Hello to all, I was wondering what a normal checkride for a 757/767 pilot looks like. Are they asking to perform all types of approaches, engine failure, stalls, and how often are they done, 6 months or 1 year? Also how strict are the checkrides, do you have to land right on the centerline to pass? Can you make a mistake on the checkride like bouncing on landing or exceeding 1 dot on the ILS without failing? And if you fail do you loose your ATP or do they just keep you in the simulator for more training? Thank You.:-wave

november678x,Lots of good questions there sir!Let's see if I can answer them....1) I penned a series of "Column" articles about my "training cycle" almost two years ago when I was coming off almost a year of medical leave ( http://www.frugalsworld.com/columns/BBall.shtml .... go to the very bottom of the page, and scroll up. I titled them "You Mean I Actually Have To Go Back To Work?" parts 1 through 4). It will probably answer most all of your questions, but..2) Yes, we have to preform lots of manuvers to within "ATP standards" (I don't remember exactly what that entails, but I think it's roughly + or - 50' of altitude, + or - 5 kts of airpseed, 1/2 dot glideslope error...etc). These may include (not every checkride will have all of these...the check airman is required to see some things, ie, engine out ILS to minimums, but some things he/she can include or not...their choice): stalls, steep banked turns, rejected take-offs, precision and non-precision approaches (with and without engine failures), flight control malfunctions, missed approaches, holding patterns, normal take-offs and landings, windshear recovery....and some I'm sure I'm forgetting. Sounds like fun, eh?3) We used to be required to do it every six months, now (because of some other types of training we do) we only do it once a year.4) The checkairmen can be very strict, or not (I was a checkairman on the Boeing 727 back in the '80s). Again, the have rather exact standards to test against, but you can mess some things up and still pass (they better not be REALLY important things, and you better not mess up lots of them). Basically, every Flight Instructor (and check airman) can tell how someone is going to do within the first few minutes of the oral exam (yep, one of those is involved too), and I can tell how someone is going to fly by how they taxi the airplane. Most everyone comes to the party VERY prepared...we take it pretty seriously.5) In the old days, if you flunked a checkride, you were "off line status" (off the payroll), and your job was in rather serious jeopardy. You almost always got to retake the check, but if you porked it up again, adios! Nowadays, you probably won't get fired, but you'll be sweating bullets while your getting more training, and you BETTER NOT mess it up a second time. Also, if anyone has trouble getting through one of these things...they'll have surprise "line checks" from company (and/or FAA) folks on the jumpseat of the real aircraft watching their operation for the next many moons.Hope that answers some of your questions...take care,BBall---------------------Capt. William "BBall" BallBoeing 757, Northwest AirlinesSenior Editorwww.frugalsworld.com

>2) Yes, we have to preform lots of manuvers to within "ATP >standards" (I don't remember exactly what that entails, but >I think it's roughly + or - 50' of altitude, + or - 5 kts of >airpseed, 1/2 dot glideslope error...etc). That

Actually, yes most assuredly during low vis operations. Realize that one very seldom finds fog and strong winds, so they don't tend to mix that stuff in the simulator. When they give us gusty crosswinds, it's usually with VFR weather. Also, they realize that airspeed flucuations will be the norm, so the parameters "loosen" just a bit for that stuff :D.take care,BBall----------------------Capt. William "BBall" BallBoeing 757, Northwest AirlinesSenior Editorwww.frugalsworld.com

When you are good, you don't have to worry about acceptance criteria-"Some People Just Know How to Fly""These figures are guidelines and not ment to replace replace evaluator or instructor professional judgement" (I just love that statement) Lets look over his shoulder while he.....Maneuver Parameter ToleranceTakeoff (normal) Heading +/-5 IAS +/-5knts Altitude +/-100ftT/O w/eng fail +/- 10 +/- 5knts +100/-50ft 0 sink B4leveloffTerminal Area +/- 10 +/- 10knts +/- 100ftSteep Turns +/- 10 +/- 10knts +/-100ft +/- 10 dgrss rolloutHandflown ILS 1/2 dot LOC 1 dot GS +/-5kntsall eng/one inopNon-Precision App +/-5 degrees +/-5 knts 1/2 dot LOCMissed Apprch +/-5 degrees +/-5knts +/- 100ft(- one engine) +/- 10 +/-5knts +/-100ftLanding Touchdown in TD Zone (guess Impacts are OK too)No doubt this chart will get shifted when I post it, but you get the idea...be accurate, be knowledgeable, be smooth, good situational awareness will get you thru any ride.There are about 8 maneuvers that have to be donce successfully, and an additional 6 out of 22 that have to be added to the mix. They mostly deal with failures etc...Sat/Unsat?????Timothy

Hmm I'd better get practising ;-). Usually I can hold most of those, but PIC is ONLY a sim.

WHEW!Damn Tim.....after reading all of those, it's a wonder I've passed any of my checkrides! :DBBall-------------------Capt. William "BBall" BallBoeing 757, Northwest AirlinesSenior Editorwww.frugalsworld.com

Just to add.... here in the UK, BA 757/767 pilots are required to do their checkrides every 6 months in the simulators, and every 6 months someone will jumpseat on their flight to make sure they're doing everything correctly :-)

How about a bounce on the landing? Can that cause you to flunk the checkride even though you did everything else right? Thank You. :-)

We don't wonder Bill, we just do it......it is easier to accomplish than getting all that stuff to line up on the post here!Tim757 (Master of the Trivial)

Depends, was there a fire or bent aluminum? On the sims (the big bucks, full motion sims) it is kinda hard to judge height down to the "gnat's tail-section" and with all the other stuff like engine-out, winds 230@20G35, FO collapsed, partial failure of everything, F/A calling from Galley asking our arrival time, ATC switching runway and a truck pulling onto the active a smooth touchdown is rather difficult.The biggest thing is do you have control of the airplane, or does it have control of you? That is where the instructor's judgement comes in. And a bounce can be just coming light on the gear again or having one take-off and 3 landings for one flight.Its kinda the difference between a casual "Oops" vs an "OHHH 'Expeletive Deleted'..." IMPACT on the CVR.Timothy

NV,Dont' know......I've never bounced a landing. :D :DTim,We should show this thread at contract time, eh?:DBBall------------------Capt. William "BBall" BallBoeing 757, Northwest AirlinesSenior Editorwww.frugalsworld.com

BillNaw, better not, then they will want to know how we get to access this thru ACARS.Tim757