THE FAA DESIGNATED FLIGHT EXAMINER

The FAA Flight Standards District Offices (FSDOS) designate pilot examiners to test applicants for hot air balloon pilot certificates. These designees serve without pay from the FAA, but may charge reasonable fees to give private and commercial tests.

The FAA's objective is to provide testing service at convenient locations so applicants do not have to travel more than 50 miles. Pilot examiners are selected on recommendations of their peers. A flight examiner will be retained only as long as there is a need for the additional examiner.

To be selected as a balloon flight examiner you must have a good record as a pilot and flight instructor- hold a commercial pilot certificate; be actively engaged as a flight instructor; be 21 years of age-, have a written recommendation of a FAA inspector; and pass an oral or written pre-designation test. To be eligible as a commercial pilot examiner for free balloons, you must have been a commercial balloon pilot for one year with 200 hours as PIC and have given at least 50 hours of flight instruction in free balloons.

An examiner may conduct flight examinations only in the geographical boundaries of his or her district. The designation of examiner is renewable annually.

The prerequisites for renewal of the flight examiner designation are

(1) a finding that the continuation of the designation is justified to provide service to the public;

(2) satisfactory completion of a two day course given every other year by the district office (the examiner must have completed the four day initial examiner standardization course in Oklahoma City prior to attending the recurrent course);

(3) attendance at the annual meeting of designated examiners held by each FSDO, and

(4) an annual flight check of the examiner by the supervising FAA inspector.

A designated pilot examiner is authorized to accept applications and conduct flight tests; charge each applicant a reasonable fee for services; issue temporary pilot's certificates to applicants who pass the flight test; accept applications and issue student pilot certificates for which a fee may be charged.

A designated examiner may test one of his own students, provided another flight instructor has given the student at least one and one-half hours of flight instruction in a balloon and recommended the student for the test. If the examiner wants to continue as a flight instructor, this rule requires working closely with another instructor to sign each student off for the flight test.

I states in (14 CFR 61.47) that the examiner is not the PIC. The examiner is only an observer - the applicant's first passenger so-to-speak. Even if the examiner gives advice or takes over the burner or valve line in a situation where life or property is endangered, he does not become the PIC.

During the flight test, the examiner should not slip into the role of instructor. If the applicant cannot perform a task, he must fail the test. To learn a maneuver or correct a faulty procedure could take hours of flight instruction. For examiners to attempt remedial training at this time would defeat the purpose of the test. Studies show that it takes over ten times longer to correct a bad habit than it does to have learned the procedure correctly in the first place.

With the initiation of the Practical Test Standards (PTS), the FAA designated examiner is in a unique position to improve the quality of balloon flight instructors. Many applicants are not prepared to perform all the requirements of the PTS. At the option of the examiner, applicant and instructor a pre-test interview can be arranged. At this time the examiner can review the requirements with the applicant and the flight instructor. If the applicant has not been fully prepared, it will become quickly evident during this interview. The flight instructor will also become aware of his deficiencies concerning the PTS. Here the examiner can become the instructor. Each task can be reviewed to explain that the applicant must be prepared to show that Ws knowledge and skill meet the objective of the task.

For example: the flight-planning task. Is your student prepared to draw a dead reckoning he on a current chart showing the proposed direction and distance using the forecast wind? Use the chart during the flight to verify the flight plan by use of landmarks? Identify the limitations of the airspace along the flight path? Know the minimum weather requirements at different altitudes along the flight path? Know how to alter direction to stay on the proposed flight path? If the applicant cannot do all of the above, he will fail the flight-planning task. This is only one of 27 tasks in the PTS for a private certificate.

The following are suggestions from designated flight examiners pointing out perennial problem areas.

• Many applications (FAAForm8710-1) are submitted without complete information. It is the instructor's responsibility to assure that the application and pilot logbook are complete and accurate. This means that all required endorsements; solo and altitude information is entered in the student's logbook.
  
• Many flight checks are on calm mornings. It is difficult to evaluate pilot skills on a calm day. Does the student have the skill to make a windy inflation or landing?
  
• Have the correct number of properly trained ground crew. The applicant is to be observed giving briefings to the crew. The crew cannot lead the applicant. Have all the aircraft documents and equipment available. A current sectional and plotter are often not available.
  
• Balloon pilots generally know less about airspace, minimum visibility and altitude requirements than other pilots. The flight test requires the student not only to have rote knowledge of these subject areas but also to understand, apply and correlate the material.
  
• If this is your first student to be signed off for a flight test, ask the designated examiner about the test. Some examiners will go through the test with you and your student to see if the student is prepared to take the test.
  
• Many commercial/flight instructor applicants have had little or no instruction about the fundamentals of instruction, logbook endorsements, lesson plans or instruction techniques.
  
• The aircraft used for the flight test must be airworthy, i.e., in annual inspection, no damage, with aircraft documents and logbooks.
  

The instructor has the responsibility to see that the student brings the following to the test:

1. A completed application to take the test on Form 8710-1
2. Student pilot certificate or other pilot certificate
3. Pilot logbook with all instructor endorsements and flight requirements recorded
4. Airworthy balloon with all documents including aircraft log book
5. Original written test results
6. Personal identification with photo
7. Personal equipment (gloves, strikers, radios)
8. Plotter and current sectional chart
9. Examiner's fee
10. Equipment list with weight calculation
11. Knowledge of each task required by the Practical Test Standards

The designated flight examiners have the job of final inspector in the production of a new pilot. In the final analysis, they are the quality control system of ballooning.