What is the skills test?
The skills test is the final practical examination for your PPL. It's conducted by a CAA-authorised Flight Examiner — someone independent of your training — and it covers the full range of exercises in the PPL syllabus in a single flight lasting around two to three hours.
What you need before you can sit it
The skills test cannot be booked until a number of conditions are met. Your instructor and the Head of Training will confirm when you're ready.
What the test covers
The test begins on the ground with a pre-flight oral examination — the examiner asks about the aircraft, weather, airspace, and your planned route. You then fly a cross-country leg and the examiner selects exercises from the full PPL exercise list throughout the flight.
Exercises you should expect to demonstrate include:
The examiner is not looking for perfection — they're looking for competence and sound decision-making. You should fly as you've been trained: calmly, methodically, and safely.
The Flight Examiner
The skills test must be conducted by a CAA-authorised Flight Examiner (FE) — not your own instructor. The examiner is independent of Fife Flight Centre; they assess you against the CAA's criteria, not your instructor's expectations.
In practice, most students find the examiner professional and straightforward to fly with. Their job is to assess you fairly, not to catch you out. The test format is well-defined and your instructor will have prepared you for exactly what to expect.
The examiner fee is paid separately and varies. Your instructor will advise on costs when you're approaching test-ready standard.
If you perform below standard on a particular exercise, only that section is failed — you don't have to repeat the whole flight. Any failed sections are retested in a shorter retest flight.