Checkride 2019... final tips?
- Thread starter Peter Ha
- Start date
Search on POA for Captain Levy’s Checkride Advice. -Skip
Give the examiner the answer. Don’t add any fluff and dig yourself into hole. It happened on my CFI ride. I tried to give the examiner a little sugar on top and he said, “wait what did you say?” I just sat there with a blank look and said “uhhhhhh.”
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Hang 4
Get rest and don't over stress. "just the facts" answers as others have said. Get all your needed stuff ready well in advance. Mark logbooks (pilot and plane) with sticky's for relevant stuff. Be sure you can show your plane is airworthy. Do your XC plan in advance and then re-brief it in the AM with current weather.
Your instructor won't put you up for the test if you're not ready.
Your instructor won't put you up for the test if you're not ready.
vsc
Filing Flight Plan
With respect to the oral, being organized up front will set the tone for the rest of the oral. Organize what qualifies you and the plane in say folders. Put together in a coherent manner the information for the cross-country (performance numbers, W&B, etc). Put post it notes on the aircraft's log book pages to ensure you are able to get through that information like you are an expert. As cited for your log book flag pages as necessary and be sure you have audited your times one last time.
In the flying portion never rush into a maneuver. Take your time, get the plane setup and stable.
If you pull the winds just before stepping to the plane and recompute your navlog, this will ensure you hit the waypoints. It's worth doing at least for the first few (e.g. your unlikely to get more than 25-30 miles from the departure airport before you get your diversion).
In the flying portion never rush into a maneuver. Take your time, get the plane setup and stable.
If you pull the winds just before stepping to the plane and recompute your navlog, this will ensure you hit the waypoints. It's worth doing at least for the first few (e.g. your unlikely to get more than 25-30 miles from the departure airport before you get your diversion).
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Ryan F.
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Ryan Ferguson 1974
Being organized is a great way to start! It really sets the tone when the examiner walks in and all of your documents are neatly organized, logbook tabbed out, endorsements correctly made.
As a review, if you can run through all of the ACS task elements and feel sure you can have a discussion about them at the private pilot knowledge level, you'll do fine on the ground portion. (Technically we don't call it 'the oral' anymore as oral questioning can continue throughout the entire practical test. But most of the oral questioning tends to take place during the ground portion.)
My number one piece of advice these days is to simply know the ACS. In my experience, applicants who do, perform well.
Good luck!
As a review, if you can run through all of the ACS task elements and feel sure you can have a discussion about them at the private pilot knowledge level, you'll do fine on the ground portion. (Technically we don't call it 'the oral' anymore as oral questioning can continue throughout the entire practical test. But most of the oral questioning tends to take place during the ground portion.)
My number one piece of advice these days is to simply know the ACS. In my experience, applicants who do, perform well.
Good luck!
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Vintage Snazzy (so my adult children say)
What day? Hope the weather holds for you!
write-stuff
En-Route
For all the flight maneuvers, know all the tolerances. If you make a mistake, correct it immediately.
Sinistar
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Brad
You want the day to go off without any weird little gotchas. So make triple sure you have all your pilot paperwork (medical, driver's license, all log endorsements, etc). Make sure all the aircraft paperwork is present, especially the logs, w&b, poh, etc. Know your iacra number.That is all stuff that will stop you before you even get started.
In addition to all the other numbers you have to know, know some basic such as your cruise speed and fuel burn. For my checkride my divert turned out easy. He picked a new airport. I had to unfold the sectional one time. I had this short yellow AOPA ruler clipped in my knee board. He asked me to guess the distance and heading, turn to it and then measure. That short ruler was perfect as it gave me the distance. I found a nearby vor and slid it parallel for course. I knew from many flights I was cruising right around 120mph with those headwinds. So I just said xxxdeg, 70 miles, 35 minutes and about 6gal. He was like good! Done! Put on the goggles. No e6b, no sportys calculator or anything.
Edit: Not saying to not bring that stuff. But just know you might not need all of it.
You will do great. You are done studying. Get paperwork ready and rest as others have suggested.
In addition to all the other numbers you have to know, know some basic such as your cruise speed and fuel burn. For my checkride my divert turned out easy. He picked a new airport. I had to unfold the sectional one time. I had this short yellow AOPA ruler clipped in my knee board. He asked me to guess the distance and heading, turn to it and then measure. That short ruler was perfect as it gave me the distance. I found a nearby vor and slid it parallel for course. I knew from many flights I was cruising right around 120mph with those headwinds. So I just said xxxdeg, 70 miles, 35 minutes and about 6gal. He was like good! Done! Put on the goggles. No e6b, no sportys calculator or anything.
Edit: Not saying to not bring that stuff. But just know you might not need all of it.
You will do great. You are done studying. Get paperwork ready and rest as others have suggested.
Brief, accurate answers, do not elaborate.
No point in telling you to get a good nights rest, because you’ll be psyched up and anxious. Understand this, don’t panic about it, accept it don’t overstress about it.
No point in telling you to get a good nights rest, because you’ll be psyched up and anxious. Understand this, don’t panic about it, accept it don’t overstress about it.
Peter, I found it for you! Good luck on your checkride. Watch the weather... remember, Mother Nature hates checkrides!!
Captain Ron's Checkride Advice:
1. Relax and enjoy it. Nationwide, about 90% of applicants pass on the first try, so look around and see if you think you’re as good as 9 out of 10 other students. Also, your instructor must maintain a pass rate of at least 80% to get his ticket renewed, so he’s not going to send you up unless he’s pretty darn sure you’ll pass – otherwise, he has to find four other people to pass to make up for you, and that’s not always easy.
2. Go over with your instructor the logbooks of the aircraft you're going to use the day BEFORE the checkride to make sure it's all in order (annual, transponder checks, ELT ops and battery, 100-hour if rented, etc.). If the airplane's paper busts, so do you. Run a sample W&B, too – get the examiner’s weight when you make the appointment. If you weigh 200, and so does the examiner, don’t show up with a C-152 with full tanks and a 350 lb available cabin load – examiners can’t waive max gross weight limits.
3. Relax.
4. Rest up and get a good night's sleep the night before. Don't stay up "cramming."
5. Relax.
6. Read carefully the ENTIRE PTS including all the introductory material. Use the checklist in the front to make sure you take all the stuff you need -- papers and equipment. And the examiner’s fee UP FRONT (too much chance a disgruntled applicant will refuse to pay afterward) in the form demanded by the examiner is a “required document” from a practical, if not FAA, standpoint.
7. Relax.
8. You’re going to make a big mistake somewhere. The examiner knows this will happen, and it doesn’t have to end the ride. What’s important is not whether you make a mistake, but how you deal with it – whether you recover and move on without letting it destroy your flying. Figure out where you are now, how to get to where you want to be, and then do what it takes to get there. That will save your checkride today and your butt later on.
9. Relax.
10. You're going to make some minor mistakes. Correct them yourself in a timely manner "so the outcome of the maneuver is never seriously in doubt" and you'll be OK. If you start to go high on your first steep turn and start a correction as you approach 100 feet high but top out at 110 high while making a smooth correction back to the requested altitude, don't sweat -- nail the next one and you'll pass with "flying colors" (a naval term, actually). If you see the maneuver will exceed parameters and not be smoothly recoverable, tell the examiner and knock it off before you go outside those parameters, and then re-initiate. That shows great sense, if not great skill, and judgement is the most critical item on the checkride.
11. Relax.
12. During the oral, you don’t have to answer from memory anything you’d have time to look up in reality. You never need to memorize and know everything. Categorize material as:
a. Things you must memorize (i.e. emergency procedures, radio calls, airspace, etc).
b. Things you must know or have reasonable understanding of (i.e. interpreting weather codes, non-critical regs).
c. Things you know about but can look up and will have time to look up on the ground.
(Thanks to Mark Bourdeaux for this categorization.) So if the examiner asks you about currency, it’s OK to open the FAR book to 61.56 and 61.57 and explain them to him. But make sure you know where the answer is without reading the whole FAR/AIM cover-to-cover. On the other hand, for stuff you’d have to know RIGHT NOW (e.g., best glide speed for engine failure, etc.), you’d best not stumble or stutter – know that stuff cold. Also, remember that the examiner will use the areas your knowledge test report says you missed as focus points in the oral, so study them extra thoroughly.
13. Relax.
14. Avoid this conversation:
Examiner - Q: Do you have a pencil?
Applicant - A: I have a #2, a mechanical, a red one...
Examiner - Q: Do you have a pencil?
Applicant - A: I also have an assortment of pens, and some highlighters...
Examiner - Q: Do you have a pencil?
Applicant - A: Yes.
Examiner - Thank you.
One of the hardest things to do when you’re nervous and pumped up is to shut up and answer the question. I've watched people talk themselves into a corner by incorrectly answering a question that was never asked, or by adding an incorrect appendix to the correct answer to the question that was. If the examiner wants more, he'll tell you.
15. Relax
16. Some questions are meant simply to test your knowledge, not your skill, even if they sound otherwise. If the examiner asks how far below the cloud deck you are, he is checking to see if you know the answer is “at least 500 feet,” not how good your depth perception is. He can’t tell any better than you can, and the only way to be sure is to climb up and see when you hit the bases, which for sure he won’t let you do.
17. Relax
18. Remember the first rule of Italian driving: "What's behind me is not important." Don't worry about how you did the last maneuver or question. If you didn't do it well enough, the examiner must notify you and terminate the checkride. If you are on the next one, forget the last one because it was good enough to pass. Focus on doing that next maneuver or answering the next question the best you can, because while it can still determine whether you pass or fail, the last one can’t anymore. If you get back to the office and he hasn't said you failed, smile to your friends as you walk in because you just passed.
19. Relax and enjoy your new license.
Ron Levy, ATP, CFI, Veteran of 11 license/rating checkrides, including 4 with FAA inspectors
Captain Ron's Checkride Advice:
1. Relax and enjoy it. Nationwide, about 90% of applicants pass on the first try, so look around and see if you think you’re as good as 9 out of 10 other students. Also, your instructor must maintain a pass rate of at least 80% to get his ticket renewed, so he’s not going to send you up unless he’s pretty darn sure you’ll pass – otherwise, he has to find four other people to pass to make up for you, and that’s not always easy.
2. Go over with your instructor the logbooks of the aircraft you're going to use the day BEFORE the checkride to make sure it's all in order (annual, transponder checks, ELT ops and battery, 100-hour if rented, etc.). If the airplane's paper busts, so do you. Run a sample W&B, too – get the examiner’s weight when you make the appointment. If you weigh 200, and so does the examiner, don’t show up with a C-152 with full tanks and a 350 lb available cabin load – examiners can’t waive max gross weight limits.
3. Relax.
4. Rest up and get a good night's sleep the night before. Don't stay up "cramming."
5. Relax.
6. Read carefully the ENTIRE PTS including all the introductory material. Use the checklist in the front to make sure you take all the stuff you need -- papers and equipment. And the examiner’s fee UP FRONT (too much chance a disgruntled applicant will refuse to pay afterward) in the form demanded by the examiner is a “required document” from a practical, if not FAA, standpoint.
7. Relax.
8. You’re going to make a big mistake somewhere. The examiner knows this will happen, and it doesn’t have to end the ride. What’s important is not whether you make a mistake, but how you deal with it – whether you recover and move on without letting it destroy your flying. Figure out where you are now, how to get to where you want to be, and then do what it takes to get there. That will save your checkride today and your butt later on.
9. Relax.
10. You're going to make some minor mistakes. Correct them yourself in a timely manner "so the outcome of the maneuver is never seriously in doubt" and you'll be OK. If you start to go high on your first steep turn and start a correction as you approach 100 feet high but top out at 110 high while making a smooth correction back to the requested altitude, don't sweat -- nail the next one and you'll pass with "flying colors" (a naval term, actually). If you see the maneuver will exceed parameters and not be smoothly recoverable, tell the examiner and knock it off before you go outside those parameters, and then re-initiate. That shows great sense, if not great skill, and judgement is the most critical item on the checkride.
11. Relax.
12. During the oral, you don’t have to answer from memory anything you’d have time to look up in reality. You never need to memorize and know everything. Categorize material as:
a. Things you must memorize (i.e. emergency procedures, radio calls, airspace, etc).
b. Things you must know or have reasonable understanding of (i.e. interpreting weather codes, non-critical regs).
c. Things you know about but can look up and will have time to look up on the ground.
(Thanks to Mark Bourdeaux for this categorization.) So if the examiner asks you about currency, it’s OK to open the FAR book to 61.56 and 61.57 and explain them to him. But make sure you know where the answer is without reading the whole FAR/AIM cover-to-cover. On the other hand, for stuff you’d have to know RIGHT NOW (e.g., best glide speed for engine failure, etc.), you’d best not stumble or stutter – know that stuff cold. Also, remember that the examiner will use the areas your knowledge test report says you missed as focus points in the oral, so study them extra thoroughly.
13. Relax.
14. Avoid this conversation:
Examiner - Q: Do you have a pencil?
Applicant - A: I have a #2, a mechanical, a red one...
Examiner - Q: Do you have a pencil?
Applicant - A: I also have an assortment of pens, and some highlighters...
Examiner - Q: Do you have a pencil?
Applicant - A: Yes.
Examiner - Thank you.
One of the hardest things to do when you’re nervous and pumped up is to shut up and answer the question. I've watched people talk themselves into a corner by incorrectly answering a question that was never asked, or by adding an incorrect appendix to the correct answer to the question that was. If the examiner wants more, he'll tell you.
15. Relax
16. Some questions are meant simply to test your knowledge, not your skill, even if they sound otherwise. If the examiner asks how far below the cloud deck you are, he is checking to see if you know the answer is “at least 500 feet,” not how good your depth perception is. He can’t tell any better than you can, and the only way to be sure is to climb up and see when you hit the bases, which for sure he won’t let you do.
17. Relax
18. Remember the first rule of Italian driving: "What's behind me is not important." Don't worry about how you did the last maneuver or question. If you didn't do it well enough, the examiner must notify you and terminate the checkride. If you are on the next one, forget the last one because it was good enough to pass. Focus on doing that next maneuver or answering the next question the best you can, because while it can still determine whether you pass or fail, the last one can’t anymore. If you get back to the office and he hasn't said you failed, smile to your friends as you walk in because you just passed.
19. Relax and enjoy your new license.
Ron Levy, ATP, CFI, Veteran of 11 license/rating checkrides, including 4 with FAA inspectors
1 - Bring cash.
2 - Talk! Explain what you’re doing and why you’re making the decisions you are. Ask for clarification if you’re unsure about a question or direction.
3 - Watch for emergency landing sites and pay attention to your location. He will likely try to distract you and catch you off guard with a simulated engine failure. Like right after hood work and unusual attitudes.
4 - Be the PIC! The safe operation of the flight is your responsibility. Don’t be pressured into a rushed preflight. Don’t fly if the wx is outside your personal minimums. Ask for quiet or a sterile cockpit when you need it. He may try having a conversation when he knows you should be getting AWOS info or making a radio call.
5 - Don’t blow it at the end. When you’ve made your last landing and are thinking it’s all over, don’t get complacent with clearing the runway, radio calls, taxi, shutdown checklist, etc.
6 - USE YOUR CHECKLISTS!
7 - Bring cash.
2 - Talk! Explain what you’re doing and why you’re making the decisions you are. Ask for clarification if you’re unsure about a question or direction.
3 - Watch for emergency landing sites and pay attention to your location. He will likely try to distract you and catch you off guard with a simulated engine failure. Like right after hood work and unusual attitudes.
4 - Be the PIC! The safe operation of the flight is your responsibility. Don’t be pressured into a rushed preflight. Don’t fly if the wx is outside your personal minimums. Ask for quiet or a sterile cockpit when you need it. He may try having a conversation when he knows you should be getting AWOS info or making a radio call.
5 - Don’t blow it at the end. When you’ve made your last landing and are thinking it’s all over, don’t get complacent with clearing the runway, radio calls, taxi, shutdown checklist, etc.
6 - USE YOUR CHECKLISTS!
7 - Bring cash.
EppyGA
Touchdown! Greaser!
FTFA
EppyGA
Touchdown! Greaser!
He/she wants to know you are in command of the plane
Zeldman
Touchdown! Greaser!
1. Make sure your watch is bigger than the examiners.
2. Any question you don't know the answer to just snort and say, ''My instructor said you would ask such a question and to tell you it is not important.
3. Ignore 1 and 2 above....
Lot of good advice from others. All I can do is repeat what has been said before. Relax.
2. Any question you don't know the answer to just snort and say, ''My instructor said you would ask such a question and to tell you it is not important.
3. Ignore 1 and 2 above....
Lot of good advice from others. All I can do is repeat what has been said before. Relax.
Oh, yeah - if you have any doubt that a landing will be acceptable (like going too long for a short field landing), shove in the throttle and go around. There’s no downside to a go-around. In fact, it shows good judgement. Besides, you’ll be required to do one anyway if you haven’t already done so.
AggieMike88
Touchdown! Greaser!
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The original "I don't know it all" of aviation.
When the examiner pulls power for the simulated engine out, remember to look immediately below you. There is a chance he set you up over a perfectly good grass strip to see if you would see it.
During the flight, if you feel yourself getting tense and nervous, it's okay to ask for a few moments of "normal" flight to roll your shoulders, stretch your arms, and take some relaxing breaths.
During the flight, if you feel yourself getting tense and nervous, it's okay to ask for a few moments of "normal" flight to roll your shoulders, stretch your arms, and take some relaxing breaths.
gdwindowpane
Pre-takeoff checklist
Congrats Peter!!! As someone who is close to taking their check ride a write up about yours would be greatly appreciated.
EppyGA
Touchdown! Greaser!
Congratulations
Answer the question asked, nothing more.
If you don't understand something, ask for clarification.
Fly it exactly like you trained. Checkrides are not the time to try something new.
Relax.
No, seriously - relax.
If you don't understand something, ask for clarification.
Fly it exactly like you trained. Checkrides are not the time to try something new.
Relax.
No, seriously - relax.
Checkride...success!
Newly minted pilot as of today.
For some reason it was easier then I prepared for.
Congratulations!
My experience was similar....I felt my flying sucked, but the dpe said it was "pretty good". I had the feeling afterward like, "that was it?!"
Congratulations, pilot!
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Vintage Snazzy (so my adult children say)
About cash. My DPE wants cash as well. What’s up with cash? Had to go to two ATMs to get the small brick of no sequential serial numbered 20s.
mmaclauchlan
Pre-Flight
Sounds like the checkride taught you a valuable lesson. It was easier than you prepared for? Treat every flight like that and you'll set yourself up for a fun and safe flight every time. Congrats!
Congrats!
write-stuff
En-Route
Great job. They're always easy when you know what you're doing! Congrats.
If your CFI is any good, you've basically already passed the ride with him and all he's doing is asking the FAA to confirm it. A good CFI will have you flying well inside standards, so that if there's a hiccup or even if you're nervous and not at your best on the ride, there's some margin for error and you'll still pass.
Post the full story when you have a little time.
Post the full story when you have a little time.
PaulS
Touchdown! Greaser!
Ha!! Great work,now go fly!Checkride...success!
Newly minted pilot as of today.
For some reason it was easier then I prepared for.
Huckster79
Pattern Altitude
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Huckster79
Demonstrate confidence - don’t be cocky - if ya don’t know something don’t BS
Bill Greenwood
Ejection Handle Pulled
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Bill Greenwood
I'm pretty sure the cash thing is because the CFI is not reporting some of his income to the IRS, not legal and not really smart in the long run, but I know sometimes people don't report.
I'm sure that happens, but many (maybe most?) DPEs require cash and I doubt they're all tax cheats. More likely it's so a disgruntled failed applicant can't stop a check or dispute a credit card charge.
Or maybe they're hiding income from their spouses....
I'm sure that happens, but many (maybe most?) DPEs require cash and I doubt they're all tax cheats. More likely it's so a disgruntled failed applicant can't stop a check or dispute a credit card charge.
Or maybe they're hiding income from their spouses....
My DPEs asked for the cash before we started the oral, not at the end of the ride. That makes a refusal to pay impossible.
Congratulations!! Welcome to the club!
Nah, Sport Pilot is harder. It's the same maneuvers to the same standards as Private, but you're flying a much lighter plane that gets tossed around more in wind and turbulence.
Peter Ha
Pre-takeoff checklist
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Leadpan
Hey folks, here's the write-up.
First, each person's checkride will be different so I don't claim what I experienced is what you'll get.
-Oral exam
I was most worried about this part then the practical cause there's SO many potential questions in ACS. However, the DPE and I built a rapport before starting with common interests and life stories.
Once he began; he brought out the ACS and just started asking questions straight from it.
He gave couple of scenario questions regarding DA, PAVE, fuel situations, runway issues, emergencies, etc.
There's was the sectional map questions like what's KTRM elevation (trick question) and airspace ceilings.
One question I forgot was "what's CFIT?" I blanked out and admitted I didn't know. So he just told me.
-Practical
In the air, here was my sequence of maneuvers after clearing:
verify waypoint heading, VOR radial
maneuver- unusual altitudes
maneuver- hood/instrument work
maneuver- powered stall(SLOW down), no-power stall
maneuver- steep turn(heading 090)
maneuver- engine fire emergency (100kts slip)
maneuver- glide & pick landing(freeway)
maneuver- circle-a-point
maneuver- divert to K*** (had little trouble when he ask calculate distance,time,fuel to new destination)
maneuver- short-field land
maneuver- short-field takeoff
maneuver- soft-field land
maneuver- soft-field takeoff
-Final analysis
I felt TALKING(not jabber) out loud what I was doing was critical. Every minute or so I'd say what I'm trying to accomplish "heading 090, still climbing 3500" or what I'm thinking "looking for traffic". Also verbalizing the check-lists CIGARS and GUMPS impressed the DPE. I kept my eyes outside instead of staring Foreflight and/or instruments so DPE knows I'm aware of my surroundings.
There was two mistakes (one BIG).
My left steep turn missed elevation and missed rotate out heading. Then BIG mistake was during first power-on stall; I pulled too fast and hard causing near SPIN!
If I didn't recover (as DPE noted) he would definitely HAD to failed me(im sure). He wanted SLOW pull of yoke into stall; says most stalls don't happen quick but slow and unnoticeable until stall horn.
The DPE told me that my mistakes in maneuvers are NOT as important since I had good "situational awareness" that I exhibited. He said through practice I'll get the maneuver perfected. Lastly, I felt the DPE will ask you few probing personal questions as to why you want to be pilot to gauge if you have right aptitude to be SAFE pilot.
Clear skies and good luck to you all my fellow students on your checkride!
https://imgur.com/a/SK3mEpq
First, each person's checkride will be different so I don't claim what I experienced is what you'll get.
-Oral exam
I was most worried about this part then the practical cause there's SO many potential questions in ACS. However, the DPE and I built a rapport before starting with common interests and life stories.
Once he began; he brought out the ACS and just started asking questions straight from it.
He gave couple of scenario questions regarding DA, PAVE, fuel situations, runway issues, emergencies, etc.
There's was the sectional map questions like what's KTRM elevation (trick question) and airspace ceilings.
One question I forgot was "what's CFIT?" I blanked out and admitted I didn't know. So he just told me.
-Practical
In the air, here was my sequence of maneuvers after clearing:
verify waypoint heading, VOR radial
maneuver- unusual altitudes
maneuver- hood/instrument work
maneuver- powered stall(SLOW down), no-power stall
maneuver- steep turn(heading 090)
maneuver- engine fire emergency (100kts slip)
maneuver- glide & pick landing(freeway)
maneuver- circle-a-point
maneuver- divert to K*** (had little trouble when he ask calculate distance,time,fuel to new destination)
maneuver- short-field land
maneuver- short-field takeoff
maneuver- soft-field land
maneuver- soft-field takeoff
-Final analysis
I felt TALKING(not jabber) out loud what I was doing was critical. Every minute or so I'd say what I'm trying to accomplish "heading 090, still climbing 3500" or what I'm thinking "looking for traffic". Also verbalizing the check-lists CIGARS and GUMPS impressed the DPE. I kept my eyes outside instead of staring Foreflight and/or instruments so DPE knows I'm aware of my surroundings.
There was two mistakes (one BIG).
My left steep turn missed elevation and missed rotate out heading. Then BIG mistake was during first power-on stall; I pulled too fast and hard causing near SPIN!
If I didn't recover (as DPE noted) he would definitely HAD to failed me(im sure). He wanted SLOW pull of yoke into stall; says most stalls don't happen quick but slow and unnoticeable until stall horn.
The DPE told me that my mistakes in maneuvers are NOT as important since I had good "situational awareness" that I exhibited. He said through practice I'll get the maneuver perfected. Lastly, I felt the DPE will ask you few probing personal questions as to why you want to be pilot to gauge if you have right aptitude to be SAFE pilot.
Clear skies and good luck to you all my fellow students on your checkride!
https://imgur.com/a/SK3mEpq
Last edited: