Pilot Certification: You Have to Earn It

Endorsements are not guaranteed for the private pilot check ride applicants showing up unprepared and under-experienced.

Meg Godlewski

Tuesday, November 22, 2022 at 11:23 AM ET

Verified

The high failure rate among first-time private pilot applicants may be caused in part by the "check the box" mentality that is prevalent in some flight training environments. [Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The article highlights a concerning 50-60% failure rate for private pilot practical tests, attributing it to a "participation trophy" mindset where applicants expect to pass without demonstrating true proficiency.
This issue is exacerbated by "check-the-box" flight training methods that prioritize meeting minimum experience requirements over ensuring deep understanding and application of aeronautical knowledge and skills.
Many applicants arrive unprepared, unaware of the Airmen Certificate Standards (ACS), relying on rote knowledge, or using outdated materials, failing to demonstrate critical skills like manual flight planning.
Such inadequate preparation leads to wasted Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) time and compromises the integrity of pilot certification, emphasizing that pilot certificates must be earned through demonstrated competence.

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Designated pilot examiner and FLYING contributor Jason Blair won the Internet last week with this line on his blog: Pilot certificates are not participation trophies. Well said, Mr. Blair, well said. The thought process behind the statement is that the high failure rate among private pilot applicants gives the impression that many are not being trained to minimum standards to achieve certification, rather the training is more like “check the boxes and go through the motions.’’

The Participation Trophy Mindset

Participation trophies have become cultural. If you are of a certain age and competed in anything during your childhood and youth—be it athletics, battle of the bands, speech club, etc.—you probably know what it is like to lose. Losing teaches a valuable life lesson: You can try your best but still fail. That is part of life. You learned from these failures. And when you were successful and came home with that medal, ribbon, trophy, or school letter you knew you earned it. Competition teaches a person how to work for something.