Checkride Pink Slips

Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside

Saturday, May 06, 2023 at 07:40 PM ET

Verified

Weather hazards from our winds-aloft chart to the bottom left are shown here.

Key Takeaways:

The author disputes the suggestion that a pilot's history of checkride disapprovals indicates poor piloting or contributed to an accident, arguing such instances are common and can reflect factors like instructor quality or the challenges of Part 61 training.
He asserts that highlighting past disapprovals is unfair and potentially discouraging to other pilots, emphasizing that perseverance in pursuing higher ratings despite setbacks should be viewed positively.
The magazine clarifies that the NTSB, not the publication, deemed the pilot's certification record significant enough to include in its report, along with other factors like an over-gross aircraft and a high chance of moderate-to-heavy icing.

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Thank you for Aviation Safety magazine. It’s exceptional. But I do have an issue with April’s Accident Probe entry, “Exceeding Capabilities.”

As you know, aircraft certified for flight into known icing conditions, both single pilot and crew-piloted, have succumbed to in-flight icing. More recently, as you also know, an aeromedical operation flying single- and crew-piloted King Air were lost to what appears to be icing-related accidents. By all accounts, those were professional pilots in good standing.