DaCat1989

Well, I failed my LOE.

I don't know if I can feel any lower than I already do. This is my first 121 with no prior experience in the field. First jet. Basically, all i've flown before were piston's, a king air and twin otters.

I need helpful advice from those out there that have gone through what i'm currently going through or anyone thats feeling generous. I study and work my butt off. Now, I feel like giving up.

Basically what i'm asking is, how do you move on? What can I do get rid of this feeling because I feel like either the 121 world isn't for me or just give up aviation. I love flying with all my heart.

Doesn't help the fact that my evaluator told me that my ride was horrible DURING the LOE and made sure I knew. He repeated himself multiple times that it was bad. As far as i'm concerned, the FOI doesn't say to bring your students down especially in the middle of a check ride. I didn't break any FARs, clearances or limitations of the aircraft. He just thought that I was deficient. I feel like this training department expects perfection. I've talked to other new hires and they have all felt the same. Those that don't have prior 121 that is.

Anyways, no excuses. Any advice from anyone would be greatly appreciated! One fellow aviator looking for advice.

Thanks guys!

HIFLYR

Two choices either quit or self analyze your performance and the instructors comments and take steps to do a better performance. The evaluator should remain neutral until the ride is over or until the students performance dictates otherwise. Expressions like that should be only given if the ride is stopped or in the debrief. Good Luck

rickair7777

Get a few beers or whatever, have a good night's sleep. Dust yourself off and try again...assuming you have another strike or two you definitely want to try to finish the training. Going from 91 to 121 jet is probably the toughest training transition you'll have to make.

Ask for a different evaluator (this should be automatic, but still ask). Make sure they give you a few days before a re-check.

Do an honest self-evaluation, talk to your sim buddy and any pre-checkride sim instructors. Does the airline have a reputation for crappy training? If so maybe you just needed a better environment.

The good news is that if you had to fail a 121 event, this will be the least damaging one career-wise since it's your first.

bedrock

The good news is that such a failure isn't a death sentence in this environment. The thing you need to do is evaluate where you went wrong and work on that. Is it IFR skills, decision making, airspeed control, or what. Pilots are needed all over the place. Maybe take a step back, find a job that will give you some PIC experience in the areas you need to improve, then come back to the regionals after another 500 hrs or so. It is my experience from second and first hand knowledge that a certain amt. of instructors in 121 have never been CFI's, they don't know the first thing about FOI's or care. Unfortuately, there is a kind of military attitude of "let's try to wash him out" that exists, rather than let's give him the tools to be a good FO. I've run into this from a FEW instructors at my airline. A friend of mine who is a good pilot, interviewed at Eagle years ago; he had close to 2000 hrs, about 800 of it multi, IFR in complex twins flying hard single pilot IFR night freight. The interviewer rode his butt the entire check, criticized him, and then after he failed the sim ride, told him he didn't know how to fly. This friend is now at Delta and doing fine.

NotPart91

What's your opinion of video/audio taping his performance during practice runs and sit down with an instructor for analysis and fine tuning.

Major Sports Teams do it, the Mil and other entities do it why wouldn't it be beneficial to try it in the cockpit?

sourdough44

You really have to keep that chin up and continue on. Most 121 programs now of of the 'AQP' type, a little extra training here and there is not unusual at all. One would preferably have that extra training during regular events rather than come through failure of a 'validation'.

One really has to put forward the effort, and be sure to grab that 'low hanging fruit'. You can't expect a lot of free time, and one has to keep the mind engaged with the material. That low hanging fruit may be having a good recall of expected manual material, limitations, systems, operating rules, policies, Ect..

After that it's the sim flying, sprinkled with malfunctions, checklist management and various scenarios. There may be 6 things you need to do, but you must prioritize and keep safety of flight paramount.

Many of us have been there. I remember back a few decades, I was almost in over my head. My mantra was, 'they can kick me out but I'll NEVER quit'. I see some that expect to be spoon fed. I think most of us are capable of much more than we normally accomplish.

Just some general thoughts, good luck. One thing to add, there are instructors than can be a bumhole. One needs thick skin, nod your head several times, and move on.

DaCat1989

Thank you everyone for the helpful tips. I will continue on. Thanks again

JohnBurke

Your training department may not expect perfection, but you're not in the little leagues any more. This isn't ma and pa kettle's flight school. Have you ever worked 135? Ever taken any kind of checkride other than for a certificate or rating? Ever flown a complex aircraft (not one with retractable landing gear and cowl flaps, etc)?

You say "evaluator." Do you mean check airman?

Grow some thicker skin. Of course the practical test standards don't dictate that an examiner or inspector "bring a student down." It's not in the PTS. It's also irrelevant.

I had a check airman on a line check start barking about my airspeed. I was in the right seat. My airspeed was correct. "Don't look at your airspeed!" he barked. "Look at mine. Mine is the only one that counts!" Idiotic, but he's the check airman. On arrival, same thing. "Airspeed." My airspeed was fine. I said so. "**** airspeed! Fly pitch!" He screeched. --Later turned out to be a nice guy, perhaps just having a bad day, but terribly wrong. My point? Deal with it.

You have a union? They're representing your training failure? You're probably on probation, but union representation is still important, and in most cases you're given an opportunity to do a little more training and re-test. If your stewards are worth their weight in salt, that is...even for probationary pilots.

You indicated that you didn't do anything wrong. A check airman can't simply fail you for no reason; there had to be something to this bust, other than he didn't think you were up to the task. There's no space on the form for that. The story, as presented, is not complete.

rube

I busted my captain ride at a 135 operation, around 1999. Go for a run, hang out with your dog, make sure you have your ducks in a row. Pink slips happen, it just wasn't your day.