Grande52

Ok just a quick question. I am getting back into flying after a 10 year break. Took a 25 hour ATP multi-engine course and completed it and passed the ATP multi-engine check with no problems.

Due to some delays in the course I was offered a freebie of getting my ATP single-engine, so I took them up on the deal and after 4 hours of training I went up on a 1600 overcast day for the single engine check-ride, the ride was a little rough at first but things calmed down and was going great till I started the descent to the VOR MDA and that is when I flew right through the MDA and busted. NO EXCUSES I did something that I had never done before and flew right through the MDA, oh yea I am 2500 hour commercial/instrument multi-engine pilot. I had probably done the approach 10 times but we had done it VFR and had started the approach from 3000 ft versus 2000 ft on the checkride and I was fat dumb and happy on the approach and when I was asked what altitude i was descending to I said 780 ft thinking I had 1000 ft to go. HUGE LESSON LEARNED. Ok enough of my sob story. I plan on retesting in the next two weeks and I do not anticipate any issues.

My question is how will this affect me in getting a job in the future?

thank you in advance for any advice.

rickair7777

First off in the post-Colgan world of little-to-no tolerance for checkride busts, what the HELL were you doing exposing yourself to checkride risk for a SINGLE ENGINE ATP??? That rating has almost zero use in the real world, and believe me employers would far prefer a pilot with no busts over one who has a SE ATP. I take all that back if you actually have a job offer which requires that rating.

Is everybody paying attention? Don't go take checkrides for the fun of it until you have reached what you reasonably think is probably your career-destination job. Unless you are Chuck Himself Yeager (or the DPE is your mother's brother). Save the "collector ratings" for later in life.

With that off my chest, one bust should not be a significant problem with most employers. But it's one strike, and now you don't have the luxury of many (or any) more.

I would come up with a good lesson-learned when you explain this at interviews (other than brain fart...there's no cure for that). Maybe you stayed up too late studying for the oral and were tired...something that you can learn from and do differently next next time.

Grande52

The lesson has been learned. I violated several of my personal rules that day and they came back and bit me.

With the lesson learned I am still in a position where I need to get single engine qualified. I am a former military pilot and all of my time is in the B-52 and the only single engine time I have was in the pilot screening course I took prior to UPT and the 4 hours I have prior to the bust. I do need to get single engine qualified and I felt this would be the easiest and cheapest way to complete this training. So now that I have the bust, should I continue with the retest or choose a different route for my single engine endorsement. I need the single engine for a job that I have lined up that will allow me to get some recent hours.

Thanks for your help.

rickair7777

OK, that makes more sense. Assuming it's the same examiner, your odds should be better the second time around...unless you are a real screw-up they hate to bust you twice. But what kind of vibe do you get from the examiner? Hopefully good, otherwise you might want to find another one.

You could also just go for a commercial ASEL vice ATP...slightly lower standards than the ATP and that's what 99% of civilian pilots have anyway so it will not appear unusual on your ticket. You might discuss that with the examiner.

Since you are military experienced one FAA bust will not hurt you, airlines will probably just view it as being out of your element.