study the real questions and get a very good idea of the real answers, which made passing the test a breeze and getting 100% pretty common.
Depilots@reddit
A student at my flight school has six 100s on her writtens. Not sure about her checkride pass rate though
ATrainDerailReturns@reddit
100% on every written just means they got Sheppard Air and were extra autistic
toraai117@reddit
Yeah that’s literally not possible without Sheppard air or a lot of luck given there were/are several tests with incorrectly graded answers
Bunslow@reddit
every member of this sub: "yo"
MultiMillionMiler@reddit (OP)
Do they ever create new questions lol? I'm wondering how many licensed pilots out there aced all the knowledge exams but don't understand 95% of it? Well you would need to to pass the oral though i guess?
TravisJungroth@reddit
I think the idea of memorizing without understanding for pilot writtens is a myth. Most of the information just straight up is memorization. How do you “understand” the shelf of Echo on a Victor Airway? And anyone who can memorize all the answers for the formula questions could just memorize the formulas. Show me someone who got an 85 and understands better than someone who got 100.
mfsp2025@reddit
I managed to get a 100% on IRA, CAX, CFII, and I think FIA. Shoutout to Sheppard air and me running through each question bank ten times. The ATP and FOI were my worst.
MultiMillionMiler@reddit (OP)
Supposedly it's theoretically possible to memorize all 700+ possible questions even for the ATP one since they're all multiple choice, but fair enough maybe that's too insane.
Goatdaddy1@reddit
I had 3 students like this. Great to instruct. I could just tell them do a maneuver and they just would. Also 100% on all writtens. One was the daughter of a very talented airline pilot, the other 2 were extremely smart business guys. All were under 25
MultiMillionMiler@reddit (OP)
Wonder how the business experience affects hand-eye coordination pilot skills?
Goatdaddy1@reddit
i think more to do with age and they were both somewhat athletic... maybe that helped? They also had enough cash to train very frequently so im sure that didnt hurt
JimTheJerseyGuy@reddit
I was told by my instructor that I was a bit of a golden child doing my PPL. Only one wrong on the written. Never flunked anything in the air and had 52 hours logged when I passed my check ride. I didn’t think it special at the time but I know now (mainly from this sub) that a lot of folks envy that sort of thing.
Mundane-Reality-7770@reddit
I'm feeling decent on my 95% ppl written and 1 for 1 pass rate.
EHP42@reddit
Hey are you me? Same stats here. Feeling pretty good about myself.
Fake_Pilot@reddit
Had a student whose father and grandfather were pilots. Basically had been flying ever since we was tall enough to reach the pedals. By the time he came to the flight school for his official 141 training, I honestly could've sent him for his checkride at 25 hours. His grandfather also tipped me $100 after his first solo, which was dope. Easist student far and away.
Old-Trouble-8830@reddit
I had a buddy in a reduced hour program for Cathay Pacific or China airlines whichever wanted him more. We did instrument together and I am in CFI training now. We aren’t friends anymore because last I saw on his story he’s now flying 737’s… (it’s a joke we’re still friends I just am jealous) he was insanely smart
OracleofFl@reddit
When I was doing my private my instructor had another student that started at the same time more or less that was perfect. Soloed near minimums. Everything that took me 4 hours to get competent took her like an hour to master. It was very annoying.
Then came her xc solo. It was such a disaster that she called the instructor from the plane in flight in panic that she was lost and couldn't find her way back to the home airport! The instructor had to talk her through finding the airport to get back as he was on fightradar24 telling her like "turn south...do you see the power station in front of you....fly past it and turn left..." She was traumatized and quit.
Motriek@reddit
Don't know any, but I imagine they'd be insufferable for years.
North_Skirt_7436@reddit
There’s no bad students but there are some god awful flight instructors
Go_Loud762@reddit
I had bad students.
Some don't study.
Some can't fly.
Some show up hungover.
Some try to kill you during VMC demos.
Some refuse to release the controls during flight.
MultiMillionMiler@reddit (OP)
Oh do tell! What's the worst story you've heard/experienced with that? 😆
North_Skirt_7436@reddit
Oh I’ve got a million but the one that comes to mind is a student pilot lost directly over the airport and told to ident and didn’t know how….an instructor let them go solo without teaching them basics. Had to be given slow instruction turn left turn right etc to the downwind and then finally got airport in sight
Mercury4stroke@reddit
Is the question bank for FAA written tests public or something? I’ve never heard of anyone scoring a 90 or higher overall on the CPL written in Canada…
Go_Loud762@reddit
They used to be. There were companies that published study guides with the actual questions and similar answers. The FAA stopped that sometime in the 1990s, IIRC.
Gleim was the goto company for those test books.
Both_Coast3017@reddit
I fly with captain that’s gods gift to aviation. Does that count?
Go_Loud762@reddit
We should fly together more often.
Go_Loud762@reddit
I didn't ace all of the written tests, but I have zero checkride failures.
LowValueAviator@reddit
I knew one. He quit to do politics. Go figure.
He did the European “sawing on the yoke” thing in an attempt to correct every tiny oscillation instead of doing one smooth correction for the trend, but that’s a technique issue imo rather than anything unsat.
TwinTurbo50@reddit
If I would have taken my written FAA before starting flight school, I feel I could have done it at 40
retiredaaer@reddit
Bob Hoover was one but that was a long time ago. (If you don’t know that name, Google and YouTube it)
atmatthewat@reddit
I got 100% on my private written and passed that checkride on my first try. Of course, that's the only one so far... so that's not very interesting. I will say that 100% on the written didn't help when the oral portion of the checkride starts... they really wanted to quiz me on what I'd missed, and without that, anything is fair game.
VileInventor@reddit
I’ve gotten a 98 on 5 of my writtens and passed all my checkrides first try so far.
MultiMillionMiler@reddit (OP)
Missed like 1 question on every written?
VileInventor@reddit
2 on FOI iirc but yeah.
littlelowcougar@reddit
Yeah I’m 3 writtens @ 98% every time. One question wrong. So infuriating.
TobyADev@reddit
Nope. I failed once of my PPL theory exams (we have nine individual exams in the UK rather than one big exam)
Passed the skills test first time
No one’s perfect
littlelowcougar@reddit
I’ve got one question wrong on every written I’ve done. So 98%. For private, and then twice for IFR.
Fucking VOR positioning shit, cock blocking me errtime.
Actually for the private one I got bamboozled by a question that referred to N as 360°. Or maybe it was 0°. Either way, it was a ridiculous thing to get tripped up by.
Vivid-Razzmatazz9034@reddit
I’m at 97,100,99,100 for PPL, IR, comm, and FIA, but the only thing written tests really do is test how much effort you put into test prep. I was definitely not batting 97-100% on the orals Ive taken.
toraai117@reddit
Why are all the replies just people bragging about their test scores. Like cool you are a good test taker or good at rote memorization. Those tests aren’t exactly hard just filled with bullshit poorly worded questions or legit incorrect correct answers.
14Three8@reddit
100 on any written is Insane. There’s always one question about NDBs or spins or FOIs that you mix up the answers for from shepair
TheGreatBlondini2010@reddit
My instructor used to tell of a highway worker that ran one of those boom mowers that cut the median of highways/freeways. Said that guy could land a plane smooth as butter everytime.
BigSpottedFish@reddit
97 on PAR, 100 on IRA, 97 on CAX, 95 on FIA, 98 on FII, 98 on IGI…3 for 3 on checkrides going into CFI
Elegant_Panic5661@reddit
Perfection in aviation is an unfair and unrealistic goal for anyone. Aim for progress instead
MultiMillionMiler@reddit (OP)
I know was just curious.
PuzzleheadedDuty8866@reddit
Me
LycomingO235@reddit
and I never make mistakes.
ywgflyer@reddit
I'll take the credit if it ain't broken
bananapoopwastaken@reddit
And I’ll blame you if it breaks
flyghu@reddit
My CFI had a perfect student. Wasn't me though.
VanDenBroeck@reddit
I was perfectly average.
FlapsupGearup@reddit
I’ve done really well as I’ve progressed. I took my ppl at around 42 hours from 0 aviation background (except for an online ground school before starting lessons). After the ride, the DPE told me I had CFI level knowledge. All of my writtens have been 98+, all of my Checkride flights have been pretty much ACS +- 0, and I solo’d a glider on my 6th flight.
All of my instructors have raved about me as a student but from my perspective, I’ve been far from perfect. I’ve had frustrations, plateaus, concepts I’ve struggled to understand, training flights where I literally didn’t know if I was outbound or inbound on a VOR because my brain shutdown, I’ve even accidentally retracted full flaps on a go-around. And that’s all normal because there is no perfect student. There’s no perfect pilot. I’d dare say there is no perfect flight, and that’s what I love. If you can understand that and take it all in stride, that’s what makes perfect for me in a student regardless of innate skill.
rod-my-dog@reddit
Flew safety pilot with a fellow private building time for instrument. He got 100% on the written but had done 3 online ground schools for it. He said he did it fun.
I did the cheapest I could find and did Sheppard air for an 84%.
PhilRubdiez@reddit
In my experience, I’ve had 2. Not because they got 100% on some rote test.
The first came back after a break finishing his checkride and a year at college. He held perfect tolerances without a soot of rust. I was a little jealous because I took three months off once and my landings went to shit.
The second was an older gentleman who asked the right questions, studied what I told him to, and went above and beyond anything I asked of him. The DPE said I sent him probably the best student pilot he’d ever seen.
I’d like to say that I’m proud for training them, but it was all their own doing.
ms_bob@reddit
97 on the ppl and ifr written tests. Took the full three hours each time.
I'm told there's easier ways to do it.
(That said I'm only good at book learning, my actual flying sucks)
NevadaCFI@reddit
I have a 100% student pass rate, but the best written I have seen from a student is a 97% (on the Commercial).
ltcterry@reddit
I’m 14/14 on first time passes. Best written score I ever got was an 84. Thanks Sheppard! I failed EASA Air Law when converting; I studied in German then “oh, you’re an American, I selected English for your test.” Yikes.
I’ve had one student get 100% once out of 38 practical tests, though not all had writtens.
Definitely not “perfect!”
skyrider8328@reddit
I almost fit that bill. I busted my fixed wing instrument ride because the examiner said timing inbound on an approach is based on IAS. Also, I did miss one question on the FE written.
MyPilotInterview@reddit
My best friend, who 20+ years ago I learned to fly with was the most gifted student I know. I remember when he started his Instrument Rating he bought all his books and told me to start testing him on the OEG on the way home. He knew the whole book, I couldn’t stump him.
Beginning_Prior7892@reddit
I got all the Checkrides first try but couldn’t be bothered to get better than like 90% on the writtens, especially the IRA
rFlyingTower@reddit
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
Anyone know anyone who got a 100% on every written test and also passed every checkride they took on their first try?
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