MultiMediaWill
Pre-takeoff checklist
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- Oct 29, 2012
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Will
Hello everyone I would first like to start by saying my name is Will I am new here to these forums but I am enjoying it a lot! Today I took my Private Pilot checkride and I passed. Here is the writeup.
I am 19 years old but I started flight training when I was 12 years old! I got a few hours under my belt and I was forced to stop due to lack of money. 7 years later I began my flight training again. I started this year in July in Bolingbrook, Illinois. I trained 3 to 4 times a week because I was on summer vacation and had all the time in the world. I soloed just 3 weeks after starting. Before I knew it, August 16th came around and I had to go back to college in Iowa City. One issue, I had to change flight schools and instructors. After going back to college I continued my training with a new instructor and a new airport. The change was nice because I got training in a carburetor engine (My first flight school only had fuel injection airplanes). I did my cross country solo in a 150nm flight to my original flight school. That was nice to visit my family and get all 5 hours of the requirement done in one flight. After that all I had left was night flying. Finally at the end of October I was done with everything and was ready for the checkride.
Today, November 3rd, 2012, I had my checkride in Pella, IA. It was scheduled for 1pm today and I had to fly from Iowa City to Pella to meet the examiner. I left Iowa City at 12:00 and arrived at Pella at 12:45. I had 15 minutes to calm down. I nervously walked in the terminal to meet the examiner. I had to wait a few extra minutes because he was busy. I met him at 1pm and went in his office. He started by looking up my application online. Unfortunately, something on the online application got messed up and changed my application to a Single Engine Sea plane instead of Single Engine Land. The application was invalid. Luckily I had a paper backup with my instructors signature. Well come to find out my printer cut off a few millimeters from the edges of the application and I was informed that it was also invalid, the FAA would reject the app. Great, I am sitting here 60nm away from home with no application. The examiner suggested that I fill out another application online and call my instructor to sign it again. I filled out another application this time with ASEL and sent it though. My instructor quickly signed it so that ordeal was over with. The examiner looked through my information and was pleasantly surprised to see I passed the written with a 90% noting, "you don't see many 90's these days." So I believe I set a good first impression. So the oral portion finally started. He asked very simple questions compared to the famous youtube video of a mock oral exam. I was very well prepared so the oral portion only lasted 30 minutes. He concluded the oral portion by saying, "This goes very fast when you know every answer." I didn't miss a single question. The examiner was very friendly and felt very welcoming. His personality made me very relaxed. This was not what I was expecting at all. It was as if we were having a friendly conversation about flying, I love that. I could talk about flying all day long. After a 10 minute break we headed to the airplane.
I preflighted the Cessna 172N alone. He met me at the airplane after the preflight. He had previously asked me to plan a flight plan from Pella to Dupage (KPEA to KDPA). So we did our checklists and we were on our way to Dupage. We made it to my first waypoint when he said he has seen enough and we started the maneuvers. First we started with steep turns which he said I did perfectly. Next we did slow flight. Easy. That was followed by a power off stall and then a power on stall. Easy as usual. I should note that there were almost no winds today so everything was easier than usual. After the stalls I went under the hood and did a few turns and descents followed by two recoveries from an unusual attitude. He mentioned my recoveries were perfect. Then we did the S-Turn ground reference maneuver. Easy, no wind. Next, I did a simulated emergency landing above a field. Easy. After that we headed back to Pella to do our landings. The first landing was a normal landing and it was a greaser. I taxied back and did a soft field takeoff and landing. Then I did a short field takeoff followed by a go-around. Then the final landing was a short field landing. After we landed the examiner said, "as long as you don't hit anything while you taxi to parking you have passed!" I felt relieved immediately. I parked the airplane and went inside and got my certificate! The best part is I finished in only 42.0 hours! I am a pilot! Here is a picture of me proudly holding my pilots certificate. Feel free to ask any questions!
I am 19 years old but I started flight training when I was 12 years old! I got a few hours under my belt and I was forced to stop due to lack of money. 7 years later I began my flight training again. I started this year in July in Bolingbrook, Illinois. I trained 3 to 4 times a week because I was on summer vacation and had all the time in the world. I soloed just 3 weeks after starting. Before I knew it, August 16th came around and I had to go back to college in Iowa City. One issue, I had to change flight schools and instructors. After going back to college I continued my training with a new instructor and a new airport. The change was nice because I got training in a carburetor engine (My first flight school only had fuel injection airplanes). I did my cross country solo in a 150nm flight to my original flight school. That was nice to visit my family and get all 5 hours of the requirement done in one flight. After that all I had left was night flying. Finally at the end of October I was done with everything and was ready for the checkride.
Today, November 3rd, 2012, I had my checkride in Pella, IA. It was scheduled for 1pm today and I had to fly from Iowa City to Pella to meet the examiner. I left Iowa City at 12:00 and arrived at Pella at 12:45. I had 15 minutes to calm down. I nervously walked in the terminal to meet the examiner. I had to wait a few extra minutes because he was busy. I met him at 1pm and went in his office. He started by looking up my application online. Unfortunately, something on the online application got messed up and changed my application to a Single Engine Sea plane instead of Single Engine Land. The application was invalid. Luckily I had a paper backup with my instructors signature. Well come to find out my printer cut off a few millimeters from the edges of the application and I was informed that it was also invalid, the FAA would reject the app. Great, I am sitting here 60nm away from home with no application. The examiner suggested that I fill out another application online and call my instructor to sign it again. I filled out another application this time with ASEL and sent it though. My instructor quickly signed it so that ordeal was over with. The examiner looked through my information and was pleasantly surprised to see I passed the written with a 90% noting, "you don't see many 90's these days." So I believe I set a good first impression. So the oral portion finally started. He asked very simple questions compared to the famous youtube video of a mock oral exam. I was very well prepared so the oral portion only lasted 30 minutes. He concluded the oral portion by saying, "This goes very fast when you know every answer." I didn't miss a single question. The examiner was very friendly and felt very welcoming. His personality made me very relaxed. This was not what I was expecting at all. It was as if we were having a friendly conversation about flying, I love that. I could talk about flying all day long. After a 10 minute break we headed to the airplane.
I preflighted the Cessna 172N alone. He met me at the airplane after the preflight. He had previously asked me to plan a flight plan from Pella to Dupage (KPEA to KDPA). So we did our checklists and we were on our way to Dupage. We made it to my first waypoint when he said he has seen enough and we started the maneuvers. First we started with steep turns which he said I did perfectly. Next we did slow flight. Easy. That was followed by a power off stall and then a power on stall. Easy as usual. I should note that there were almost no winds today so everything was easier than usual. After the stalls I went under the hood and did a few turns and descents followed by two recoveries from an unusual attitude. He mentioned my recoveries were perfect. Then we did the S-Turn ground reference maneuver. Easy, no wind. Next, I did a simulated emergency landing above a field. Easy. After that we headed back to Pella to do our landings. The first landing was a normal landing and it was a greaser. I taxied back and did a soft field takeoff and landing. Then I did a short field takeoff followed by a go-around. Then the final landing was a short field landing. After we landed the examiner said, "as long as you don't hit anything while you taxi to parking you have passed!" I felt relieved immediately. I parked the airplane and went inside and got my certificate! The best part is I finished in only 42.0 hours! I am a pilot! Here is a picture of me proudly holding my pilots certificate. Feel free to ask any questions!
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