GCA319
Cleared for Takeoff
I assume you filed for the flight home, right?
Congrats! I thought I was cool for getting my IR at 19, but to be an instrument rated private pilot at 17 is a huge accomplishment. Keep it up!
The adventure continues...
- Thread starter jesse
- Start date
I assume you filed for the flight home, right?
Congrats! I thought I was cool for getting my IR at 19, but to be an instrument rated private pilot at 17 is a huge accomplishment. Keep it up!
So now that I've sat down and had a chance to think about things (and remember to do it) I think it's time for my poorly written, grammatically incorrect checkride writeup. This is my first time doing one of these, so bear with me.
I got to the airport at about 9:15 (the checkride was at 9:45) and got everything together. Jesse had made me laminated copies of the approaches at Lincoln incase my ipad died, so I did a once over the plane and a pre pre-flight to make sure nothing was busted. (It's probably not good to find something broken on the day of your checkride) but thankfully nothing was. We wrangled with the beast that is IACRA and went upstairs for the oral. My DPE was a 61 year old UAL pilot from Sweden, and he had alot of interesting stories to tell.
We did the oral for a couple hours (but probably only an hour or so of real questions, the rest we were talking about various things) since it was gettign close to lunch time so we headed off to Perkins for lunch (like Dennys - I didnt know what a Perkins was until I went up to the "north country") We probably talked another hour or so over lunch and then went back to the airport. I got a cup of coffee (everyone flies mo bettah with coffee) and did my second pre-flight. The examiner was really interested in my plane because he had never flown in a 172 with a STOL kit and a 180hp engine. We hopped in, and we were off!
Called up CLR DEL and told them we wanted to do a few practice approaches starting with the ILS rwy 18 circle to land 14, so we got our clearance and sqauwk code and taxiied. We got vectors to final (because why make it harder on yourself than you need to?) He told me that it was VFR above 4,000' so if we got above that I could hood up. We started getting vectors and hit the FAF - got the glideslope intercepted and flew perhaps the best ILS of my life. ORiginally it was going to be TnG but the tower told us not to fly over the runway because of something silly, so we went missed about a 1/2 a mile out and did holds. They told us to climb to 4500' so I got to do my holds without the hood on. The next approach was the VOR 18 - pretty simple. Go outbound on the VOR, do the PT, and come back in flying the 188 radial all the way to the runway. We did that (again, trying to do a TnG) but they told us to stay away from the runway AGAIN.
At this point both the examiner and myself are quite flustered - we needed to do landings. He told me to ask for the RNAV 18 and we would do it partial panel. He tyold me he wanted me to do the full approach and they told me ok, so off I went! He told me to put my head down and close my eyes so we could do a unusual attitude. Basically all he did was put us in a slight bank and crank the trim all the way down - no biggie. We asked if we could get circle to land 14 and they told us to expect that. Got to the FAF and flew a decent appraoch. Got down to circling minimums and circled to land 14. MAde the first taxiway, too. (I was quite impressed with myself) We taxiied back to Silverhawk and he told me congrats, and we finished IACRA and that was that. Really was a non-event.
I hope this rambling, semi-coherent write-up helps someone.
I got to the airport at about 9:15 (the checkride was at 9:45) and got everything together. Jesse had made me laminated copies of the approaches at Lincoln incase my ipad died, so I did a once over the plane and a pre pre-flight to make sure nothing was busted. (It's probably not good to find something broken on the day of your checkride) but thankfully nothing was. We wrangled with the beast that is IACRA and went upstairs for the oral. My DPE was a 61 year old UAL pilot from Sweden, and he had alot of interesting stories to tell.
We did the oral for a couple hours (but probably only an hour or so of real questions, the rest we were talking about various things) since it was gettign close to lunch time so we headed off to Perkins for lunch (like Dennys - I didnt know what a Perkins was until I went up to the "north country") We probably talked another hour or so over lunch and then went back to the airport. I got a cup of coffee (everyone flies mo bettah with coffee) and did my second pre-flight. The examiner was really interested in my plane because he had never flown in a 172 with a STOL kit and a 180hp engine. We hopped in, and we were off!
Called up CLR DEL and told them we wanted to do a few practice approaches starting with the ILS rwy 18 circle to land 14, so we got our clearance and sqauwk code and taxiied. We got vectors to final (because why make it harder on yourself than you need to?) He told me that it was VFR above 4,000' so if we got above that I could hood up. We started getting vectors and hit the FAF - got the glideslope intercepted and flew perhaps the best ILS of my life. ORiginally it was going to be TnG but the tower told us not to fly over the runway because of something silly, so we went missed about a 1/2 a mile out and did holds. They told us to climb to 4500' so I got to do my holds without the hood on. The next approach was the VOR 18 - pretty simple. Go outbound on the VOR, do the PT, and come back in flying the 188 radial all the way to the runway. We did that (again, trying to do a TnG) but they told us to stay away from the runway AGAIN.
At this point both the examiner and myself are quite flustered - we needed to do landings. He told me to ask for the RNAV 18 and we would do it partial panel. He tyold me he wanted me to do the full approach and they told me ok, so off I went! He told me to put my head down and close my eyes so we could do a unusual attitude. Basically all he did was put us in a slight bank and crank the trim all the way down - no biggie. We asked if we could get circle to land 14 and they told us to expect that. Got to the FAF and flew a decent appraoch. Got down to circling minimums and circled to land 14. MAde the first taxiway, too. (I was quite impressed with myself) We taxiied back to Silverhawk and he told me congrats, and we finished IACRA and that was that. Really was a non-event.
I hope this rambling, semi-coherent write-up helps someone.
CMTowner
Line Up and Wait
Congrats again David. It sounds like a really great exam/check. I can't wait to do mine.
denverpilot
Tied Down
Definitely not a non-event. This old guy is green with envy. Good job, sir!
jesse
Touchdown! Greaser!
All it takes is time, money, and a trip to Nebraska. It helps if you bring an airplane that won't break.
denverpilot
Tied Down
It broke the second to last time it was in Nebraska so I took it back to make sure it was only a one-time event and not something about Lincoln.
How's your December shaping up schedule-wise? Boss made some rumblings that people should burn off any vacation time left.
I wasn't expecting that on Monday in the team meeting but heck, maybe it's time.
Feel free to PM...
Looks like the worst that would happen on my schedule if it was the "wrong" week, I'd miss the company party. Drunken IT people are fun but not that fun.
gprellwitz
Touchdown! Greaser!
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True, but you need to think in terms of opportunity cost. Can you spell both "annuity" and "candid video"?Looks like the worst that would happen on my schedule if it was the "wrong" week, I'd miss the company party. Drunken IT people are fun but not that fun.
kimberlyanne546
Final Approach
David, thanks for the writeup but may I suggest you put it in another thread? I think people would search for "instrument check ride write up" or something.
I know your stories will help many people. I was constantly reading checkride stories during my training to help ease my fears.
Kimberly
I know your stories will help many people. I was constantly reading checkride stories during my training to help ease my fears.
Kimberly
TangoWhiskey
Touchdown! Greaser!
Not clear to me--did you get to take your checkride in IMC? Were tops at 4000'?
jesse
Touchdown! Greaser!
No it was VFR. The DPE said the simulated conditions were tops at 4,000 so above that he could remove the hood.
1. It was a "non-event" because you were prepared and had a professional attitude. Good training helps.
2. Perkins? Didja check the coffee cup for lipstick and mung?
2. Perkins? Didja check the coffee cup for lipstick and mung?
gil_mor
Pre-takeoff checklist
Nice write up David, congrats!
Question, did you handle 100% of the radio talk, or was the DPE using it in any point of the test?
for example "Hey tower, we are in a middle of a checkride, can you give us a break?"
I'm curios about that, IFR talk could be a challenge and if your DPE wants to takeoff, make a left turn to overfly the vor, then get established on the xxx redial and then fly the xx dme ark to xxx and then shoot the xxx approach from xxx - asking tower that might be a bigger challenge then it has to be?
Question, did you handle 100% of the radio talk, or was the DPE using it in any point of the test?
for example "Hey tower, we are in a middle of a checkride, can you give us a break?"
I'm curios about that, IFR talk could be a challenge and if your DPE wants to takeoff, make a left turn to overfly the vor, then get established on the xxx redial and then fly the xx dme ark to xxx and then shoot the xxx approach from xxx - asking tower that might be a bigger challenge then it has to be?