MAJOR UPDATE - !

Update:

Saturday was completely IFR from 9am - 1pm, so we were only able to have a ground lesson (mock oral). After he left at 1pm to see his other student, he asked if I wanted to go solo since the wx had cleared. I said "yes" and spent an hour doing just short and soft field takeoffs and landings. I did not think they were that great, and it was upsetting to me. I shouldn't have, but I shared this with my CFI in the parking lot later on. I could see his concern and he gave me the "go around" lecture. You know, the one about the checkride - where your approach is perfect, and then over the numbers a gust of wind changes things and you "think" you might not make 200. This is when you should go around.

That night (Saturday), I attended a hangar party and got to drink beer and talk planes. Awesome. Everyone was very nice and supportive and said "good luck" re: the checkride. Part of me regrets telling so many people - when I see them again they will ask if I passed! Lots of pressure.

Sunday morning, I wake up super early - 6am - to drive North to volunteer at a fundraising booth at the Wings Over Wine Country air show. Patty Wagstaff was there along with many other performers, though I did not get to see them (I was working the booth). During the day I did get the chance to wander off and I ran into some pilots I know! Can't believe I'm finally getting to know the people and planes up there. As soon as I become a pilot I already know what flight school I'm going to get checked out in (I heart LSA's). None of their planes are older than 2000 and all have GPS - some have glass panels too. What a nice change from my old plane. Although mine is MUCH closer to my house and only $92 per hour, (if I keep paying monthly dues), their planes are all $131 per hour - sure a bit more but I would rather take passengers up in an OPEN COCKPIT to putt around the Golden Gate Bridge on a sunny day. It will be a "special occasion" plane for sure.

Traffic was horrible and it took me almost 2 hours to get back to my flight school, but I left the air show early to meet with my CFI. The fog was quickly rolling in, so we only got to fly for 1.2 hours. I cannot believe it - one of the BEST flights ever. Slow flight was so good, landings were within standards (turns out they had been on my solo too, I was just overly critical). During debrief he was full of compliments (very rare).

I asked "what's next" and he kept Tues, Thurs, and Fri open for me. One night will be paperwork (log book sign off, IACRA application review), and one night if the fog cooperates - will be another flight. Not sure about oral - or the third night.

I wanted to find out where my cross country was going to be - it was only then that I discovered I WOULD be talking to the DPE. My CFI says he will call me the night before (Saturday night). This is a little bit stressful since I won't get a lot of advanced notice and I hope to hear my phone ring. My checkride is not until 1pm the next day so I should have plenty of time to create a plan - and my CFI already had me create a weight and balance chart with him.

If you count today, 7 days until checkride..... sorry if I am sort of MIA.
 
Best of Luck...I think you'll find it much easier/less stressful than your worst fears. I just passed mine a few months ago.

Mine was $400 here in Chapel Hill, NC.

If short field is giving you an issue...just remember...it's all about airspeed. I would never try to steer you away from what your CFI has taught you..BUT...let me give you an example of what I do

I have an SR22..its Vref = 77 knots and then 1 not less for each 100 lbs under gross weight

So...when I'm at 3200 lbs (-200 gross weight)...I make sure I am at 75 knots-ish right around my aiming point. If you nail that..it's almost impossible to NOT land where you want to.

Again..FAR be it from me to teach anyone anything with my piddly 150 hours here...but that's what worked for me. :)
 
ajstoner21 said:
Don't worry about it! I am pretty sure you have the "Right Attitude", because you activily participate in pilot type discussions on forums such as this, I get the impression you talk to a lot of pilots in real life or on the phone and you fly frequently it seems.

I have no doubt that you "know your stuff". I understand your statement though. I wonder if I'm going to post about when I go to take my instrument rating checkride. I don't know if i'll tell y'all before or after.

Seriously though, are there any topics that you are worried about for your oral? If you bring them up now, I'm sure you can have a ton of answers for you before your test.
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Andrew,

Thank you. Yes, although just a few short months ago I really did not know any pilots - thanks to POA and my real life aviation buddies I am now pretty involved. This weekend, for example, I flew on Saturday, attended a hangar party Saturday night, went to an air show on Sunday, met lots of pilots (some new friends, some old), and flew on Sunday. In addition I remain in touch with pilots via phone / IM / text / whatever.

This does not always mean I "know my stuff" though. It's not like pilots carry the FARs or PTS around and have readings from both LOL.

My weakest areas remain - weather and systems. Yeah, that's a lot. We haven't even gone over my learning codes yet, but I need to do that soon. I got 3 learning codes on my written test . . .

Kimberly
 
AdamZ said:
Just be prepared for that infamous Weight and Balance question when the DPE says "What do you do when some one won't tell you how much they weigh"?
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Without hesitation, I'll tell him that I would explain POLITELY to the passenger the importance of weight and balance. Part of the oral on the checkride may involve listing some characteristics the plane displays when over gross weight, several of which affect the flight characteristics of the aircraft.... I would simply use this information with passengers, turning it into a learning experience for them.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
PS - Found out he only charges $350 which seems fair.
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It has gotten more expensive since the 1990s. The first question my DPE asked is what makes airplanes fly? I'm sure that I had a puzzled look on my face trying to determine exactly what he was asking. Before I had a chance to give an answer he said "money" and told me his fee was $150 payable in advance. Good luck with your checkride. I am certain you will do fine.
 
Ron Levy said:
Captain Levy’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 must 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. It’s a test of your flying skill, not your knowledge of PTS minutiae. Make sure you know which maneuver the examiner wants done, and confirm the details if necessary – before you start the maneuver. Does s/he want stalls taken all the way to the break or just to the buffet or “first sign of impending stall”? Is that “spot landing” s/he asked for the “power-off 180-degree accuracy approach and landing” no more than 200 feet beyond the spot or the “short-field approach and landing” which allows use of power but no more than 100 feet beyond the spot?

19. Relax

20. 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.

21. Relax and enjoy your new license.


Ron Levy, ATP, CFI, Veteran of 11 license/rating checkrides, including 4 with FAA inspectors
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Wow, thank you Captain Levy. I especially enjoyed #14
 
skidoo said:
Congratulations! I'll bet you make 1000 posts by then. What does the avatar change to then. Take off or something like that. How appropriate!

After, you should fly to some place interesting - like Montana?:D
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Um . . . . how about no?
 
Kim, the standard for landing you are being held to for PP is not "Perfect", it is "Safe". Did you feel your landings were unsafe?
 
denverpilot said:
The best advice I can offer: Be the best pilot you can be. ;)

You know all that entails now, or the instructor wouldn't have sent ya.

You know it starts long before the key turns, and doesn't end when the aircraft is tied down.

You know it includes using all your knowledge and skills (and maybe once in a while a little luck and more study!) to safely transport around other people in the sky.

And by the time the checkride is over, you'll know if you were a pilot that day or not. You won't need the DPE to tell you.

Good luck and do it right. You know how. Make it happen.

And if for some reason you have a bad day, the only penalty is that you have to go fly some more and have to wait to carry passengers until you go have a good day. Not much of a penalty. ;)

I think you'll do it. Have a great checkride!
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Thanks, I will try to think positive the day of - but I will be honest - I sure as heck hope that I pass. Everyone says "you will know when you are ready". Well, yesterday, during our most awesome checkride prep flight ever, everything just HAPPENED. With very little effort or thought. I am ready (flying). Oral, that's another story.
 
Henning said:
Kim, the standard for landing you are being held to for PP is not "Perfect", it is "Safe". Did you feel your landings were unsafe?
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Not at all. I was just thinking they weren't within 200 feet for short field .... that's all. Turns out I was wrong (they were all ok).

In terms of "unsafe" though - I do hate how with the short field there is a "firm" landing expected when and if you pull the power at the appropriate height above the runway.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Not at all. I was just thinking they weren't within 200 feet for short field .... that's all. Turns out I was wrong (they were all ok).

In terms of "unsafe" though - I do hate how with the short field there is a "firm" landing expected when and if you pull the power at the appropriate height above the runway.
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You'll do fine. Think of this as a lesson on steroids. The DPE will know you're nervous (most are) and judge you on "safe". Your instructor wouldn't send you if he didn't think you're ready.

Each of the checkrides I've done, I've come out not only passing, but learning things from the DPE.
 
JoeSelch said:
Unless it's a really good spot for your emergency landing. ;)

I'll see you in Sidnaw, pilot. :)
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OMG, this is so funny. That happens to me all the time on emergency landings. My CFI will remind me to look everywhere - not just to the right - and when I do I realize that we are above an airport (after long foggle times).

I will see YOU in Sidnaw.... for me my journey to MI begins in 9 days.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Not at all. I was just thinking they weren't within 200 feet for short field .... that's all. Turns out I was wrong (they were all ok).

In terms of "unsafe" though - I do hate how with the short field there is a "firm" landing expected when and if you pull the power at the appropriate height above the runway.
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The difference in the short field landing is that you are carrying less kinetic energy into the flare so you don't have as much "brakes" available on descent. All of your short fields should be power at idle as you enter the flare. Thing about a short field is accuracy. You have to be more precise with your movement and transitions through the marks to be as gentle as possible so as to not waste energy. Now that would make for "Perfect" but again, the standard you are being held to is "Safe", and for a short field landing the preference is to err on the side of not carrying in quite enough energy and not having enough to fully complete the arc of the flare to the tangent. In other words, you smack in a little, but be nose high and stay nose high until fully settled before you get on the brakes. Aerodynamic braking has the advantage over wheel braking at the higher speed, but it diminishes quickly.
 
Jeanie said:
I took my PP check ride in Santa fe ,nm. And when I flew home to alpine (350nm). It was a really great X/C. I was reviewing my logbook the other day. And at the top of that page I wrote in RED ink : First flight as private pilot. And filled in bunch of extra info - like stuff I saw and the weather etc.
Someone told me long ago that when you're old and sitting on your porch doing the " I remember when" thing that anecdotal notes in the logbook are great. And even though I'm not quite there yet, I have found that it is fun to be able to read entry's and remember different events as opposed to just where and what time each flight is.
So, Kim, if you aren't writing extra bits of info in your book just consider that you can.
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Thank you for this post. After reading it I tried to contact some potential first passengers. Then when they said "sure, why not" - to my surprise - I texted back "I will write your name in my log book with all the details".

That will be much more fun than just number of hours. Thank you.
 
I encourage everyone to write notes into their flight log a la Ernest Gann. Especially for the first few hundred hours where every flight is a real adventure.

As several people said in the movie, 16 Right, it's a love affair. So why wouldn't you want to keep a journal?
 
Richard said:
I encourage everyone to write notes into their flight log a la Ernest Gann. Especially for the first few hundred hours where every flight is a real adventure.

As several people said in the movie, 16 Right, it's a love affair. So why wouldn't you want to keep a journal?
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Haha, I kept a journal, not just of flying but everything back in the days I was getting my private. I only read it again a few years ago and it was pretty amusing. I haven't had the discipline or the interest to keep a journal in many years now, though.
 
TripleZ said:
My DE started teaching half way through the oral. Picked something I was weak on, and went through a thorough explanation. Got into the.... "well, if you go on for IFR, commercial, etc..... this is what you want to do"
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I remember my private checkride. The temperature was over 110 degrees and we were two adult males in a Cessna 150 with a reduced climb rate. At one point we encountered a thermal and the DPE took the controls for a moment to demonstrate a glider climbing technique.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
I wanted to find out where my cross country was going to be - it was only then that I discovered I WOULD be talking to the DPE. My CFI says he will call me the night before (Saturday night). This is a little bit stressful since I won't get a lot of advanced notice and I hope to hear my phone ring. My checkride is not until 1pm the next day so I should have plenty of time to create a plan - and my CFI already had me create a weight and balance chart with him.
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Make sure to explicitly ask the DPE for his cockpit weight (with clothes, headset, etc.). Your CFI might have already told you, but I think the DPE will be pleased if you ask him directly.

Good luck!
 
Cap'n Jack said:
Have fun! Do your prep and you'll do Ok- no need for luck because, as you noted, you'll make your own.
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Thanks, Jack. I still think some luck will be needed. However, the more I hear about the checkride (found out a lot from the locals at the air show yesterday), the less I fear it.
 
Richard said:
I encourage everyone to write notes into their flight log a la Ernest Gann. Especially for the first few hundred hours where every flight is a real adventure.

As several people said in the movie, 16 Right, it's a love affair. So why wouldn't you want to keep a journal?
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Evidence....
 
Half as much prep and more relaxation. You'll do fine. The checkride is nothing more than your average flight with your instructor only this guy is your first passenger. He won't touch the controls unless you do something foolish.
RELAX. It's just a walk in the park; a day at the beach; No Big Deal.
Unless he's a complete jerk, you seem pretty squared away. An hour or so chatting and an hour or so flyng.
RELAX!
 
Ron Levy said:
Captain Levy’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.

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Hey, Ron . . . is that (the 90% thing) true across all checkrides, or just the PPL?
 
Kim- he'll try to distract you sometime during the test. Be polite but remember you are in command. Also, don't be afraid to let him help you- I had the DPE hold charts for me.

For distraction, the DPE kept asking questions during preflight (acting like a passenger never in a plane before). I told him I'd answer questions after I got done checking the plane.
 
As Jack just said, don't be afraid to ask him to wait while you do something. As a mater of fact, expect to. I had to do it at least 2-3 times on my instrument checkride. We would be coming setting up for an approach and he'd be asking me a question. "Just a moment while I brief this approach. I'll be happy to answer you in a minute."

Also, during the oral, it's totally ok to admit that you don't know the answer to a question. Just have an idea of where to find it in the books. Oh, and take a LOT of books with you. Anything you study with is fair game. I took the Instrument Oral Test Prep guide into my oral with me because I liked the way that the answers were laid out. I knew that I'd be able to find answers easily in that book.
 
Also remember you can ask the DE to do anything you would ask a passenger to do like hold a chart or whatever. I did that in the 152, "Since you're sitting on my desk, I'm gonna ask you to hang onto this..."
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Thanks, dude.

However, will you people please just realize I may or may not be able to relax? Nobody relaxes on a checkride.
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You're welcome. I see Cap'n Ron posted the reminder I was thinking of :)

Oh, one last bit of encouragement...have fun!
 
Kim,

I am completely and totally convinced that you will sail through your checkride with flying colors. You have focused on your training. You have concentrated on your training. You have been successful with your training. This checkride is nothing more than an opportunity to show off what you've learned.

Go knock 'em dead!

Doc
 
MBDiagMan said:
Kim,

I am completely and totally convinced that you will sail through your checkride with flying colors. You have focused on your training. You have concentrated on your training. You have been successful with your training. This checkride is nothing more than an opportunity to show off what you've learned.

Go knock 'em dead!

Doc
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Yup, you're flying x-country by yourself. Determining if the weather, plane, and conditions are ok for a checkride, by yourself. Taking a passenger (yes, he is only a passenger, treat him as one) up in the plane and flying around, by yourself. Then flying home one way or another, by yourself.

Guess what....... you're already a pilot.
 
It gets more interesting if your instructor does what mine did when I had to fly to another airport for the check ride...

"I'm only signing you off to solo to get there, so you'd better pass or you're going to need someone to sign you off to come home."

LOL! ;)
 
MBDiagMan said:
Kim,

I am completely and totally convinced that you will sail through your checkride with flying colors. You have focused on your training. You have concentrated on your training. You have been successful with your training. This checkride is nothing more than an opportunity to show off what you've learned.

Go knock 'em dead!

Doc
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Thanks, Doc, I read your thread today. How exciting for you! I am glad you didn't throw in the towel on that tail dragger and trade for a tricycle fixed gear. Congratulations, now I'm looking forward to that solo post.

Kimberly
 
Only thing left is to roller skate down the runway hanging onto the wing strut. Let go when you're about 3' off the ground and see how well you land....
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Thanks, Jack. I still think some luck will be needed. However, the more I hear about the checkride (found out a lot from the locals at the air show yesterday), the less I fear it.
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The only luck you will need is with the weather. Clear skies and light winds are on order for you.
 
Another update: we flew on Tuesday after work. It was one of the most clear, calm afternoons in memory.

The airports we went to (in anticipation of where the DPE may "deviate" from my XC) were over 20nm from O69 and it seemed as though the entire flight home was conducted with my hands in my lap. Just a perfect, perfect night. Healdsburg (HES) and Cloverdale (O60) have shorter runways than my home airport of Petaluma (O69) and HES even has trees at both ends.

When doing short field landings at these other places, though slightly off centerline, I was VERY happy with the progress made overall.

To pass the time during the 40+nm flying portion, my CFI quizzed me on the oral, asked me to do E6B calculations such as density altitude, calibrated air speed, etc.... and reminded me how to divide my attention between inside the cockpit and outside (scanning for traffic).

I submitted my IACRA and gave him a copy of the FTN number, printed submission, and application number.

He told me to program the DPE's three phone numbers into my phone and asked me to please call him on Saturday night ONLY IF I had not heard from him by 7pm. Apparently, the DPE will be calling me the night before my checkride to discuss where I am going to plan a cross country to.


I meet with my CFI again tonight - not sure yet if we will fly or do paperwork (that will depend on the weather). I am not yet signed off in my logbook, so that will need to be done either tonight or tomorrow.

Getting closer.........
 
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