what a difference!

[Chris]

A couple of weeks ago in Florida I passed the Commercial airplane knowledge
test and scored 96. A couple of the questions I got wrong were on the
weather services and particularly the name of the charts. Not being in the
US means that whilst I know what's on the charts the names get a bit mixed
up. It is all about context. I finished the exam in about 90 minutes.

This summer I plan to complete the commercial on the route to becoming a
CFI.

To be able to instruct in the UK on the FAA syllabus and get paid for it, I
also need to be a JAR FI. Again to do that I need to pass the JAR
commercial. The requirements are similar except for the knowledge tests.

Some of you maybe Bob G might be interested to see the exam schedule for the
Commercial. It goes like this:

Day1

Principles of Flight Aircraft 0900-0945
General Knowledge 1000-1230
Flight Performance and Planning 1330-1630
Daily Total 6 hours 15 mins

Day2
Navigation 0900-1030
Meteorology 1100-1230
Operational Procedures 1330-1415
Air Law 1430-1515
Human Performance & Limitations 1530-1600
VFR Communications 1615-1645
Daily Total 5 hours 30 mins

The results come though 10 days later. Each exam costs $100 so that is $900
for the lot. However to get signed off for the exams one needs to attend a
compulsory 2 week residential course even if doing the bulk of the course by
distance learning.

Thankfully there are no more exams for the FI other than progress tests
during the course of training.

The instrument rating requires 7 more examinations again over 2 days and
about 9 hours.

Those poor sods going on to do the ATPL do 14 exams over 4 days.

Needless to say one asks why the hell does one do it. There is a chronic
shortage of stable FIs not knocking up time to go on to become ATPs. I would
like to be able to keep flying whilst cutting back on the regular work as I
get older. But it is one heck of an investment.

Chris

[Bob Gardner]

As a designated written test examiner, back in the days before computer
testing, I had the privilege of administering exams to UK and Aussie pilots
who were in Seattle training with Boeing. I don't think that many US pilots
could pass one of those exams without much more training than they get
today...quickie courses, online tests, etc. I was especially impressed by
the Australian ATP exam...many essay questions compared to the
multiple-guess test that we take here in the colonies.

Bob Gardner

"Chris" > wrote in message
...
>A couple of weeks ago in Florida I passed the Commercial airplane knowledge
>test and scored 96. A couple of the questions I got wrong were on the
>weather services and particularly the name of the charts. Not being in the
>US means that whilst I know what's on the charts the names get a bit mixed
>up. It is all about context. I finished the exam in about 90 minutes.
>
> This summer I plan to complete the commercial on the route to becoming a
> CFI.
>
> To be able to instruct in the UK on the FAA syllabus and get paid for it,
> I also need to be a JAR FI. Again to do that I need to pass the JAR
> commercial. The requirements are similar except for the knowledge tests.
>
> Some of you maybe Bob G might be interested to see the exam schedule for
> the Commercial. It goes like this:
>
> Day1
>
> Principles of Flight Aircraft 0900-0945
> General Knowledge 1000-1230
> Flight Performance and Planning 1330-1630
> Daily Total 6 hours 15 mins
>
> Day2
> Navigation 0900-1030
> Meteorology 1100-1230
> Operational Procedures 1330-1415
> Air Law 1430-1515
> Human Performance & Limitations 1530-1600
> VFR Communications 1615-1645
> Daily Total 5 hours 30 mins
>
> The results come though 10 days later. Each exam costs $100 so that is
> $900 for the lot. However to get signed off for the exams one needs to
> attend a compulsory 2 week residential course even if doing the bulk of
> the course by distance learning.
>
> Thankfully there are no more exams for the FI other than progress tests
> during the course of training.
>
> The instrument rating requires 7 more examinations again over 2 days and
> about 9 hours.
>
> Those poor sods going on to do the ATPL do 14 exams over 4 days.
>
> Needless to say one asks why the hell does one do it. There is a chronic
> shortage of stable FIs not knocking up time to go on to become ATPs. I
> would like to be able to keep flying whilst cutting back on the regular
> work as I get older. But it is one heck of an investment.
>
> Chris
>
>
>

[Chris]

I am going to sign up for the commercial course in two weeks. What the hell,
the worst it will do is deepen my knowledge and that's no bad thing anyway.
And the cost? Weight that against the sense of achievement.

Chris

"Bob Gardner" > wrote in message
. ..
> As a designated written test examiner, back in the days before computer
> testing, I had the privilege of administering exams to UK and Aussie
> pilots who were in Seattle training with Boeing. I don't think that many
> US pilots could pass one of those exams without much more training than
> they get today...quickie courses, online tests, etc. I was especially
> impressed by the Australian ATP exam...many essay questions compared to
> the multiple-guess test that we take here in the colonies.
>
> Bob Gardner
>
> "Chris" > wrote in message
> ...
>>A couple of weeks ago in Florida I passed the Commercial airplane
>>knowledge test and scored 96. A couple of the questions I got wrong were
>>on the weather services and particularly the name of the charts. Not being
>>in the US means that whilst I know what's on the charts the names get a
>>bit mixed up. It is all about context. I finished the exam in about 90
>>minutes.
>>
>> This summer I plan to complete the commercial on the route to becoming a
>> CFI.
>>
>> To be able to instruct in the UK on the FAA syllabus and get paid for it,
>> I also need to be a JAR FI. Again to do that I need to pass the JAR
>> commercial. The requirements are similar except for the knowledge tests.
>>
>> Some of you maybe Bob G might be interested to see the exam schedule for
>> the Commercial. It goes like this:
>>
>> Day1
>>
>> Principles of Flight Aircraft 0900-0945
>> General Knowledge 1000-1230
>> Flight Performance and Planning 1330-1630
>> Daily Total 6 hours 15 mins
>>
>> Day2
>> Navigation 0900-1030
>> Meteorology 1100-1230
>> Operational Procedures 1330-1415
>> Air Law 1430-1515
>> Human Performance & Limitations 1530-1600
>> VFR Communications 1615-1645
>> Daily Total 5 hours 30 mins
>>
>> The results come though 10 days later. Each exam costs $100 so that is
>> $900 for the lot. However to get signed off for the exams one needs to
>> attend a compulsory 2 week residential course even if doing the bulk of
>> the course by distance learning.
>>
>> Thankfully there are no more exams for the FI other than progress tests
>> during the course of training.
>>
>> The instrument rating requires 7 more examinations again over 2 days and
>> about 9 hours.
>>
>> Those poor sods going on to do the ATPL do 14 exams over 4 days.
>>
>> Needless to say one asks why the hell does one do it. There is a chronic
>> shortage of stable FIs not knocking up time to go on to become ATPs. I
>> would like to be able to keep flying whilst cutting back on the regular
>> work as I get older. But it is one heck of an investment.
>>
>> Chris
>>
>>
>>
>
>

[Chris]

Well Bob, I have decided to bite the bullet and take the 14 exams of the
ATPL. Needless to say the exam schedule goes into a day three. I aim to
instruct and need the commercial. Unfortunately to carry forward the FAA/IR
onto a JAR CPL means doing the ATPL exams.
Ironically the CPL/IR will also be a frozen ATPL defrosted at 1500 hours.
The studying will take the next 12 - 18 months part time and as I will be 52
next birthday it is a big ask along with the job commitments.

I will keep you guys in touch with progress. In the meantime I will keep the
CAX warm for the next year or so and come over to the US to do the FAA
commercial training and checkride, add to it the additional stuff for the
JAR commercial and checkride and instrument checkride too. That at least
should keep the cost down still I feel as I will be adding 1% to the growth
of the economy all on my own:)

The FAA /IR is worth sh1t in a JAA registered aircraft and there are 7 exams
15 extra hours of training and a checkride ($1200) to make a FAA IR into a
JAA/IR.

Chris

"Bob Gardner" > wrote in message
. ..
> As a designated written test examiner, back in the days before computer
> testing, I had the privilege of administering exams to UK and Aussie
> pilots who were in Seattle training with Boeing. I don't think that many
> US pilots could pass one of those exams without much more training than
> they get today...quickie courses, online tests, etc. I was especially
> impressed by the Australian ATP exam...many essay questions compared to
> the multiple-guess test that we take here in the colonies.
>
> Bob Gardner
>
> "Chris" > wrote in message
> ...
>>A couple of weeks ago in Florida I passed the Commercial airplane
>>knowledge test and scored 96. A couple of the questions I got wrong were
>>on the weather services and particularly the name of the charts. Not being
>>in the US means that whilst I know what's on the charts the names get a
>>bit mixed up. It is all about context. I finished the exam in about 90
>>minutes.
>>
>> This summer I plan to complete the commercial on the route to becoming a
>> CFI.
>>
>> To be able to instruct in the UK on the FAA syllabus and get paid for it,
>> I also need to be a JAR FI. Again to do that I need to pass the JAR
>> commercial. The requirements are similar except for the knowledge tests.
>>
>> Some of you maybe Bob G might be interested to see the exam schedule for
>> the Commercial. It goes like this:
>>
>> Day1
>>
>> Principles of Flight Aircraft 0900-0945
>> General Knowledge 1000-1230
>> Flight Performance and Planning 1330-1630
>> Daily Total 6 hours 15 mins
>>
>> Day2
>> Navigation 0900-1030
>> Meteorology 1100-1230
>> Operational Procedures 1330-1415
>> Air Law 1430-1515
>> Human Performance & Limitations 1530-1600
>> VFR Communications 1615-1645
>> Daily Total 5 hours 30 mins
>>
>> The results come though 10 days later. Each exam costs $100 so that is
>> $900 for the lot. However to get signed off for the exams one needs to
>> attend a compulsory 2 week residential course even if doing the bulk of
>> the course by distance learning.
>>
>> Thankfully there are no more exams for the FI other than progress tests
>> during the course of training.
>>
>> The instrument rating requires 7 more examinations again over 2 days and
>> about 9 hours.
>>
>> Those poor sods going on to do the ATPL do 14 exams over 4 days.
>>
>> Needless to say one asks why the hell does one do it. There is a chronic
>> shortage of stable FIs not knocking up time to go on to become ATPs. I
>> would like to be able to keep flying whilst cutting back on the regular
>> work as I get older. But it is one heck of an investment.
>>
>> Chris
>>
>>
>>
>
>