AU_James
Pre-takeoff checklist
I just got my private ticket last week. While it was still fresh in my mind, I wrote everything down and then went through the ACS to organize it appropriately (hopefully this will help others on their way using the ACS).
Here's how it all went. First, I met with my instructor at my home airport to give everything one last look over and give myself a familiar drive to the airport, then I flew solo from my home airport to the DPE (about a 10-15 min flight). It took about 3 hours to do the oral exam and 2.0 hours of flying.
I – Preflight Preparation
Task A – Pilot Qualifications:
Task A – Preflight Assessment
I thought I would want to zoom all around the skies the rest of the evening but I made the short trip back to the home airport, put some things away and realized how exhausted I was!
I hope this helps some current students with what to expect for their first check ride. Please feel free to ask any questions for any sort of clarifications!
Here's how it all went. First, I met with my instructor at my home airport to give everything one last look over and give myself a familiar drive to the airport, then I flew solo from my home airport to the DPE (about a 10-15 min flight). It took about 3 hours to do the oral exam and 2.0 hours of flying.
I – Preflight Preparation
Task A – Pilot Qualifications:
- The examiner didn’t spend much time with my logbooks. He ensured proper endorsements were present/correct and checked some times. I did have a sticky note in the logbook summarizing my required times (XC, night, hood, towered airports, etc) and what dates to find those entries, so perhaps that helped the process along.
- I was given a couple scenarios and asked if, as a private pilot, they were legal or illegal (taking friends on a trip and them wanting to pay, working for a company and taking a business trip in a rented plane).
- I was asked for how long my Class III medical is valid (at the moment, 5 years).
- I was asked what documents were required to be on you/in the plane.
- I was asked what instruments were required for day/night VFR. This was thorough, he showed a picture of a cockpit and we discussed every instrument and gauge).
- I was asked what AD’s were, where I could find them, and what they mean to me as a pilot. Also where/how I can make sure AD’s have been accomplished on a plane I’m renting.
- I was asked what a Special Flight Permit was and why one would be used.
- We had a discussion about MEL’s and placarding non-operational instruments (he didn’t necessarily pose direct questions about those processes).
- We pulled up a website with multiple weather charts and went through each of them with multiple questions or discussions.
- I was asked what VFR minimums were in MOST airspaces and what the difference between Marginal VFR and IFR was.
- I was asked what information could be obtained with radar charts (direction of movement, speed, and cloud tops).
- I was asked what information could be obtained for prog charts, specifically what the four types of fronts were and what they looked like on the charts and which direction weather moves around high and low pressure areas.
- I was asked what isobars were and what information I could gather from them (winds/pressure).
- I was asked what type of AIRMETs and SIGMETs existed and why. We discussed icing quite a bit and whether or not you could fly into known icing conditions. I was asked what elements made a storm severe
- I read through an Area Forecast and for our cross country route of flight, which lines were applicable to us and what it meant. I did the same for TAFs and PIREPs and ultimately was asked the question “would you fly this cross country as planned today?”
- I was asked how I could get an in-flight update on weather at my destination (assuming no fancy in-cockpit weather displays).
- I was asked why I chose my specific altitudes (more specifically how to determine a minimum safe altitude using charts).
- We went over my cross-country plan and navlog and I explained my checkpoints and we looked at each on the sectional.
- I was asked about several symbols on a sectional (airspace, obstructions, elevation).
- I was asked about airport information found on the sectional such as what services are available, what each frequency was for, if the lighting was pilot-controlled, how long the longest runway is, etc.
- We looked at my weight and balance carefully. We had a discussion about the effects of improper balance and/or being over weight. We discussed a couple of real-world accidents resulting from weight/balance issues. I showed him that I charted both our started weight/balance and our ending weight/balance which lead to a short discussion about how weight/balance is dynamic and changes every flight and throughout the flight.
- I was asked about our destination airport and if we really had the full length of the runway for landing (there was a displaced threshold). This led us into a discussion about performance calculations being based off of the most ideal situation and I showed him where I added a 50% margin of error to all of my calculations to make up for anything that doesn’t go perfectly.
- I was asked about flaps and their effect on aircraft performance and why we use them for short/soft field take offs.
- I was shown a picture of engine exhaust ducts and asked what it was and what exhaust was used for and what are some dangers/considerations related to engine exhaust.
- I was asked what type of fuel my aircraft uses and why it’s dyed blue.
- I was asked how I would handle an emergency (I flew into IMC conditions, what do I do? I can’t get out, so how do you declare an emergency/what would I squawk and who would I contact and what would I tell them).
- I was asked about wake turbulence and how to avoid it.
- Related to the cabin heat and engine exhaust, I was asked how carbon monoxide affects you and what should you do if you suspect exposure to it.
- I was asked what hypoxia is and how to detect, avoid, and recover from it.
- I was asked what hyperventilation is, when it could occur and what you can do to avoid it or recover from it.
- We discussed optical illusions, specifically special disorientation. I was shown a picture of an airport on Lake Erie- out one side you could clearly see an airport and a city in definite VMC but out the other side of the aircraft facing the lake with overcast clouds you suddenly had no horizon, no lights, and no indication of where you were or how you were oriented. Imagine the same scenario at night.
Task A – Preflight Assessment
- I performed my usual preflight of the aircraft using the checklist. We had a brief discussion of which runway to use considering a direct 90 degree crosswind and decided the best action would be to follow existing traffic.
- I set up for a normal flight using the checklist.
- I started the engine using normal checklists (thanks to the cold-starting tips on the website I had no issues here even though it was such a cold day).
- There were decently strong crosswinds and I maintained proper positioning of flight controls.
- I gave a passenger briefing for both safety and also reiterating the plan for first portion of the flight (the start of our cross-country).
- No questions were asked about this topic but the examiner observed my actions throughout.
- I performed a normal takeoff, used visual cues for piloting, followed a VOR to an airport and performed a normal landing.
- I performed a short field takeoff and landing prior to a soft field takeoff and landing.
- I was asked about what the PAPI/VASI guarantees if you’re on glide path, the examiner demonstrated just how much “clearance” above trees that really gives you to show the importance of staying at/above glide path, then handed the controls back to me on short final and I performed a go-around.
- I performed a turn around a point, climbed to altitude and performed clearing turns and steep turns in both directions
- I performed slow flight without flaps and performed a couple of turns.
- The examiner added flaps and I continued slow flight with turns.
- I went into a power-off stall from slow flight and then into a power on stall.
- We had discussed spin awareness and recovery on the ground during the oral portion.
- Under the hood I performed turns, climbs, and descents.
- The examiner tossed my sectional on the ground and in the back seat and told me to slowly reach for it and put it away and then had me recover from unusual attitudes each time.
I thought I would want to zoom all around the skies the rest of the evening but I made the short trip back to the home airport, put some things away and realized how exhausted I was!
I hope this helps some current students with what to expect for their first check ride. Please feel free to ask any questions for any sort of clarifications!
Roll Tide!
