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RPL Test Day
Congratulations on gaining a recommendation to sit the Recreational Pilot Licence Test!
The PreTest should have given you a very good idea of how the RPL will be, and hopefully by now you’ve identifed and corrected any ground knowledge or flying sequence deficiencies that may have been present.
As always, the key is preparation, so be sure to revise your theory and flight sequences before the day.
Good Luck, we’ll see you after your next milestone!
About the Recreational Pilot Licence
You should by now be intimately familiar with the RPL Test Form and the requirements it sets out. Ensure your preparation covers these test form items as well as other areas.
Typical areas where people have been unsuccessful in the RPL include:
- Incorrect calculations of Weight and Balance
- Incorrect calculations of Pressure and Density Height
- Incorrect calculations of Takeoff and Landing distance required
- Poor knowledge of aircraft systems (Be sure to thoroughly read the POH systems section)
- Poor short-field technique
- Poor landing technique (landing flat)
Instructor’s Tips
You will not be recommended for the RPL unless your Instructor has every confidence that you’ll pass with flying colours
The RPL should be similar in format to the PreTest day, which you’ve already attempted and passed, so treat this as the same process and you’ll do well
Ensure you are well rested, fed and hydrated before you begin the RPL
Getting something wrong during ground theory or in flight isn’t necessarily a fail.
If your Testing Officer continues testing you after you muck something up, you can’t have done too badly
Beyond the RPL
Upon successful completion of your RPL, your testing officer will complete your RPL Test form and submit it to CASA for processing.
The next things you should consider should be:
– Type check in a Cessna 172 for PPL navigation phase. If you haven’t already flown one and intend to)
– Load check in a Cessna 172. before solo hiring and taking passengers, you will need to conduct a quick check with an Instuctor and passengers in the back seats to appreciate the vastly different handling characteristics of a fully loaded aircraft)
– Private Hire time. It is recommended to private hire and fly at least 5 hours as Pilot in Command in the aircraft you wish to conduct your navigation training in. Basic aircraft handling should be second nature by the time you start your navigation lessons, so you can focus on other things. For most people, these hours are gained by simply taking their family or friends flying and exercising the privileges of their new licence.