Senior Rigger Exam

[mcrawford 0]

Hi All
Going to take my Senior Rigger Exam in a couple of weeks. I've taken the Written and made a 94% on it (but it was easy). I'm looking for any advice and an idea of what to be prepared for on the oral and practical exam. Any help would be appreciated.

[councilman24 37]

Remeber it's an ORAL and practical exam. There will be oral questions. Right now the DPRE guide says that a senior rigger cannot assemble a rig. Most DPRE's I know don't agree with that answer (and the FAA recently agreed that a senior rigger can install an AAD into a rig ready for it) but be prepared with the "right" answer and the accepted answer and say yes sir to what ever your DPRE say is "right." Good luck with your patch. Hopefully you know Rags' no pin method. And remember the BEER!!!!

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[mcrawford 0]

I was shown how to put the patch together using stick glue to hold it in place rather than basting. However, I contacted PD and they told me that you should never use glue on a canopy. Therefore I'm sure this is not a good thing to do on your exam. Other than, pinning and basting, I'm open to any advice.

[councilman24 37]

No glue, no pins, no basting. One or two hemostats, a ruler, and counting the blocks.
No you shouldn't use glue on a canopy because of unknown reactions with the fabric. But, interestingly enough, most if not all harnesses are hot glued together before they are stitched.

I can send or fax a set of written directions for this method, but unless you see it demonstrated its a little hard to follow. Send me a message if you want the instructions. BTW your DPRE may not know how to do this method either.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[riggerrob 643]

On canopy patches, you can cheat by using a steam iron to fold under the edges of the patch before you get near the canopy.
Whatever method you use for patching canopies, stick with a variation of Rags' "no pin" method. The old military method will just drive you to drink.
Oh, when the DPRE asks you a question that you are not sure of, simply reply "excuse me while I look in the manual." DPREs respect willingness to follow directions, far more than memorization.

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

Mike,
which DPRE are you going to? Isn't Pete the guy down there now? Anyway, as previously stated, I would ask that particular person what he requires on the test.

Chuck Blue

[mcrawford 0]

Unfortunitly he is no longer the examiner. I'm going next Saturday to take the exam. I had planned on working with Doug S. but he has shipped out. Your Dad has helped me out by letting me use some of his tools and materials to practice for the exam. Mostly setting grommets and removing them. Arnie Herring worked with me on my patches. Not to much to it once you have seen it done. When are you headed back down?

[deadwood 0]

However, If the DPRE asks you a question as part of the oral exam, you may not use any reference materials.

He who hesitates shall inherit the earth.

Deadwood
Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

[riggerrob 643]

Mr. deadwood,
Here we are discussing the finer points of rigger examination.
The practical test is "open book." Retired DPRE Garry Dorris told me that if an aspiring Senior Rigger packed a reserve without having the manual open beside him, it was an automatic failure.
A key point in the testing process is determining whether the candidate is willing to "maintain parachutes in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions."
Granted, the oral exam may be "closed book", but the DPRE is testing your willingness to look things up. He wants to know if you can read and are willing to follow directions.
The worst thing you can do during any rigging test is try to "BS" the examiner on a subject that you don't know.
The correct answer to any question - that you are not sure of - is "excuse me while I go look that up." The DPRE is going to continue asking you questions until he gets to a subject that you do not know the answer. He will not stop asking questions until he hears "Geez! I don't know, but I think the answer is in the Vector owner's manual." If the DPRE never hears that answer, you never get the rating.

This one of the rare cases where the nature of the test is dictated by normal working practices.
In the real world, no-one expects you to memorize all the answers. You will never be able to memorize it all and the manufacturers keep inventing stuff faster than you can memorize.
In my loft, I have an entire shelf of manuals, trim charts, patterns, etc. Only a fool would try to memorize trim charts! It is far simpler to lay the trim chart on the table beside your work.
Even though I have been a rigger for 16 years and have packed just about every rig on the market, I still glance in packing manuals at least once a week.

Rob Warner
CSPA Rigger A since 1984
FAA Master Rigger

[deadwood 0]

I was only trying to emphaize to this guy that he should not expect to be able to run to reference material and look up the answer to every question.
You say "The correct answer to any question - that you are not sure of - is "excuse me while I go look that up."
Thats fine for exploratory type questions, but if the question, as part of the oral exam is for example, "What are the privileges of a senior rigger?", the answer should not be "I don't know but I'll look it up." Say that more than 25% of the time in any subject area of the oral and your busted.
The oral is a bit harder than the written because you are not give multiple choice answers, where you have the ability to say to yourself, "I've seen that answer before and I remember its the correct one. " In the oral you must be able to spit it out with no help. It quite a different thing if all you've done in prep is memorized what the correct answer looks like, as is so often done.

He who hesitates shall inherit the earth.

Deadwood
Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division