Use this forum to flag up examples of red tape and gold plate
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By Sir Morley Steven
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1311889
Before the sittings rule, according to CAP 804 all exams had to be completed within 18 months, as they still do. So if they slipped you could just do the ones again that were outside the 18 month period and still comply with CAP 804. Now it specifically states you have to do the whole lot again.
How is that good for GA?
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By Edward Hawkins
#1311898
low&slow wrote:Take all nine at the same time.


It's hard enough getting students to study for one at a time - all nine is out of the question.
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By nickwilcock
#1312005
Getting rid of the pointless 'sittings' requirement remains a long-term objective, but that cannot be achieved at national level - it would require EASA to accept that a total of 60 days to pass 120 questions posed a problem, before work could start on an AltMoC.

The Industry/CAA PPL/LAPL exam working group's recommendation was for 6 exams:

Air Law & Op Procs
Navigation & Flight Perf./planning
Aircraft (General) & Principles of Flight
Meteorology
Human Performance
Communications

I have asked why the CAA has added gold plating to the recommendation by retaining 9 exams. It might only be 9kt gold plating, but it's gold plating all the same!
By Bathman
#1312029
I've always thought that its pretty obvious that who ever drew up the regulation intend there to be one exam of 120 questuons covering all nine subjects..

If that was the case then six sittings would be perfectly reasonable.

It also worries me that the CAA haven't listened to the working group especially as they have made such a mess over theses written exams in the past.
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By T67M
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1312365
I always thought there should be three exams: one to be passed before first solo, one before first solo nav, and one before taking the skills test. The coverage of each exam should be tailored to what it is reasonable for a student to need to know at that stage of the course.

It is worth nothing that FAA students take a single written exam covering the entire syllabus, and also have an oral exam as part of the check ride. They don't seem to struggle to cover all nine topics adequately.
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By Genghis the Engineer
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1312487
The NPPL(M) has five exams I think, already in the UK, and manages to cover the same material as the EASA PPL so far as I can see.

I can't see any reason why that home-grown solution couldn't be adapted to the EASA question bank?

G
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By kanga
#1312493
ISTR I took my BoT PPL exams in 1970 (the last UK ones I sat!) in a single session. My only special study (in my own time) was UK Air Law (book borrowed from FC CFI); otherwise I relied on knowledge gained from Air Cadet experience and study/books for the Canadian PPL exams (taken in 1968). There was no minimum 'groundschool' time, no concept of an 'ATO', ..
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By nickwilcock
#1312865
A correction to my earlier posts, due to having been given incorrect information.

The October 2014 LAPL/PPL exam revision is in accordance with the WG's recommendations for a 43% reduction (and cr@p clearance) of the current exam questions, but there was no recommendation at this point in time for a reduction in the total number of exams. Which is understandable, due to the need to deliver a quick first achievement for the GAU and the avoidance of difficulty in administering a more complex revision.

However, the next revision will include new questions, more relevant to the average LAPL/PPL pilot and designed to test fairly, not to trap. The Authority has confirmed that its target is for 120 questions in 6 exams - and an end to 'sittings' restrictions.
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By Edward Hawkins
#1313440
nickwilcock wrote: However, the next revision will include new questions, more relevant to the average LAPL/PPL pilot and designed to test fairly, not to trap. The Authority has confirmed that its target is for 120 questions in 6 exams - and an end to 'sittings' restrictions.


So there is light at the end of the tunnel. Let's hope the tunnel is not too long. :)
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By Sir Morley Steven
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1409385
That is very good news. It is difficult to run TK ground school regularly at the moment due to the sittings rule.