DPE Harrison MacNaughton

[Cearhart]

Anyone flown with DPE Harrison MacNaughton in the NE/IA area? Looking to schedule a checkride with him. Have not met anyone who has taken a checkride with him, so any write ups/reputation/etc. is greatly appreciated, thank you!!

 

[tawood]

Or….you could use your time studying so you know the material for YOUR write up and worry less about his write ups.

 

[Cearhart]

Or….you could use your time studying so you know the material for YOUR write up and worry less about his write ups.

Exactly what I am currently doing, I of course plan on being 110% ready no matter what.

 

[schmookeeg]

We're taught to gather "all available information" prior to a flight -- why not prior to a checkride too? I think the question is perfectly legit.

Sadly I have never heard of this foghorn leghorn silly-named DPE. Good luck, though, maybe someone else has.

 

[tawood]

We're taught to gather "all available information" prior to a flight -- why not prior to a checkride too? I think the question is perfectly legit.

Sadly I have never heard of this foghorn leghorn silly-named DPE. Good luck, though, maybe someone else has.

Ok, so you find out the guys a jerk...now what? Where most live, you now just take your checkride with a jerk, because our DPE monopoly system means the options are slim to non-existent for taking the checkride with anyone else. I say don't worry about it, because either way, you're probably stuck with him.

 

[tonycondon]

https://designee.faa.gov/#/designeeLocator

No DPE in the system with that name.

 

[RyanB]

Or….you could use your time studying so you know the material for YOUR write up and worry less about his write ups.

There used to be a site a number of years ago called DPE Gouge, where you could go to find out what a specific examiner likes to hit on and how they typically structure their check ride. Unfortunately that site has since dissolved, but I don’t think it hurts to try and gather some intel on your prospective DPE beforehand, since they’re all different.

 

[TCABM]

https://designee.faa.gov/#/designeeLocator

No DPE in the system with that name.

Sure there is. Different spelling of the last name. Locations in PHX and Iowa

 

[Velocity173]

He’s big on airspace. Lots of airspace questions.

 

[MauleSkinner]

We're taught to gather "all available information" prior to a flight -- why not prior to a checkride too? I think the question is perfectly legit.

More often than not, it seems applicants ask the question so they can limit their studying…kinda like the checkride version of Sheppard Air.

Ok, so you find out the guys a jerk...now what? Where most live, you now just take your checkride with a jerk, because our DPE monopoly system means the options are slim to non-existent for taking the checkride with anyone else. I say don't worry about it, because either way, you're probably stuck with him.

You can choose to take your checkride with any DPE in the country…and some out of the country.

Unless you just hate flying that much.

 

[tawood]

More often than not, it seems applicants ask the question so they can limit their studying…kinda like the checkride version of Sheppard Air.

You can choose to take your checkride with any DPE in the country…and some out of the country.

Unless you just hate flying that much.

Some schools use only one DPE, and also limit where you can take their rentals for a checkride. In my area, there is only one DPE for several hundred miles...sure you could travel, but why?

On this subject, there used to be a website called something like "Rate the DPE"...I just looked, and it seems to have disappeared, which I think is a good thing. I didn't know it existed before my last DPE checkride, but after my instrument checkride, someone noted that I should leave a review there for my DPE. I noticed something about the website: nearly every single person that failed a checkride, would leave a 1 star review, and say how unfair the DPE was, yet every person that passed, would give 5 stars and say they were "tough but fair"...very often it was the same DPE getting these contradictory reviews. DPEs with numerous reviews were all universally 4 stars (reflecting a pass fail rate of about 80%). The site was pointless.

 

[EdFred]

Several hundred?
I know at least two that are local to me and I'm way closer than several hundred miles away

 

[tawood]

Several hundred?
I know at least two that are local to me and I'm way closer than several hundred miles away

Funny, but when the one near me wasn't available for 9 weeks out, I DID use one of the two near you...Denny Dorian...he was "tough but fair" (lol, should tell you how I did).

Oh, and you're right...it was just over 100 miles.

 

[MauleSkinner]

Some schools use only one DPE, and also limit where you can take their rentals for a checkride.

saves their instructors from having to teach anything beyond the test, I guess.

In my area, there is only one DPE for several hundred miles...sure you could travel, but why?

I’ve only ever gotten in a ****ing contest with one examiner…it was a waste of time, and I’d rather travel. (I passed, btw).

On this subject, there used to be a website called something like "Rate the DPE"...I just looked, and it seems to have disappeared, which I think is a good thing. I didn't know it existed before my last DPE checkride, but after my instrument checkride, someone noted that I should leave a review there for my DPE. I noticed something about the website: nearly every single person that failed a checkride, would leave a 1 star review, and say how unfair the DPE was, yet every person that passed, would give 5 stars and say they were "tough but fair"...very often it was the same DPE getting these contradictory reviews. DPEs with numerous reviews were all universally 4 stars (reflecting a pass fail rate of about 80%). The site was pointless.

Seems to be the norm for oral busts anyway. If you know your stuff, the examiner probes your depth of knowledge (“tough”) and you pass (“fair”). If you’re unprepared and can’t answer the most basic questions, you bust, and it’s the DPE’s fault because he didn’t ask the questions that you knew the answers to.

 

[EdFred]

And he's not even one of the two I know LOL. I did look up on a web search Grand Rapids fsdo DPE and got a whole bunch of results. more than I thought there were. Of course the Grand Rapids fsdo also covers from Traverse City all the way down into Indiana

 

[Lindberg]

More often than not, it seems applicants ask the question so they can limit their studying…kinda like the checkride version of Sheppard Air.

You can choose to take your checkride with any DPE in the country…and some out of the country.

Unless you just hate flying that much.

I was having a conversation about Sheppard this weekend with a commercial candidate. I told him my conclusion is that solid knowledge of the material is sufficient to pass the written, but without a tool like Sheppard that will tell you the "FAA answer" to some of the questions, you're not going to ace it.

I figure DPEs are similar. The ACS is always the same, but they may have their own idiosyncrasies and nits in how they apply it.

 

[tawood]

And he's not even one of the two I know LOL. I did look up on a web search Grand Rapids fsdo DPE and got a whole bunch of results. more than I thought there were. Of course the Grand Rapids fsdo also covers from Traverse City all the way down into Indiana

Hmm, it was a couple of years ago so idk…maybe because it was for IR and not PPL…? Seems as though that limited my choices.

 

[EdFred]

That could be. Yeah when I did my CFI ride I had to go up to Cadillac

 

[Kevin Holbrook]

I believe that your CFI is probably the best resource for knowing what to expect from your DPE. The CFI probably sends lots of candidates to the DPE, and receives feedback from most or all of them.

 

[Daleandee]

My DPE was tough on weather.

I think he sensed that it wasn't my best area of expertise. So like a good boxer with kidney punches he kept pounding it for a bit and it hurt.

I did well enough to pass but that part of the oral exam made me realize I had more learning to do, especially in that area ...

 

[DesertNomad]

My PPL and IR DPE was very old school and didn’t want you relying solely on ForeFlight for planning. Most all examiners will probe till they stump you and some will turn it into a bit of a teaching experience though they are not there to teach. I certainly learned stuff on all three of my checkride. Think of the oral as a discussion rather than a quiz.

 

[MauleSkinner]

I was having a conversation about Sheppard this weekend with a commercial candidate. I told him my conclusion is that solid knowledge of the material is sufficient to pass the written, but without a tool like Sheppard that will tell you the "FAA answer" to some of the questions, you're not going to ace it.

I figure DPEs are similar. The ACS is always the same, but they may have their own idiosyncrasies and nits in how they apply it.

I agree…unfortunately solid knowledge of the material isn’t what most applicants want.

 

[kingpin]

Anyone flown with DPE Harrison MacNaughton in the NE/IA area? Looking to schedule a checkride with him. Have not met anyone who has taken a checkride with him, so any write ups/reputation/etc. is greatly appreciated, thank you!!

Hey Cearhart, how did it go?

 

[Wagondriver]

When I was looking for a DPE for instrument, the local guy was suggested. I was told to expect an 8 hour checkride, no thanks, I found a different DPE. Of course he was cheaper, and the ride was only a couple hours, and I passed. But he was so difficult and badgering and loud that I almost filed a complaint against the guy. At one point during the ride he screamed at me "you peg that needle and the checkride is over", I paused then replied "If I am not flying to the necessary standards, then fail me, other wise keep quiet"
I would not recommend him to anyone, not for his checkride, but for his personality.