Checkride Jitters

Clayton Goodfellow

Clayton Goodfellow

Filing Flight Plan
Joined
Aug 15, 2017
Messages
5
Location
Napa, CA
Display Name
Display name:
Pilotman11
Good evening fellow pilots! First post on here; expect much more to come!

To get to the point; I have my PPL checkride this Sunday and trying to rush getting my night flying done. The reason why I'm rushing is that I leave for college the next day after my checkride. I would've finished training months ago; however the annual took four months due to newer airplanes the A&P wanted to focus on more which doesn't seem very fair. I feel very unprepared for the air work due to my small amount of time to practice, and I do plan to get at least some maneuvers done with my instructor in the coming days.

Not to mention the VOR is currently broken; it decides to go out right before the checkride. So not only am I rushing to get night flying done, I now need to get a replacement Com / Nav radio and or VOR gauge itself.

Anyways, I'm flying the good ol' Piper Tripacer. This brings me to my question. The Tri Pacer has no takeoff/landing performance charts whatsoever ( thanks Piper ). I can only find the numbers in the owner's handbook which is taken at gross weight, standard conditions. I can't calculate the distance using weight, wind, etc.

How do I go about this for the checkride? Get a similar airplane's charts such as a 172 or 150? Or simply say to use good judgment.

Thank you all. I will be posting more on these forums. Very happy to be here.
 
Sorry, I can't answer any of your questions, Clayton. But I do wish you good luck on passing your PPL check ride!

I'm sure your CFI would not have signed you off if you weren't ready to perform all the maneuvers. Just take your time to practice the maneuvers (as you mentioned you were doing) and get a good night's sleep before the check ride on Sunday. Do your weather briefing the night before, and have an abbreviate briefing the morning of. Good luck!
 
You'll be surprised how over prepared you are for the ride. Relax, you're simply demonstrating the skills you've acquired through training with the examiner. Not to mention...you sound like a Good-fellow!
 
Clayton Goodfellow said:
The Tri Pacer has no takeoff/landing performance charts whatsoever ( thanks Piper ). I can only find the numbers in the owner's handbook which is taken at gross weight, standard conditions. I can't calculate the distance using weight, wind, etc.

How do I go about this for the checkride? Get a similar airplane's charts such as a 172 or 150? Or simply say to use good judgment.
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First off, know what the regs say...
§91.103 Preflight action.
Each pilot in command shall, before beginning a flight, become familiar with all available information concerning that flight. This information must include—

...

(b) For any flight, runway lengths at airports of intended use, and the following takeoff and landing distance information:

(1) For civil aircraft for which an approved Airplane or Rotorcraft Flight Manual containing takeoff and landing distance data is required, the takeoff and landing distance data contained therein; and

(2) For civil aircraft other than those specified in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, other reliable information appropriate to the aircraft, relating to aircraft performance under expected values of airport elevation and runway slope, aircraft gross weight, and wind and temperature.
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The portion I bolded is what you're trying to figure out. Obviously your experience in the airplane is part of it.

I'd also suggest googling rules of thumb for takeoff and landing distance corrections for wind, slope, and elevation. Here's an example...http://www.mountainflying.com/pages/mountain-flying/rule_of_thumb.html. I'd even suggest printing them out in a format that works for you, and putting them in your owner's handbook.

A few basics would also be useful to know...for example, based on those rules of thumb, what does a 10-knot headwind or tailwind do to your airplane's distances?

If you really want to get down to the nitty gritty, get one of these...http://www.sportys.com/pilotshop/takeoff-performance-computer.html. I've found it to be very accurate.

Good luck!
 
The best advice I can give you that I always used on myself on company check rides is "Do what you do." As someone else noted, your instructor would not have signed you off if he didn't think you were ready. You busting a check ride goes on his record also. So just do what you do.......Hope that helps.
 
You'll do fine. I took the ride 3 months ago, and a few days before, I was ready to cancel because I felt I wasn't ready.

Just fly the plane.
 
Examiners aren't looking for reasons to fail you. Relax and fly the plane. Do the tasks he ask you to do, you already know how to do them. Fly the plane. This didn't happen to me, but I have been told, if you see that you are going to bust a maneuver, discontinue the maneuver and try it again. An example would be if you are doing a short field landing and see that aren't going to get it down in time, go around. Ask your instructor about this, but I have heard it said before. Relax and fly the plane, did I say that already? Good.
 
Thank you, everyone, so much! Feeling more confident now. The VOR has been fixed today by installing another comm/nav radio. However, while preparing the aircraft maintenance records, the two year transponder check has not one and it was due at the start of the year. Might not have enough time to find a shop that can do this before Sunday. I'd hate to go into the checkride and busting it because the transponder hasn't been checked.
 
Last edited:
murphey said:
Treat it as another lesson.
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Hmmmm. I agree with your premise, but remember that a checkride is not a lesson, you are PIC, not the examiner. You are expected to be in sole control of the plane at all times. Maybe "treat it as another flight"?
 

LOL - you'll do fine. As others have mentioned, the examiner is there to observe and may even enter into some friendly banter and maybe make a few "suggestions." Don't be afraid to speak up and tell him what you're doing (thereby boosting your own confidence in the maneuver.)

As someone suggested, you can discontinue a maneuver and do it over again. I did that with my short field landing. I saw I wasn't going to hit the numbers (probably would have been within 100 feet and still OK, but wanted it to be "right"), so I spoke up and told the CFI, "I'm not going to make the numbers, going around", then announced the go-around. My DPE counted that as the "go around" maneuver.

I hope you'll be able to find a shop to sign-off on the transponder. Good luck with the checkride!
 
MauleSkinner said:
So how'd it go?
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Letter of Disapproval. Messed up on Steep turns and VOR navigation. Did great on the oral portion though. There's always next time. Now I know what I need to work on.

Unfortunately I'm going to be in college and I won't be home until October until I can retake it and relearn what I missed.
 
Clayton Goodfellow said:
Letter of Disapproval. Messed up on Steep turns and VOR navigation. Did great on the oral portion though. There's always next time. Now I know what I need to work on.

Unfortunately I'm going to be in college and I won't be home until October until I can retake it and relearn what I missed.
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Sorry to hear that Clayton. What time of day was the practical portion of the exam? Reason I ask is years ago my CFI took me out at 3pm all summer to practice and things were ugly to say the least due to thermals, wind and turbulence. Day of check ride was a morning flight with NO THERMALS, darn plane felt like it was on rails and I was cheating ... CFI said,"You're welcome" afterwardso_O
 
danhagan said:
Sorry to hear that Clayton. What time of day was the practical portion of the exam? Reason I ask is years ago my CFI took me out at 3pm all summer to practice and things were ugly to say the least due to thermals, wind and turbulence. Day of check ride was a morning flight with NO THERMALS, darn plane felt like it was on rails and I was cheating ... CFI said,"You're welcome" afterwardso_O
Click to expand...

Around 4 in the afternoon; lots of updrafts and downdrafts. I'll try for the morning next time.
 
Sorry to hear of the Letter of Disapproval as well. But the good news is that you'll only retest on those things that you had issues with. Hopefully it'll be a quick morning flight with the DPE, then a good rest of the day flight flying with your newly minted certificate!
 
Did he allow you to continue the ride and finish the other maneuvers? If so all you need to do is the previous unsatisfactory portion of the check ride.

Don't let it get to ya, you are not the first nor will you be the last. You know what to expect and it won't be as bad next time.
 
Clayton- What about the VOR and steep turns did you find gave you the most difficulty? You can PM if you'd like- I have a checkride coming up in the next couple of months and those things worry me too.
 
Make sure you get it done within 60 days so you don't have to retake the entire test!

When I had to re-do a maneuver I couldn't wait to knock out some work with my CFI and get back ASAP. It killed me having that one little screw up hang over my head and I needed to get it done.

Good luck! You will do awesome after a hour or 2 with your CFI.
 
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