Private Pilot Checkride

[CalPolyPilot]

I did a search for private pilot checkride tips and came up dry. I figured I could start this thread and anyone else about to take a general aviation checkride could benefit.

So really I just wanted to get some tips on taking a checkride, more specifically the private pilot. Mine is coming up in a few weeks and I feel proficient in all areas; but, it is always nice to have some "been there done that" opinions.

Thanks

 

[BACONATOR]

I did a search for private pilot checkride tips and came up dry. I figured I could start this thread and anyone else about to take a general aviation checkride could benefit.

So really I just wanted to get some tips on taking a checkride, more specifically the private pilot. Mine is coming up in a few weeks and I feel proficient in all areas; but, it is always nice to have some "been there done that" opinions.

Thanks

1. Don't suck
2. Don't scare your DE
3. Keep up an idea of where the hell you are at all times
4. Make a decent pattern on your engine out.

You should be good to go. As with aviation in general (military too), impress him in the brief and it sets up for a good flight.

 

[Lawman]

Your menuvers will fail or succeed based on your setup to them. Take your time and get yourself into them comfortably or you will screw yourself into flying it sloppy.

Never be afraid to go around. I did it because the winds were terrible and there was no way I could safely put the aircraft down on a shortfield approach without being dangerous. I called my own go-around and the instructor told me later at the debrief that was exactly when he knew I passed the checkride.

Remember the instructor knows you can fly the plane you proved that soloing. What he/she is looking for is that you can think responcibly enough to not be a danger to yourself or anyone else.

Good Luck.

 

[MIDNJAC]

Make sure you are prepared to nail the ground portion. It might sound dumb, but if you give the examiner the impression right off the bat that you are comfortable and know the material, they will be kinder to you later on in the flight if you make dumb mistakes.

 

[xj220]

Just be calm and be safe. Like said before, wave off and go around if you have any doubt. Practice engine failures, no-flap landings and crosswind landings.

 

[bbf7b2]

The first thing you have to try and do is relax. I would never send a student to a ride if I didn't think he would pass with no problem and I'm sure your CFI is the same way. I've seen too many students walk away with a pink because they just seized up. The checkride is as a much a show as anything else, you shouldn't be going unless you're a good pilot so this is about displaying to the examiner that you know your stuff. A few things to be sure you do:

-Make sure you go through the aircraft logbooks and flag all the items the examiner is going to want to see that way you don't fumble around like an idiot
-Have current charts (I know it seems obvious but I've seen this one before)
-Know your aircraft POH front to back. You don't have to have the whole thing memorized just know the important items and know where to find everything else.
-Know the big FARs and know where to find all the other ones without spending an hour going through everything
-Be familiar with the area over which you will be doing the ride. (Most examiners don't want to spend time going way out to the middle of nowhere, so know the local area) If you already know of some good places to do the ground ref it will help things go smoothly
-If you screw something up and exceed the PTS, and it isn't a safety of flight issue, immediately tell the examiner what you did wrong, why it was wrong, what you should have done, and ask to do it again. As long as you didn't scare the examiner he should give you a chance, after all it isn't a CFI ride.(<- not fun)
-Lastly (and I'm sure there are some things I'm forgetting) DO NOT BS THE EXAMINER, if you don't know something don't make up an answer. If you know where to look it up, then look it up, if not just say you don't know. The examiner mostly likely has flown in a month what you've flown in your whole life you can't fool him and he will know when you are BSing and will hate it.

Relax, prepare, and keep him bored in the air and you'll be fine

 

[Morgan81]

Know how to read a chart cold, airspace limits, cloud clearances and anything obscure, know at least where to find it in the FAR/AIM, it is open book afterall. Practice heading to divert fields in your area and spotting emergency landing fields.
That and get a good night's rest beforehand.

 

[Ken_gone_flying]

Make sure you use your checklist for everything!!! From start up, to takeoff, to landing, and definitely EP's such as engine restart. I know the drill in a Cessna isn't too tough to remember, but look at your checklist.

 

[theblakeness]

I did a search for private pilot checkride tips and came up dry. I figured I could start this thread and anyone else about to take a general aviation checkride could benefit.

So really I just wanted to get some tips on taking a checkride, more specifically the private pilot. Mine is coming up in a few weeks and I feel proficient in all areas; but, it is always nice to have some "been there done that" opinions.

Thanks

If Glen Barnum is still doing it in slo, he is a stickler for airspace questions during the oral exam. He also hates it when someone tries to bullshit him. you either know the answer or you dont, dont try and fuck with him.

He also has a tendancy to have all of his students divert to the same place. If your XC is heading south, be prepared to divert to Lompoc. If your heading north, then get ready to divert to some farmhouse airfield.

Good luck, and get ready to put your drinking cap on when you pass, Glen really likes to drink.

 

[Single Seat]

Just prove you can operate safely within the PTS, and you know the applicable FAR's. You're a Private Pilot, so you already suck and don't really know anything, hence why it's called a license to kill yourself.

 

[nugget81]

Keep in mind that the checkride is also a learning experience, not just an evaluation. Often times the examiner has something to teach you that your CFI never thought of, or he presents it in a different perspective. Remember, there are really only two possible outcomes - you pass or you fail (which isn't that big a deal in the civilian world). Just relax, know your stuff, and do your best. Good Luck!

 

[JD81]

Make sure you are prepared to nail the ground portion. It might sound dumb, but if you give the examiner the impression right off the bat that you are comfortable and know the material, they will be kinder to you later on in the flight if you make dumb mistakes.

+1 on that. My examiner was a former SR-71 backseater, serious sh!t hot guy. My oral was a ball busting 3+hours and I knew my stuff cold too, yet the practical was barely 1.0. Afterwards he told me he only passes those he would trust to fly his grand kids around. A truly awesome guy.

 

[CalPolyPilot]

Hey thanks for all the feedback...I should be fine...I mean I think my car has more instruments and a larger operating handbook than the 152/U that I'm flying lol.

 

[FLYTPAY]

You're a Private Pilot, so you already suck and don't really know anything, hence why it's called a license to kill yourself.

Private is the license to learn....the Instrument is the license to kill yourself.

My examiner was a former SR-71 backseater, serious sh!t hot guy. My oral was a ball busting 3+hours and I knew my stuff cold too, yet the practical was barely 1.0. Afterwards he told me he only passes those he would trust to fly his grand kids around. A truly awesome guy.

There is nothing sihthot about flying a Cessna....that will keep you alive.

 

[Heloanjin]

If the worst should happen and during the flight the examiner says you failed, you will be given the choice of continuing or calling it quits. I recommend continuing. As said before, it is a learning experience. Take the opportunity and learn from the expert. Also, you will not need to repeat items you where you already met PTS. So, that will make the recheck shorter/easier/less stressful.