Towards Flight Student Independence or Checkriditis

The Question:

As we get closer to the checkride, my student is reverting. He’s forgetting procedures, PTS standards, even clearing turns. What should I do?

My Thoughts:

This sounds like a case of checkrideitis, but also that the student hasn’t overlearned the procedures. The student needs to overlearn procedures enough so that he or she can perform even with the stress of the checkride.

To alleviate this, I tell the students that the more they know and the closer they get to the checkride, the less I will know. It is a game, but a functional one. On the next session with the student, I explain how that as the student gets closer to the checkride (ooohhh "checkride" that'll fire the nerves up), it will seem like I am becoming dumber and dumber. I let the student know that I will start acting like an examiner and be very quiet in the right seat, only jotting down the occasional note.

Then, on the flight, I guide us towards safe terrain and airspace, and shut up. If the student asks, I will list what maneuvers he's to perform. But, unless imminent pain is about to occur, I don't interfere. On my notepad, I will list everything the student does right, including looking for traffic. Once, when the student does perform something right, or makes a proper decision, I will challenge him, "Do you think that is correct?" If the student inquires back, I will shrug my shoulders, do the stupid look, and say "I dunno," and scribble something on the notepad.

On the postflight brief, I will tell him he knows what he did wrong, and list what he did right. I will also suggest that if the student doesn't know the PTS, then how can he know what he did wrong? I will remind him to reread (read) the introduction, because if he thinks one exceedance of a maneuver fails the ride, then he should fail, but for not knowing the PTS.

Other tricks I've used have included multiple flight lessons in a day, so the student didn't have their family and work life interfere with the learning and remembering; chair flying through a lesson, the student talking his way through it; refusing to fly unless the ground information was learned; and clipping the solo wings - very slowly and deliberately, with good-humored joking about my being a mother hen. Sending the student up with another instructor and even with the DPE has also worked.

We’re instructors. We find the roadblock(s), and find the way(s) around it.