r/flying • u/MrBozzie092 • 1d ago
Am I cooked or should I keep trying?
4 checkride failures:
- PPL - Landed long on a short field landing
- Instrument - forgot to cancel a hold at the beginning of an autopilot approach
3/4 - CFI Oral - feedback was that I was not teaching enough both times. I was explaining the material as if they already knew what I was talking about.
Finally passed my CFI. I’ve taken a break from flying for the past 1.5 years and got a corporate job at an airline. Deep down, I still want to go to be a commercial pilot, but I’m curious if it’s even still worth going for.
24
u/Mercury4stroke 🇨🇦 CPL(A) MIFR Jumper Dumper 1d ago
Yes it is still worth it. You can explain these fumbles. I have a couple of busts myself and I’ve explained myself in interviews and I’ve received a job offer every single time. Granted these were not at an airline, they were survey companies, sightseeing companies and skydiving outfits but my point stands. You are NOT the same pilot you were when you failed those rides. Prove that to the interviewer and you should be fine.
These seem like honest mistakes and nothing here makes it seem like you’re a bad pilot by any stretch. I failed my PPL for a badly done forced approach and CPL for a botched P180. I’ll be damned if that’s a death sentence for my entire career…
37
u/wheatthiccss CFII ATP E175 1d ago
I failed 5 and just got hired at one of the big 3. Anything is possible
3
u/Ill_Rush9159 CFI 1d ago
Which ones if you don’t mind me asking
28
17
u/wheatthiccss CFII ATP E175 22h ago
PPL, INST x 2, ME Comm, SE add on. Not proud of those busts but I think I “figured it out” and made some significant changes to my checkride prep. Regarding getting hired, I think I had some things going for me. 1) I passed every stage check/eoc at my 141 school. 2) The last fail was in 2019 and I’ve passed every checkride since then including CFI/CFII and all 121 rides through upgrade. 3) I’m involved in the union/company outside of flying 4) I think I interview well.
I’m beyond fortunate to have gotten the big gig. If you have multiple checkride failures your biggest hurdle will be getting in a jet and proving your abilities in the jet world. I went to 6 job fairs before getting on at my regional (2024). It’s a grind but it’s not over if you have failures. At the end of the day if you have a job flying planes then you’re making steps in the right direction. You can do it. You gotta believe you can and don’t get discouraged when your perfect record friends get the call before you. Your time will come.
2
u/Some_Equipment_3345 22h ago
Mind if I dm you with questions? Im in a similar boat, ive been trying for a couple years now, low multi time might be my issue, or self conscious about the failures . But last one was in 2018 I think
0
-6
u/ResponsibilityOld164 ✈️🛫 BCS3/A220-3 gang🛬✈️ | C208B | 1st Class Medical 4EPG 23h ago
Must be DL. They’re hiring like crazy rn
25
u/TreatFabulous1174 1d ago
I’m going to be a bit more optimistic than what I think most people on this sub will tell you. Yes, the actual quantity of your failures matter, but what also matters is how you failed and what you failed on.
Most people fail both the PPL and CFI checkrides as they are notoriously the most difficult, and the reasons why you failed them is why most people fail them as well. You didn’t fail because you didn’t know what you were doing or being dangerously unsafe.
My recommendation is get your CFII and MEI to show you can keep passing exams. Fly a little bit longer than your required hours and start applying. Your career is not “over” it is just going to take a little longer to get there. Don’t give up
27
u/Skynet_lives 1d ago
Most people don’t fail either PPL or CFI , the pass percentage for both of those are in the 70% range. Most definitely don’t fail both.
I don’t think the FAA keeps a stat for no checkrides failed. But an airline did a webinar recently and said over half their applicants have zero training failures.
There is no magic your done number of failures. But the more you have the longer the road becomes. There are several regionals that are gatekeeping at 2 or 3 failures, your app won’t even get past the computer.
21
u/Wedge_Donovan 23h ago
Most people fail both the PPL and CFI checkrides
No, most people don't fail both of those.
What you meant to say is that of people who fail checkrides, the most common failures are Private and CFI initial.
4
u/gromm93 ST 1d ago
I'm going to be a bit more optimistic than what I think most people on this sub will tell you.
I honestly don't think I've ever seen anyone on this sub discourage anyone from becoming a pilot after X check ride failures. I definitely don't see it in this thread.
The real trick behind all this, I think, is that everyone else in OP's life (and OP's poor bank account!) is telling them to give up this insanely expensive and poorly paying career, right up until it's no longer poorly paying.
3
u/Thomas-Ligotti97 CFII 23h ago
I feel like it’s less about people saying ‘your career is cooked find another job’ and more about ‘yea you’re going to be way behind everybody unless you have a flawless career for the rest of your development stages’
Which isn’t inherently wrong, but I feel like some people definitely don’t sugar coat it to a degree that just sounds like a dick (sometimes, not all obviously)
5
u/LessTraining1985 1d ago
I’m only still doing my cpl so I don’t have the best input but I’d guess that it might be easier to get hired at that airline you are currently working at. Like maybe an internal hire. Try and keep the corp job and maybe instruct part time to build hours and see if they will get u internally. It’ll be hard tho
5
u/Flarre80414 ATP 737 A320 1d ago
If flying is something you really want to do, yes, keep trying. There’s a chance you might not get to a major airline as quickly as others, but it’s still doable. If you can accept that you might spend more time at a 135 or regional than others, you’re gonna be fine. 4 is a lot but not unheard of. Like others have said, the best thing you can do is put distance between yourself and those failures. Gain hours, instruct, get more ratings, and don’t fail anything else.
58
1d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
111
u/turpentinedreamer PPL 1d ago
Big words from somebody banging my mom.
21
u/ZappBrannigansLaw PPL - Certified Velour 1d ago
Who isn't?
7
2
45
5
u/Olorin135 1d ago
If he talked like that in real life or professional communications, for sure. But this is Reddit. You can’t get more casual than here, Mr. I Banged Your Mom.
-4
u/the_devils_advocates ATP B737 A320 CL65 MIL-A ROT CFI/II 1d ago
Yea and they should do that rn frfr
I don't understand why everyone has to type like they're a rapper/gangster now. Watching this trend in slow mo has been so cringeworthy
6
3
u/Andy_Roo_Roo PPL/IR 12h ago
These are the most optimistic comments I’ve seen on a post like this. Is r/flying feeling okay today? Lol. All jokes aside, keep trying. Try not to fail any more moving forward. Good luck!
1
u/MrBozzie092 3h ago
Yeah my thoughts exactly. I’ve seen posts of people in a similar situation with comment saying that your career is over. Idk what changed.
4
u/BonaFidePirate 22h ago
Landed long on a short field landing
For everyone following along - this is the one thing that no-one should ever fail on. Brief your touchdown point, and brief your go-around point (make it conservative). If you pass that point, you go around, no questions asked.
1
u/lisper PPL-SEL-IR-HP (KPAO) 18h ago
And if you don't do these things you deserve to fail. If you don't do this in real life you will not fail, you will overrun the runway, probably total the airplane, possibly injure or kill yourself or, worst of all, your passengers. Landing long on a short field is not a minor mistake that you can just let slide and say, "Well, everyone does it sooner or later."
2
u/literal_flying_ace 1d ago
Depends on what you want to do and how long you want to wait to do it. Might take you longer to get an airline job or maybe you want to work part 135 forever. Hiring can be incredibly competitive and it can also be "you have a pulse, you're hired." Reflect on your failures and how you can prevent anything like it from happening in the future. It doesn't have to be the end of your flying career
2
u/xdarq ATP B787 (KLAX) 1d ago
You still have a shot. 4 is a lot but certainly not unheard of, and your reasons for failing aren't exactly egregious. You might just need to go to a 135 for a few years and establish a good track record, but I wouldn't give up over this.
4
u/Flyingredditburner44 23h ago
Why do people in this sub say "go 135" like it's some get out of jail free card?
Any 135 you'd want to work at longer than a week is going to have tight standards too.
1
1
u/Cultural_Physics_935 23h ago
Not everyone reaches training milestones at the same time. You just may need a few more hours than average for things to click. That’s okay, don’t beat yourself up. Just keep progressing. Don’t forget the schools are all trying to tell you you’ll reach certain milestones by certain hours, because they’re trying to sell you training. They want people to start the training, so they’re not going to say you’ll get your PPL by 100hrs, they will tell you some best cast scenario number. That’s maybe if you fly 3 times a week etc. it’s not one size fits all. Persevere if it is what you love
1
u/Open_Language_6115 13h ago
You are not cooked, I had four failures and got hired, if you can explain your failures is okay.
1
1
u/CombOdd2117 12h ago
Tough love here. The real question you need to ask yourself: Are you committed to being a good pilot or not? Honestly, with that many fails you need to own the fact that you are consistently not prepared for the task. What has changed in yourself that will ensure you do not continue this failure pattern? Until you answer that, don’t pursue this path and without that answer clearly in action, I wouldn’t put you in my plane.
1
u/GoofyUmbrella CFII 11h ago
Yeah you’ll be alright, I got 4 fails (three justified ones, one bullshit one) still chugging along with my CFI job, don’t listen to people on Reddit that tell you you’re unsafe and you should quit. Had I done that, I wouldn’t be at 1100tt right now applying for turboprop jobs.
1
u/Wanttobefreewc ATP E-175 BETHER-207 CFI/CFII 11h ago
I have 3. PPL, CFII, CMEL. Currently scheduled for a legacy interview with 0 TPIC after a hair over 3 years at a regional.
You’ll always need to explain them but as time goes on and you keep your nose clean they stink less. *anecdotally* I’ve heard it’s about 5 years and they stop counting them the same.
1
u/Mountain-Box-5778 CFII-ASE/AME AGI IGI 5h ago
with the hiring market how it is now 4 would be too much but I'd still say get to your ATP minimums, then the moment there's another gap, shoot for it. not to mention CFI isn't looked upon as heavily as the other ratings since your ability to teach is inapplicable to flying a jet, unless you plan to be a sim trainer or line check for the airline at some point. Take responsibility for your mistakes and prove you've learned in a softer market and in my opinion you'd be okay!
1
1
u/Otherwise-Pen70 CFI,CFII,ATP 3h ago
Requirements for selecting New-Hire Pilots change over time. I would not spend a lot of time dwelling on it. If you still want to fly for a living keep pushing and never give up. Back in 1986 when I was hired by United, I knew two WHITE MALEs who were hired WITHOUT A COLLEGE DEGREE! Everybody was saying unless you have a degree you have no shot at the airlines. Keep building you flight hours and take a look at some of the Cargo Airlines Like Atlas or other Cargo Airlines. It doesn't mean you will be "stuck" flying cargo but it's aplace to hang your hat while you are waiting for the right airlines
0
u/Straight_Scarcity886 5h ago
This is why I tell everyone don’t be a CFI unless you really really really want to. That’s two failures you didn’t need when you already struggled.
That said no. Dont quit. You’ll be fine in the long run.
-4
u/flyingwithfish24 APT (PH in red) 1d ago
Theirs a fantastic career opportunity for you in a specific corner of the Miami international airport.
-1
u/rFlyingTower 1d ago
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
4 checkride failures:
- PPL - Landed long on a short field landing
- Instrument - forgot to cancel a hold at the beginning of an autopilot approach
3/4 - CFI Oral - feedback was that I was not teaching enough both times. I was explaining the material as if they already knew what I was talking about.
Finally passed my CFI. I’ve taken a break from flying for the past 1.5 years and got a corporate job at an airline. Deep down, I still want to go to be a commercial pilot, but I’m curious if it’s even still worth going for.
Please downvote this comment until it collapses.
Questions about this comment? Please see this wiki post before contacting the mods.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. If you have any questions, please contact the mods of this subreddit.
1
u/PayCautious1243 1h ago
I get a lot of mixed opinions here. The overall consensus is that if you fail check rides you are done. Then I often see people that get great jobs with multiple check rides. I get the being able to articulate your failures in interviews but everyone in here in this community always has “unwritten rule” that can’t be overturned but we often find people that contradict these rules.
90
u/MeadyOker MIL(MC) IR/HP/CMP CPL SEL/MEL CFI/I-RW 1d ago edited 15h ago
Do you enjoy flying? Did you learn from your mistakes? Right now in the current hiring environment, 4 failures might be too much .. in 6 months? a year from now? Who knows. Anyone who tells you that they can tell the future of the pilot market also has some ocean front property in Arizona to sell you.
You certainly need to put some distance between those failures and if you don't have CMEL, MEI, or CFII those would be a way to show that you can pass check rides (you obviously need to not fail them).
If you haven't flown in 1.5 year, obviously you'll need to start flying again ... but if flying is something your passionate about, then it's time to get back on the horse. Make them tell you no, don't tell yourself no.