Failed commercial checkride
Posted by Jelyfly@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 110 comments
Hey guys, seeking a little insight and advice. As the title says I failed my commercial everything was perfect except I floated my 180 too far down the runway. Really sucks since I’ve been nailing that maneuver for over a month. I have a retest on Thursday for just that one maneuver. It’s kinda nerve racking going back just to do one landing. It makes me even more nervous to think of failing again. I guess I’m just looking for advice or help on how to deal with that pressure. Also I want to make a career out of flying and this is my first failure kinda worried it’s going to affect my job opportunity later down the road any advice on that would be appreciated.
Virtual_Speech_8595@reddit
hope you passed it dude!
Impossible_Guide_12@reddit
As far as fail affects you, it shouldn’t you just are going to have to explain it. I have three fails no cfi and have got a job flying so you’ll be alright!
PardoningTurkeys@reddit
Whether you think you can or think you cant, either way you’re right - Henry Ford
No_Inspection_1616@reddit
You have to understand that as a commercial pilot you have to be able to fly and land the aircraft and a lot of different conditions so if you're looking to just duplicate the condition you think you'll have for this type ride then you missed out on some learning somewhere along the line where you should be able to land in any condition that's appropriate for the limitations of the aircraft
No_Inspection_1616@reddit
Don't worry about the failure you shouldn't float down the runway however, if you do that make a missed approach go round come back to land, probably have the guys on here failed to check right at some point maybe all of them for all I know
Working-System-8950@reddit
I had to do the same thing for my PPL. Messed up my simulated engine out and didn’t make the runway all I had to do was go back and do that one landing and I passed. Just don’t ever think it treat it like a normal day. You’ll be good 👍🏾
swagredditor6@reddit
You had a power off airport landing for private?
Virian@reddit
I did. My CFI had demonstrated one, but I had never actually done one myself. My examiner pulled my power in the downwind and told me to set it down on the runway. Luckily I did it right.
swagredditor6@reddit
I haven’t looked at the private ACS in a while but I wonder if they’re even allowed to do that
cessna120@reddit
"Prepare for landing, as specified by the evaluator" I know this might be an unpopular opinion, but if you're on the downwind and you cant make a landing somewhere on the runway without power, you're not ready to be a private pilot.
swagredditor6@reddit
Yeah there’s a reason that’s unpopular, don’t tell me you’ve hit every single po 180 in your life
cessna120@reddit
I didn't say po 180, I said land on the runway during an engine failure
Pale-Coconut-6999@reddit
Happened on my ppl checkride as well. Examiner only needed to see one final no flap landing and pulled my power when I was abeam the numbers.
KITTYONFYRE@reddit
well, it's not that there was a specific PO180 like event, but more that the simulated engine out landing that needs to be demonstrated just happened to have a runway available as the best option.
seems fair to me. glad I didn't need to though, my emergency landing was kinda scuffed (had a fed in the back seat, so I sank a bit quicker than expected... I still made it over the powerlines, it was just a little hairier than I'd have liked lol)
Working-System-8950@reddit
Yes and no. It was a simulated engine out at 3,500 FT so I had to spiral down to the runway. And by the time I got down to PA, I was abem the numbers so from there it’s technically like a power off.
Unfair_Ad4323@reddit
Might be worth it to rent the plane day of checkride to feel out environmental conditions to consider for the 180
v2f_supply_co@reddit
I did similar but instead set up the short field to come in steeper and get a feel for it for the PO180. DPEs love it too, around here they hate when students come in low and slow and chop power for the short field. You can also go around on the short field so it’s just made sense for me as a freebie almost
MuchFlounder9818@reddit
This is why it’s stupid to fail over this
Jelyfly@reddit (OP)
I did before my check ride, problem is by the time my oral was done the sun was setting so winds died down from 20+ to 5. Sadly the exact same thing happens on my retest I’ll be going up around the time the sun will be setting so I won’t get a good read for the winds till I’m up with him.
Any-Cable-5175@reddit
It’s not so much about being able to only do it in one condition. This maneuver is to demonstrate that you can successfully put the plane down, on a spot, on a whim, in any condition.
You may consider just renting the plane and practicing this more.
Goop290@reddit
Thank you!! Its mastery on not only the airplane but the cognitive ability to take into account the weather and other things like energy state and altitude and make real life decisions to adjust your pattern and energy to land on a point. When you get it you will know what I mean.
Like tail wind means you cannot just turn base at 800ft, like so many instructors teach, and make it. 800ft will be way further than your "normal" pattern distance with 10kts direct tailwind. That is the stuff you have to actively. think about.
swagredditor6@reddit
Wait if the winds died down, and assuming you’re landing into the wind, wouldn’t it be more likely that you land too short? Or maybe you overcompensated?
BandicootNo4431@reddit
If you have less headwind, then for the same setup your groundspeed increases and you end up further down the runway in the flare.
Unfair_Ad4323@reddit
Good news is you don’t have an oral or any other items on the next ride.
pilot152026@reddit
One failure isn’t a huge deal. That is the most commonly failed maneuver on a CAX checkride. Keep your head up and keep practicing! You have got this. Stick with it, as someone who made it to the airlines with a failure it is 100% worth the ride there!
Mobile-Cold7106@reddit
I don’t much about flight yet(aspiring pilot) but you got this!!!!!
Duchenbagen@reddit
Everyone has a bad day in flying. Shit examiner for not letting you give it a second go. I hire for a major airline and am types in 7 different types. This is not a disqualification for a hire especially if you explain it exactly like your post. Good luck in the future. Aviation is a fun way to make a living if you don’t want to get a real job. ;)
Airline_HR_Interview@reddit
Checkride failures represent a critical threat to aviation safety. All DPEs are the same and there is no variation from one DPE to another. This is how we get upside down CRJs.
Master0fC0inn@reddit
Failed my power off 180 and only failure in my career. Captain on the 737 6 years later. Make it your only failure and work hard.
Ethandg_2003@reddit
I always hated the fact how not every checkride is created the same. For my commercial ride my DPE just told me to make the runway for the PO180 and a friend of mines wasn’t even told to do the PO180 and another one got 2 attempts to do it.
tooflytotry@reddit
Two tries is fair. That’s the way it used to be before they updated the ACS. You only having to make the runway and your other friend not even having to do the 180 goes a little beyond DPE discretion. I would definitely keep that to yourself going forward lol.
acegard@reddit
Two tries does seem fair. Although the maneuver technically cant be reattempted, the DPE does need to see a go-around demonstrated during the checkride - mine very pointedly said this to me: "I can generally tell when youre not going to make the PO180, and just remember, if I call a go-around, it's just something I have to see - it doesn't mean you failed."
Great guy, very understanding of how tricky that is.
Neither-Way-4889@reddit
My DPE saved the PO180 and go around as the last two things on the checkride, then he said "Okay, I need to see a go-around and a PO180. You don't need to tell me which order you're doing them in, I can figure it out."
MEtoaviator@reddit
Who are these DPEs? Asking for a friend and potential future students….
Neither-Way-4889@reddit
He has since retired unfortunately.
craciant@reddit
Love that.
Checkrides are a flawed system. Everything should be train to proficiency. We all know there is no such thing as a perfect flight.
mfsp2025@reddit
That’s how the airlines do it. I’ve never understood why the maneuver I’ll never have to do in real life on a license I never used has to be perfect. Yet I could screw up a V1 cut twice and still pass my ATP (which I definitely have used).
iceman_andre@reddit
The checkride process for initial certifications need a complete revamp
NevadaCFI@reddit
Very nice. On my commercial ride, the PO180 was the first landing I was asked to do.
CannonAFB_unofficial@reddit
That’s one of the good ones excellent technique.
Neither-Way-4889@reddit
That is just a case of examiners not following the ACS. Luckily it was to your/your friend's benefit, but technically that DPE was in the wrong for doing it that way.
lil_layne@reddit
On one hand I wish checkrides would be standardized by all of the DPEs strictly adhering to the ACS so you get the same experience across different DPEs. But on the other hand I also think it is stupid that if you had one bad approach on a PO180 which relies on a lot of variable factors going right, you will fail a checkride that could be the difference between you getting hired at an airline or not. I doubt most CFIs can successfully do that maneuver 10 times in a row depending on winds.
Neither-Way-4889@reddit
I think two tries would be fair, or adjusting the standard to something like +400/-0.
JJ-_-@reddit
it feels fair for the commercial po180 tolerance to be the private normal landing tolerance, not the private short field tolerance
Historical-Pin1069@reddit
It's true, my friend did not even do a soft field landing during the test due to lack of time lol
H4ppenSt4nce@reddit
Not sure where you are, but as the seasons warm that’s gonna increase your true airspeed. You’re gonna float farther on a hot day compared to the last six months of practice.
LivingBuddy1088@reddit
Hey man I get it , I failed my commercial checkride too , it sucks especially seeing the pink slip , I was so nervous on the day of my checkride I completely mixed up information for the oral that I knew so well , it definitely shocked me when I got the pink slip , but as my instructor has said , the pink slip just means that there’s a round two and you got to make sure you ready not only for the fight but to win , just go over the maneuvers again , focus on the 180 as well but just incase make sure you do the other types of landings as well , and make sure you go over the SOPs your school has for the maneuver or the one the FAA has for the manuever , and chair fly it as well , keep in mind a power off 180 is to show the control of the plane not the speed of the descent, and keep in mind , slow is smooth , smooth is fast , meaning do things as you normally would but don’t feel you have to rush it , either way you got this and believe in yourself too , it sucks what happened but don’t focus on what went wrong , focus on what you did right and how you can adjust everything else to follow along !
Necessary-Wall-2196@reddit
I JUST got my PPL and while I cannot compare to the level of commercial, a blown landing is a blown landing...
My 1st maneuver on my 1st ever check ride was a soft field and I totally shit my crate on it
I knew it, the PE knew it and I kept on with the rest of the ride and passed
My advice is to let it go, I KNOW it sucks, but let go of that shit... that turd is in your rearview now, nothing you can do about it
regroup, practice, take the retest, and spank that ONE landing like its a 4 year old stepkid at Sunday dinner
You're going to KILL it!
Tasty_Impression_959@reddit
There will be many more maneuvers you will perform not to exact standards in the future, but you will be alone without being subjected to the pressure of being watched and graded. Go and get the recheck and focus on the task execution with the confidence that you will avoid the errors you already know. Fly it like it was your fist solo flight always.
CaptainWil37@reddit
Its about trading off between altitude and airspeed, i personally taught my student pitch for 75 initially, so they can have a buffer once final is assured, given taught with proper techniques.
Try to rent and fly solo, and feel yourself thru to get back on your confidence level you were once.
throwawayW35654@reddit
Honestly, ever since I stopped worrying about PO180 textbook procedure (excluding considering of safety, because you always need to be safe), I started nailing them one after the other. Treat it like an emergency. Think “let me just safely get this on the ground” and pretend the only place you can put it is the numbers due to thick trees around a field. It sounds stupid, but roleplaying with it puts you in that “Sully” mentality and you’re literally able to do anything. Obviously just don’t bust on safety stuff, but eyeballing PO180s is seriously underrated in my experience talking to folks. - From a first time pass on both my CPL and CFI ride where I was asked to do PO180s and got complimented on both.
More_Than_I_Can_Chew@reddit
If you had gone around.....would it have been a failure?
Kitchen_Bat6436@reddit
Praying helped me zone-in before the 180. I practiced the day before and kept missing it. The day of the exam I nailed it 3 times in a roll with the other manuevers also. Pray and focus.
PlaneShenaniganz@reddit
My friend failed his CSEL twice on the power-off 180 and currently flies for an Air Line. You'll be fine.
mateenxxx@reddit
The system is so flawed man, I had a friend not even make the runway on a power off 180. He had to go around, the DPE still passed him, said he liked their conversation from earlier that day.
Same DPE failed someone else for not being centerline 🤦🏾♂️. They need to burn this system down and make a new one lol.
Mountain-Captain-396@reddit
My DPE straight up told me "If you land off-centerline that's going to be a fail"
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
Who can’t land on centerline though?
PhillyPilot@reddit
If you still land off centerline by the time you’re going for your commercial, it should be a fail.
Historical-Pin1069@reddit
In Canada the go around is only allowed if the landing is gonna be unsafe. If you are coming in short or too long a go around means a failure. But yea DPE inconsistency is unfair..
Tresizzle@reddit
System makes no sense… no Checkride is the same.
Someone with 2 failures could actually be a better pilot than someone with 0 🧠😶🌫️
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
Are DPE’s really giving people the fail for one messed up maneuver in an otherwise awesome checkride? Or are Redditors systemically bad about admitting how poorly they flew overall?
Purgent@reddit
PO 180 is such a bullshit maneuver for a check ride due to the standards attached to it.
In the real world, if you have an engine loss in the pattern, a successful landing would be anywhere on the runway with sufficient distance to stop.
Coming up short should be a fail.
Landing 50 feet further than your target, down an 8000 foot runway, in a single engine airplane, and failing a check ride is ABSURD.
makgross@reddit
You’re confusing a PO180 with an emergency.
It’s not. It’s a landing. It’s not an emergency any more than a lazy 8 or short field landing is.
It’s not unusual on a CFI checkride to have to demonstrate both.
The point of every commercial maneuver is to demonstrate mastery of the aircraft, usually by restricting one or more controls and making all the others vary. Other purposes are made up. They don’t exist.
KITTYONFYRE@reddit
idk. you're arguing the letter of the ACS and you're 100% correct.
but at the same time, saying there's no real world purpose for the PO180 is realistically being a bit silly. your engine just popped and you've put yourself in a shit situation where your only option is Jim's backyard - thankfully it's huge, but it's got a pond on one end and trees 300' away on the other. congrats, there's essentially exactly what a PO180 is testing for - you'd better put it down in the first half of Jim's yard or you're hitting those trees at 50+mph in a shitbox from 1964 - survivable for sure, but it won't be fun. get it on the ground after 100 feet, depending on conditions, you're gonna slow down a whole lot in his unprepared strip before bending metal.
yes, it is written down that it is NOT an emergency maneuver, and it's not tested that way (nor should it be, though I like someone else's suggestion that you should get 3 attempts and have to make 2, or something like that - admit that nobody is 100% when you're restricted to such a small landing spot)... but it still is lol. you are technically correct and I upvoted you but your followup comments are a bit obtuse imo.
Purgent@reddit
I’m not confusing it at all. Most people understand the real world application of this maneuver is a power failure.
A real world precision landing would be done with the use of power.
Argue it however you want - my original point remains and is that the actual standards are dogshit.
makgross@reddit
I say again, there is no real world purpose for any of the commercial maneuvers. They are all there to demonstrate mastery of the aircraft, nothing more.
Prize_Armadillo3551@reddit
There is no real world application of steep spirals, emergency descents, chandelle’s?
I don’t know how you can argue there isn’t any real world application of the power off. Both a maneuver being used to demonstrate and also build useful skills can both be true. At some point when someone is coming down to the aircraft in a field or a runway if they made it, they still have to manage their energy and make the runway.
If I’m flying with souls on board, I’m going to guarantee we make the runway. One could argue teaching students to make the field with extra bias on making it. Remember a fair amount of commercial students are sub 200 hours at some of the 141 programs.
I would be all for the standard if every examinee was held to it the same. But we all know that’s not true. Ive heard of the no if’s and but’s no redo’s and the extreme of 8 go arounds.
If one is going to argue the exam is really about mastery then it should be 3 power off 180’s and you have to succeed 2/3 of them. Did someone get lucky making it once? Might as well make sure it’s not just 50% skill and 50% luck.
makgross@reddit
As they are tested, steep spirals and “emergency descents” per ACS do not have real world applications. And if they did, they would be on the private pilot ACS, not commercial.
Chandelles are only emergency course reversals to instructors that don’t know how to do emergency course reversals. They are nowhere near optimal and real ones are never done like that.
I say again, every commercial maneuver is intended to test mastery of the aircraft, and nothing more.
0621Hertz@reddit
The whole point of the PO180 is not an emergency maneuver, it is an energy management exercise.
That being said, the standards are bullshit. What you can practice on one day will not work on checkride day due to changes in winds, temperature, and air pressure.
It just needs to change to first 1/3 of the runway or first 1,000 feet whatever is shorter.
rogerdoesnotmeanyes@reddit
Which just means it makes even less sense to not allow a go around. If it's an energy management exercise then you should be able to go around if you realize you've set up poorly like you can with the other required landings on the checkride. If the point were for it to be simulated emergency then ok, no go around since you wouldn't have any power if it were real, but then the standard would just be making the runway rather than the precise energy management.
Historical-Pin1069@reddit
Plus the added stress for the checkride and the long ground portion before that all adds up to your judgement, making it easy to make a mistake.
Purgent@reddit
Call it whatever you want, they are one and the same.
Historical-Pin1069@reddit
Not sure how it works in the states but in Canada you tell the examiner your touchdown point and it's usually the 2 line after the runway number. Coming in short -100ft means you land on the first line which is considered a safe landing but that is is a failure too for the checkride lol
Ok_Witness179@reddit
The standard is 200 feet for a po180, not 50. Also, it's not an emergency procedure, it's a performance maneuver for commercial ACS.
For PPL, a simulated engine failure can be done and the expectation is exactly like you said- hit the runway. For Commercial, you're expected to demonstrate a fairly high level of energy management on this and several other maneuvers.
Purgent@reddit
I said 50 feet further than the target. Not within 50.
Chago04@reddit
Seth Lake had a great video where he talked about changes to the CSEL ACS standards that Jason Blair originally recommended. I liked his suggestion. Maybe he will chime in here with actual criteria he’d like to see since I can’t remember or be bothered to look it up right now.
TheCattyWompus@reddit
Back when I was prepping for my commercial checkride, I made it a point to practice power off 180s at as many different airports as I could (including ones I had never been to) on different days in different conditions with different winds on different runways. You need to be confident doing them anywhere and regardless of the winds. If you go into it anticipating an exact scenario, you're going to have a bad time because this stuff will change constantly. Get solid on them doing what I did and you'll be fine!
CompetitiveEnd6974@reddit
It’s not a big deal. You know you can do it so you will on your next try. It’s a very fun maneuver once you stop forcing it. That said, the actual benefit of the commercial ticket is the level of professionalism and preparation you’ll bring to every flight. You’ll never need to do a strafing run at 1000’ AGL or a canyon escape
bhalter80@reddit
Drag is the enemy of lift so if you need less lift pull the nose up more since induced drag is proportional to AOA. If you're in a PA-28 you can pull up the flaps and hold the bar against the stop to get a couple of extra degrees out of them
nightlanding@reddit
Maybe do a few by yourself to firm up your confidence?
My only bust of anything was on my COMM-ME ride, all the engine out stuff went fine except one engine wouldn't restart, so even stuff that wasn't supposed to engine-out was. Then while on downwind the DPE says "do the ILS, put the foggles on", so I do, turn base, tune in the ILS, watch the localizer come in, and followed the needles down to the runway, and land. I got busted for not turning the OBS around so the dial was at runway heading. This has ZERO effect on flying the plane, it is just a reminder of which way to go.
So I had to go back out the next day and go once around the pattern and land with the freaking thing turned to the right number. I had to force myself to be calm and not super annoyed. I expected if he wanted to see an ILS we would do it for real, not turn in from a base leg.
DevilLobstaXI@reddit
Be able to explain what went wrong, this is an extremely common failure especially with the new ACS. I strongly believe you should have the option for a go around, this is in the landing section of the ACS, not the emergency. For future jobs I would not worry, I failed my private and when applying for a job they asked what happened, what I learned, and how it changed my flying I gave clear answers and it played no factor. Go out practice it and manage that airspeed and altitude down, don’t let this get you down just learn and push past.
Aromatic_Eye_8695@reddit
Practice fwd slips. On final get an idea if high or just right. If high do a little slip to put it on your spot.
Normal_Salary9876@reddit
Just relax, think about how the scenario developed, and what you would do if it developed the same way again. I failed my commercial checkride as well, about 15 years ago. I took it again, keeping in mind what went wrong the first time, and passed it. Now I'm a captain and flight instructor for a legacy airline. Just don't give up because of a single bad result; try to gain the most knowledge from what didn't go the way you wanted.
14Three8@reddit
Consider flying right before you take your checkride to get a feel for the conditions
stuck_inmissouri@reddit
I agree with the others: practice. Based on your other responses, I think you might be missing the point on the power off 180. It’s tough because no two are ever alike. So go practice in every condition you can.
Second, those letters of disapproval suck. I have 3 of them. One on the power off 180 during my CFI ride. One during my oral at a 121, then I failed my PC because the recheck was mid way through my sim training and I wasn’t focused on that. Each one was a learning experience, none of them have held me back. I also have more than 20 years of checkride success since those fuck ups.
I’ve been on the other side of the table during job interviews and as an examiner at a large sim training facility. The last thing you want to do is establish a pattern of failures. Your concern shouldn’t be on an interview in 1000 hours. Your concern shouldn’t be having perfect conditions so you can hit spots. Your concern shouldn’t be failing again (being nervous is a good thing though). Your concern should be having confidence in your ability to perform the maneuver to standards regardless of the conditions. If you can’t do it under those conditions, use that ADM and make a good no-go choice.
zkoolie@reddit
What’s a 121 oral like compared to the initial pilot training orals?
stuck_inmissouri@reddit
Know your limitations cold, know what happens when you turn a switch or push a button. Be professional and it’s usually a pleasant experience.
That applies to almost all my experience post-CFI. There’s no need to turn a checkride into a dick measuring contest like so often happens early in your flight experience.
Ambitious-Detail3790@reddit
Better to float past your point than to fall short.
PO 180 is all about energy management. You can always lose energy, but you can’t get it back. The most challenging part of course being when to add flaps. Then you also have ground effect to deal with (ideally using it as a boost).
Lastly, don’t forget about the WIND. It can easily make or break the maneuver. Especially that base to final turn where the headwind can really throw you off. With that in mind, try to keep a constant airspeed all the way down to your round out to keep the maneuver consistent regardless of the conditions.
bigbadcrusher@reddit
Advice my CFI gave me is if you’re slightly long, you can fudge and say you were exactly 200 ft, you can’t fudge being short.
My favorite PO 180 I’ve done so far in training was a 16G24 day 40 degree crosswind (was a direct headwind when bee-lining it for the runway) over trees. Had to get over the trees, then dive it in a little bit. Felt a lot more accomplished with that one when we got it within the box compared to any others I’ve had to do
Historical-Pin1069@reddit
Why to your first sentence? Cause either ways both are a failure if you are not within your touchdown point.
Ambitious-Detail3790@reddit
Good question and you’re absolutely right, but as I elaborated in the following paragraph, it’s preferred to come in with more energy because you can always slow down, but you can’t speed back up.
What I’m getting at is that at least they’re not undershooting, since you really can’t do anything at the end to save the maneuver.
Pale-Coconut-6999@reddit
when there is no fear there is only you. I'll say what someone else told me; Tenacity is what separates the guys who burn out from the guys with 121 and 135 gigs. Just go out there and do what you've been training to do for the last few months.
fixedvving@reddit
My only checkride fail Some friends i know got multiple tries. I didnt Sucks that its a perma mark on your career for something stupid imo You can get hired at airlines with the fail its ok. I made it thru eventually
NeonSays@reddit
This is a partial, how is this a failure lmfao
0621Hertz@reddit
Because your PRD will mark it as an unsatisfactory event, despite failing one maneuver. That’s the FAA’s way of doing it.
Different in Europe, I understand partial failures are a thing over there.
Historical-Pin1069@reddit
In Canada it's considered a partial for as well for 1 component.
Old_Ozarker@reddit
If any future job application asks if you ever failed a checkride, you must be honest about it. Hopefully they'd ask for details and you could explain that. However, if you deny having failed and they find out, your entire career could evaporate. Just be upfront and don't blame the DPE or "circumstances beyond your control."
Historical-Pin1069@reddit
Fly more in different wind conditions. Take note that "No wind" is actually not a good thing as the flaps judgement will be way earlier since there is no drag from the wind. Having some wind is easier to do a P180. Go out there and try it in different types of wind condition. Don't rush the retest until you feel very confident. P180 is the hardest exercise and most failed component anyway as it depends on luck and the wind condition, don't worry about it!
SubarcticFarmer@reddit
I failed my instrument ride. I messed up time, twist, turn, and overshot my turn inbound for a vor-dme off the arc (back before every plane seemed to have an RMI) and bent metal during training.
I honestly spent a lot of time worried about both of them and while I did reference them in my applications with summaries I never was actually asked about them in an interview. I'll never know how much (if any) it may have affected my timeline, but it definitely didn't ruin my career.
FlyingFlowmie@reddit
I did the same exact thing! Definitely sucks getting a failure but if you gonna fail one thing the power off 180 is the one to do! It’s the most common thing anyone fails on. Just go practice them again and you will crush it next time! One positive I got from mine was now with students I can relate better to them when they have failures and also I learned that when I was practicing my 180’s I was doing them well but I wasn’t sure about why they were going well and didn’t look deeper into it.
kyleth3pil0t@reddit
Don’t sweat the retake you’ll do fine. This is the exact checkride I failed back in 2018, and I’m in the left seat of an RJ with a flow date to American next year.
Just trust yourself, your skills, your knowledge and you’ll be fine. This industry is literally all timing anyway.
LoganMartinson@reddit
If you can explain a ride failure easily it’s no biggie. This is that instance
Jrnation8988@reddit
Don’t sweat it. Go up with your instructor and practice the maneuver. You’ll be fine. I failed my instrument checkride because I fucked up a hold; Everything else was perfect. I just got myself turned around and in my head. The DPE even gave me a second shot at it, but I was too nervous at that point. He said that I obviously missed that part, and would have to do it again, but said that if I wanted to still shoot the approach and do the partial panel stuff, we could. I said sure, and I know led it out of the park. Went back up with my instructor a few days later, did nothing but holds, and I was fine. You’ve got this. 1 failure won’t kill you. Just make sure you’re on top of things from here on out.
Lazy_Instruction_274@reddit
I also failed the PO-180 on my comm ride. In my case I was within +-200ft, but the examiner felt I landed too flat and didn’t hold the nose off long enough. In the ACS it says touchdown at the appropriate/proper pitch attitude. The Po-180 is challenging because it requires lots of things at once. With that being said, I know the nerves you’re feeling, I promise you’ll perform better with only having to do one landing! Go get some extra training, you’ll be alright!
D_DJ_W@reddit
I was in the exact situation you are in. No failures until CSEL on the PO180.
Passed the recheck three days later but I was nervous as heck. Definitely helps to know when your recheck will be and try to fly during those conditions to prepare.
Good luck, you got it.
angryshark@reddit
No pressure, you’ll nail it. Relax, hit your numbers and use the Force. Seriously, just relax and do it. You know how.
tooflytotry@reddit
Nobody cares if you’ve failed only one checkride especially if it’s just on the power off 180.
Muted-Rhubarb2143@reddit
In my empirical experience most people float it and the commercial checkride is really about banking enough goodwill by being excellent in every other facet that the examiner looks the other way. Every failed commercial I’ve debriefed with an examiner on where it was the dreaded PO180 that did them in was really a shaky performance that could’ve gone either way.
On a retest you should get a lot of grace. But just be careful because it’s not a manueve and referring to it as one can be a red flag that you have never read the ACS. That’s the kind of stuff I mean when I say goodwill goes a long way and how you can be fucking up without even knowing it.
Only-Figure4829@reddit
There are TONS of pilots hired by the airlines with failures on their record, don’t let it frazzle you. Just learn from it and keep going.
When you do go to your interview just completely own it, you don’t need to over explain. And the thing is, if they invite you to an interview, they already know about the failure and have accepted it. They just want to see how you can handle the explanation.
rFlyingTower@reddit
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
Hey guys, seeking a little insight and advice. As the title says I failed my commercial everything was perfect except I floated my 180 too far down the runway. Really sucks since I’ve been nailing that maneuver for over a month. I have a retest on Thursday for just that one maneuver. It’s kinda nerve racking going back just to do one landing. It makes me even more nervous to think of failing again. I guess I’m just looking for advice or help on how to deal with that pressure. Also I want to make a career out of flying and this is my first failure kinda worried it’s going to affect my job opportunity later down the road any advice on that would be appreciated.
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