So, I'm studying for my check ride. I have the PTS, Gleim Private Flight Maneuvers and the ASA Book. I also bought the king school online "course."
What I am wondering: how similar is a check ride oral to the king school demo? It seemed so informal and easy, yet that isnt my understanding of what to expect.
has anyone both seen that and done the oral? is it that simple? seemed like a lot of stuff was not covered.
on training, i lack the instrument time and 3 hrs solo. Planning on flying plenty in the next couple of weeks and studying nightly and the last few days prior to finish by end of Jan, Lord willing.
Any thoughts?
I too used the King Checkride Prep DVD.... but it almost sunk me. My examiner quickly picked up that I had used that for prep and started asking the questions and phrasing the scenarios in ways that quickly revealed the areas I was week on.
This DVD is a decent way to get a sense of how it happens,
but do not rely on it. The best thing to do is as follows:
Exam preparation: Get with your CFI for a few hours assistance on preparing for the oral exam. While lots of material exists for written exam self-study, it is helpful if the instructor would provide some review. What I did was negotiate a flat price to do this away from the flight school and I bought him dinner for 3 nights running.
---------------------------------
Next; Grab a copy of the PTS & some index cards. Then go through the ASEL section making up flash cards for each important question: Question on the front, PTS answer on the back. Eventually you will have a small deck of cards that asks each question that will be covered during the exam. As you go about your life for the next few weeks. Have these cards with you and pull them out while you wait in line for starbucks, or are taking a break at work. Hand them to a friend or spouse and ask them to shuffle the cards and ask the questions. Keep going through the cards until you know the information cold, and can explain TOMATO FLAMES and Airspace depiction and visability requirements in your sleep.
But don't just do rote memorization. Be ready to answer the "Why is this important?" questions too.
---------------------------
Next; Also ask the instructor or one of his CFI buddies who is extremely familiar with the examiner conducting the exam to conduct a mock oral exam in the same style as the examiner. In fact, ask to do two or three mock exams
I would aslo ask for this instructor or CFI buddy to also conduct one or two mock practical exams (aka checkrides).
These can be of tremendous help to identify areas that need polish and to help eliminate exam jitters.
NOTE: I didn't do a mock oral exam and
really wish I did. While we did have some review sessions, we never did the "put Mike in the spotlight and see if he can perform". Come exam time, I was weak in a few key areas that we got through, but the DPE prefered that I knew those areas cold. Our time went much longer than we both desired.
Good luck to you!