Checkride Nav log for early am test question.

[jhoyt]

Have checkride set up for this Sunday. Temps in eastern Washington will be lower 100s in afternoon so we have it set up for 0800. I'm doing Nav Log by hand but want to do it the night before so it is well organized, vs cramming prior to my 0700 flight down to the checkride field that is about a 30 min flight. Weather will have changed since filled out forms.

What would you all rec? Keep paper Nav Log with older weather so he can see how I logged the data and then do ForeFlight plan with the morning weather data and print this out w current course? I would get my FSS weather morning of checkride. Trying to avoid cramming am of flight.

Will run by CFI (who is out of town presently), but thought I'd see how others would also manage the situation.
Thanks

 

[MAKG1]

Make a SIMPLE route. Most people make way too many checkpoints.

Go as far as you can without knowing winds or temperatures. You can go pretty far, such as picking all your checkpoints and planning backup nav such as VOR radials.

Get your weather briefing in the morning and finish it.

 

[James331]

Keep your old one, update a new one.

Don't rely on foreflight, if you were instrument or ATP that's one thing, but for a PPL it gives a DPE the warm fuzzies if you can plan a flight without your tablet. Also be sure your check points are good VISUAL checkpoints

Ie you want to go flying but you loose your tablet, now do I need to worry about this guy launching into a convective sigmet or IMC?

IMO I should be able to drop you into the average FBO with nothing but yourself, your medical and license and you should be able to plan a cross the state cross country before I finish my donut and coffee.

 

[NJP_MAN]

Make a SIMPLE route.
.

So important. Try to have as few heading changes as possible. Keeps the WCAs all the same as long as the weather doesn't get to freaky and makes for a real easy nav log.

 

[EdFred]

Make a SIMPLE route. Most people make way too many checkpoints.

Go as far as you can without knowing winds or temperatures. You can go pretty far, such as picking all your checkpoints and planning backup nav such as VOR radials.

Get your weather briefing in the morning and finish it.

Pretty much spot on. I've seen some that had listed waaaaay too may checkpoints. I wondered at what point they were going to actually fly the plane. I figure double the visibility or 25nm whichever is less for checkpoint distances.

 

[frfly172]

Keep it simple,make your plan,do weather in the AM. Do as you would if you went out to the airport and decided to do a VFR cross country. FF is great but if the battery dies,can you use a chart.

 

[MAKG1]

Pretty much spot on. I've seen some that had listed waaaaay too may checkpoints. I wondered at what point they were going to actually fly the plane. I figure double the visibility or 25nm whichever is less for checkpoint distances.

You could go even further with justification. Such as "I follow roads" along an isolated interstate. In that situation, checkpoints are mainly for fuel planning and to avoid overshooting the destination. You'll know which way to fly.

One leg of my "long" student cross country was to fly from Castle (KMER) to Fresno Chandler (KFCH). If you look at the chart, Hwy 99 is an almost direct line between the two. Fresno is by FAR the biggest city for over 100 miles. The only real checkpoint I needed was crossing the San Joaquin River, just before crossing into town, to avoid Class C, switch to CTAF and approach the destination. What I actually did was use each airport along the route of flight. There really are many more than I actually needed for such a simple flight.

 

[EdFred]

You could go even further with justification. Such as "I follow roads" along an isolated interstate. In that situation, checkpoints are mainly for fuel planning and to avoid overshooting the destination. You'll know which way to fly.

One leg of my "long" student cross country was to fly from Castle (KMER) to Fresno Chandler (KFCH). If you look at the chart, Hwy 99 is an almost direct line between the two. Fresno is by FAR the biggest city for over 100 miles. The only real checkpoint I needed was crossing the San Joaquin River, just before crossing into town, to avoid Class C, switch to CTAF and approach the destination. What I actually did was use each airport along the route of flight. There really are many more than I actually needed for such a simple flight.

I make my students cross countries a bit more difficult. One leg pilotage, one leg ded reckoning, one leg VORs. We also don't have quite the prominent land marks that other places have. It's flat, and all the roads go E-W N-S. Pretty easy to get way off course.

 

[MAKG1]

I make my students cross countries a bit more difficult. One leg pilotage, one leg ded reckoning, one leg VORs. We also don't have quite the prominent land marks that other places have. It's flat, and all the roads go E-W N-S. Pretty easy to get way off course.

Makes sense.

I actually did that to myself on that cross country. Leg #1 (Palo Alto to Castle) was VOR nav past the first pass, leg #2 (Castle to Fresno) "I Follow Roads" (pilotage), and Leg #3 (Fresno to Palo Alto) dead reckoning, at least until I got close to San Jose airspace and Approach changed all my plans.

I was amazed at just how well that 35 year old 172 made book numbers.

No GPS in the airplane. The avionics guy I ran into in Fresno expressed surprise that I could find the airport that way. I don't understand; it was easy with such a prominent landmark.

My instructor didn't really give me any instructions aside from "get there safely," and a review of what I came up with.

If you aren't following highways, the Central Valley all looks the same, and it has the same township/range oriented roads that Michigan does.

 

[kenjr]

best advice you can get is to take someone who has done a checkride with that DPE to lunch and pick their brain. The DPE's are typically creatures of habit and they ask their candidates to plan the same route over and over. They'll change diversion airports, etc... but for the most part the rides are pretty similar as are their expectations when it comes to what they want to see on a nav log.

So, I don't know if it's too late to do that - but that's going to be the best intel you are going to get.

If not, the rest of the advice on here is accurate. Try to keep the route as direct as possible with waypoints where it makes sense. Pick things that are easy to see by air - a city, a big intersection, water, etc... Fly the route if you have time. I got my CFI to sign off on an extra XC for me and I flew my route just so that I was familiar and knew what to look for.

 

[james_j]

Throughout all my training and having my students complete check rides I have never had a DPE who required you use weather information for your flight plan during that specific time in which you are schedule for your ride.

If it was me or my student I would have them complete a flight plan with current weather for the day prior, this gives the applicant plenty of time. Make sure you bring in a printed copy of the weather you used to plan your flight. Advise the DPE, hey I constructed the flight plan using yesterdays weather here is a printout of the weather information I used. I will get a current weather briefing for today's flight prior to departure and obtain all information needed like takeoff and landing distances.

It is very unlikely you will fly past the first or second checkpoint on your flightplan, the DPE just wants to see you have obtained the aeronautical knowledge and used the flight plan as a stating point to begin your flight.

This is only my opinion of what I have experienced over the years. Its up to you on what you should do. Remember it's also always ok to have your instructor ask the DPE on exactly what they expect from you in terms of the flight planning. Best of luck!

 

[BarryCooper]

Throughout all my training and having my students complete check rides I have never had a DPE who required you use weather information for your flight plan during that specific time in which you are schedule for your ride.

If it was me or my student I would have them complete a flight plan with current weather for the day prior, this gives the applicant plenty of time. Make sure you bring in a printed copy of the weather you used to plan your flight. Advise the DPE, hey I constructed the flight plan using yesterdays weather here is a printout of the weather information I used. I will get a current weather briefing for today's flight prior to departure and obtain all information needed like takeoff and landing distances.

It is very unlikely you will fly past the first or second checkpoint on your flightplan, the DPE just wants to see you have obtained the aeronautical knowledge and used the flight plan as a stating point to begin your flight.

This is only my opinion of what I have experienced over the years. Its up to you on what you should do. Remember it's also always ok to have your instructor ask the DPE on exactly what they expect from you in terms of the flight planning. Best of luck!

^^^this^^^

 

[luvflyin]

Have checkride set up for this Sunday. Temps in eastern Washington will be lower 100s in afternoon so we have it set up for 0800. I'm doing Nav Log by hand but want to do it the night before so it is well organized, vs cramming prior to my 0700 flight down to the checkride field that is about a 30 min flight. Weather will have changed since filled out forms.

What would you all rec? Keep paper Nav Log with older weather so he can see how I logged the data and then do ForeFlight plan with the morning weather data and print this out w current course? I would get my FSS weather morning of checkride. Trying to avoid cramming am of flight.

Will run by CFI (who is out of town presently), but thought I'd see how others would also manage the situation

I'd get an outlook briefing the night before, plan the flight, then file the flight plan. In the morning get an update briefing. You may not have to change anything. You may have some minor wind correction angles if the winds aloft have changed a bit. You may have some performance adjustments if the temperatures have changed. But these will probably be minor and no different than you're likely to encounter once your in the air anyway.
You will have shown the examiner you know how to get a briefing. You know how to plan a flight. You know how to stay updated on the weather. You know how to make adjustments as conditions change. He/She is not going to be looking to see if you hit your ETA's plus or minus 30 seconds.