Oral/Practial Exam Advice:

Keane

Keane

Pre-takeoff checklist
Joined
Sep 13, 2009
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Hillsboro, OR
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Display name:
ErichKeane
Hi all-

After almost exactly 3 months, I've logged 38.5 hrs, and have a Oral Exam/check ride on Sunday. I expect to get another 2 hrs or so done this week with my instructor (at least 1 lessons worth of Check-ride practice, and so I'll get the required 40), and have been cramming as best I can for the oral exam.

I just passed the written with an 85% (a little disappointing, but after about a bazillion practice tests, it was my average just about every time), so all I have to worry about is this Oral exam/practical exam.

SO, what advice do you have for someone in this position? Can you list your best oral exam questions (particularly those that are mind twisters)?
 
Keane said:
Hi all-

After almost exactly 3 months, I've logged 38.5 hrs, and have a Oral Exam/check ride on Sunday. I expect to get another 2 hrs or so done this week with my instructor (at least 1 lessons worth of Check-ride practice, and so I'll get the required 40), and have been cramming as best I can for the oral exam.

I just passed the written with an 85% (a little disappointing, but after about a bazillion practice tests, it was my average just about every time), so all I have to worry about is this Oral exam/practical exam.

SO, what advice do you have for someone in this position? Can you list your best oral exam questions (particularly those that are mind twisters)?
Click to expand...

Cap'n Ron should be by shortly with his list of advice. Every other one in his list is "Relax". Your CFI won't sign you off unless he thinks you're ready, so trust his/her judgment and git 'r done!

Good luck, we're all counting on you.
 
Oh darn, don't I feel like a fool. I didn't even see that sticky. I even did a quick search, and didn't get anything substantial.

Perhaps we should just turn this into a "Stump the Board" PPL questions thread?
 
I like this question I like for an airspace review.

Find an airport on your sectional that is in class G airspace that is underneith Class C airspace. As a question the examiner may find one for you. Then list all the airspace and at what altitudes they are at above that airport up to FL240. Then explain what is required to fly in each of those airspaces.

As a variation of the question, try it under Class B Airspace.

Brian
CFIIG/ASEL
 
Sheesh don't sweat it....take the Cap'ns advice, you already know your stuff or your CFI would not send you on your way. If you have an awesome examiner, the oral-checkride will be as much of a learning experience as anything you have done so far
GOOD LUCK-Let us know when you pass!!!
 
DutchessFlier said:
Sheesh don't sweat it....take the Cap'ns advice, you already know your stuff or your CFI would not send you on your way. If you have an awesome examiner, the oral-checkride will be as much of a learning experience as anything you have done so far
GOOD LUCK-Let us know when you pass!!!
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Thanks! I'm pretty confident, and am sure I'll be able to relax (I'll have a Frankie album on repeat the night before), but figured there was possibly some aged wisdom from those here.

My examiner is supposed to be a good guy, my CFI had him for two checkrides (CFI and CFII i think...), and says he's fair and pretty calm in the cockpit.

My instructor can be pretty fun to ride with, so I think he's prepared me pretty well for the flying part, so the Oral exam is what I'm worried about. My instructor often messes with the rudders when I'm looking down briefly, or messes with the controls or something.

He's played with my back-up radio station a few times (so that when I switched, I had no idea what was going on!), and occasionally unbuckles his seatbelt on me to make sure I do a proper GUMPS.

The Oral exam has me frightened more than anything. We met last night at a coffee shop and went over some additional work, but I don't think I'll stop worrying about it until after the examiner gets outa the plane.
 
CFI says you're ready means you're ready. I find hard to believe anyone could bust the oral unless they were just a dumba$$. Show him/her you can fly the plane safely and that you're in command and it's all over except the beer afterwards. Watch out for little tricks. My DPE tried to get me on the takeoff roll when he looked out his window and said a tire had blown and shredded. Everything he/she says you need to pay attention to. It'll be over before you know it as things will happen fast.

Have fun, enjoy and good luck. :D
 
EppyGA said:
CFI says you're ready means you're ready. I find hard to believe anyone could bust the oral unless they were just a dumba$$. Show him/her you can fly the plane safely and that you're in command and it's all over except the beer afterwards. Watch out for little tricks. My DPE tried to get me on the takeoff roll when he looked out his window and said a tire had blown and shredded. Everything he/she says you need to pay attention to. It'll be over before you know it as things will happen fast.

Have fun, enjoy and good luck. :D
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What the heck do you do in that case? You'd obviously not want to take off, but aborting a take off with a blown tire can be dangerous, and braking becomes pretty impossible, doesn't it?

Are you just supposed to "know" that he was lying, or was he expecting you to reduce to idle, and slow it down?
 
Keane said:
What the heck do you do in that case? You'd obviously not want to take off, but aborting a take off with a blown tire can be dangerous, and braking becomes pretty impossible, doesn't it?

Are you just supposed to "know" that he was lying, or was he expecting you to reduce to idle, and slow it down?
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He was testing me to see if I would react appropriatley or just continue the roll.

I pulled the throttle to idle and started braking lightly at which point he said, "Okay let's go"
 
I can tell you for sure from having had blown tires in everything from light planes to an A-6 Intruder (on a cat shot, no less -- no aborting there) that if a tire actually blows, you will have no doubt whatsoever that it's happened, and after that, nobody will ever be able to fool you into thinking it has when it hasn't. It may be going down, or look funny, but it won't blow without you knowing absolutely that something is big-time wrong.

BTW, if you have a blown tire on a cat shot, the 1000F/1200 psi steam is going to send you flying whether you want to or not. You leave the gear and flaps down, tell the Air Boss what happened, turn downwind, and get a visual check on a fly-by to see if there's any other damage. Then you trap, shut down in the wires, and get towed off the landing area.

Oh, yeah -- that was my very first cat shot, too. Guy in the left seat has his right foot resting up on the brake pedal instead of heels-on-the-deck and the rough deck surface shredded the tire.
 
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Had 2 blown main mounts on an E-2 on a cat shot - same cause - feet on the brakes instead of heels on the deck.

I think we had 1 or 2 knots less end speed than normal. Ditto on the "when the cat fires, you ARE going flying".
 
gkainz said:
Had 2 blown main mounts on an E-2 on a cat shot - same cause - feet on the brakes instead of heels on the deck.

I think we had 1 or 2 knots less end speed than normal. Ditto on the "when the cat fires, you ARE going flying".
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or swimming I suppose :D
 
EppyGA said:
CFI says you're ready means you're ready. I find hard to believe anyone could bust the oral unless they were just a dumba$$. Show him/her you can fly the plane safely and that you're in command and it's all over except the beer afterwards. Watch out for little tricks. My DPE tried to get me on the takeoff roll when he looked out his window and said a tire had blown and shredded. Everything he/she says you need to pay attention to. It'll be over before you know it as things will happen fast.

Have fun, enjoy and good luck. :D
Click to expand...

So when the DPE is to say "a tire has blown and shredded," will it be safe to calmly comment, "If that were true it would be a lot bumpier right now, so relax -- we're flying," without getting busted? I can deal with the dropped pencil trick -- "Sorry, I'm busy; you'll have to get it." But how about my above scenario?

HR
 
Lawreston said:
So when the DPE is to say "a tire has blown and shredded," will it be safe to calmly comment, "If that were true it would be a lot bumpier right now, so relax -- we're flying," without getting busted? I can deal with the dropped pencil trick -- "Sorry, I'm busy; you'll have to get it." But how about my above scenario?

HR
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Personally? (not that it really matters, eh?) If someone said I had blown a tire - I would hope that I would have the sense to assume there is SOMETHING wrong with the tire and the stop/go would depend on speed and runway remaining. Perhaps the tire isn't completely blown - perhaps just tread starting to separate or whatever....

During the flight review I would expect the "blown" tire would fall into the same category as the invisible cow on the runway, or the engine that lost power when the throttle was closed...
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
Personally? (not that it really matters, eh?) If someone said I had blown a tire - I would hope that I would have the sense to assume there is SOMETHING wrong with the tire and the stop/go would depend on speed and runway remaining.
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Rejected takeoffs become increasingly risky as the size and speed of the aircraft increase. If I'm up near rotation and my non-pilot passenger says something about the tire, I'm probably better off getting in the air where the tire's not a factor than trying a high-speed abort with a bad tire -- that's what got those folks in that LJ with the rock star drummer in trouble.
 
Thanks for all the help guys, I've been studying the recommended ASA book all week! I'm on my way to the test right now, so wish me luck!

-Erich
 
Thanks all! I just got back after a wicked long day at the airport! I passed the Oral without a hitch, and had to wait out the weather.

After about 3 hrs of waiting, the clouds finally went up to about 2500, so we were able to get everything in! I passed without problem!
 
Keane said:
Thanks all! I just got back after a wicked long day at the airport! I passed the Oral without a hitch, and had to wait out the weather.

After about 3 hrs of waiting, the clouds finally went up to about 2500, so we were able to get everything in! I passed without problem!
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Great job and congratulations to you!!! Now go fly. :D

I'm betting it was more of a non-event than you expected. Of course we'll wait with baited breathe for your write up. It's reuired here you know.
 
EppyGA said:
Great job and congratulations to you!!! Now go fly. :D

I'm betting it was more of a non-event than you expected. Of course we'll wait with baited breathe for your write up. It's reuired here you know.
Click to expand...

You are absolutely correct! It was an absolutely no-brainer test. Once I got over my nerves on the Oral exam, it was just like flying with my instructor.

I'll definitely put up a write-up when I get a moment!
 
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