A rough day at the officeFollow

As many of you know, I am a helicopter pilot in NorCal. Every year I have to take a test of my knowledge and skills that aviators call a checkride. Now checkrides come in many different types and styles ranging from the Santa Claus ride where the checkairman says "Ho ho ho!" and dispenses passing grades like presents to all good little children to the mean Grinch-like checkpilot who grudgingly passes people as if he only has a limited supply of passing grades.

Yesterday was my turn in the barrel.

The evening before we had a replacement aircraft arrive from down south which meant that the bird we were flying would become the checkride bird. The upshot of this means a new weight & balance needs to be crafted and all paperwork must be kosher-- which normally it is, but when switching equipment from one aircraft to another, can get mixed up or even lost.

So I came in early for my shift, which, incidentally, begins at 0700, but I showed up at 0600 to make sure all my ducks were in a row. It turns out that was a good thing, because a whole series of problems cropped up resulting in me just finishing my tasks at 0900, five minutes before the checkairman showed up on the landing pad.

There were two of us getting our annual test done yesterday, so while the checkairman snagged me, the other instructor grabbed John and started his training. So off they went. As they lifted off the checkairman looks at me and says, "I suppose we can beging on your oral examination now."

My mind stuttered and I think I might of actually said "Whaaaaa?" before I closed my mouth. I hadn't even gotten any refresher training and the guy was starting in on me! From that point on I wasn't finished with my exam until 1930 that evening. Arrrrgh. He beat me up one side and down the other. He grilled me on systems, procedures, limitations, emergency operations, normal protocols, and FAA regulations. If I knew an answer he'd delve deeper and further until I had exhausted my knowledge base and then silently write down copious notes on a clipboard. Then after John returned from his training flight the two checkairmen switched and he began to be interrogated.

My training flight went well as I expected, but when I came back to the hospital, he began asking me more questions. Some time later we went on the actual flight portion of the test--which lasted three and a half hours and finshed at 7:30 that night.

An oral and written test, a training and evaluation flight, and another oral exam at the end was the entire sequence of the event.

As he shook my hand and said goodbye, he walked through the door, turned around and said, "Oh yeah, you passed." Lol, I about fainted right then and there. I didn't know what the outcome of the whole test had been until that moment.

John called me this morning, he asked me if I passed. When I told him I didn't know until the final moment he laughed hard and said he had the same experience about an hour earlier. We were laughing so hard from the refief from stress tears were coming from my eyes. Then we agreed we needn't let the guys who are scheduled to check today know a thing about it-- they need an opportunity to experience the joy and wonder of an FAA checkride.

Seriously? My worst ride prior to this was back in the Army during an instrument ride, which lasted six hours. This one yesterday blew that one out of the water by an additional four and a half hours.

I need a drink. A really big, big drink.

Totem

Lol, if was freaking brutal.

Totem

Well done indeed. Grats on passing your little pop quiz.

He so blasted the inside of his pants as he walked out the door.

You were used.

Chuffed, stuffed, and puffed, baby. Mrs. Totem's getting lucky tonight.

Totem