ColeThompson
Filing Flight Plan
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- Jan 27, 2026
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- 1
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- ColeThompson
My checkride is in ~3ish weeks and I want to hear what eeryone's tips are, I personally feel prepared but theres always more to learn/hear.
Checkride in ~3 weeks, What're yalls top tips?
- Thread starter ColeThompson
- Start date
MauleSkinner
Touchdown! Greaser!
Spend the next 3 weeks improving, not just maintaining, your skills.
A few weeks before my checkride I asked the supervising pilot at the school to run me through a dress rehersal, interview and practical. He did and that helped A LOT if nothing more than to ease my jitters. The DPE on the actual checkride through me a few curveballs but it went well.
Half Fast
Touchdown! Greaser!
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- Half Fast
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- KGIF
Talk to others who have been tested recently by the same DPE. DPEs each have their own favorite questions, scenarios, diversions, simulated emergencies, etc.
Review the airplane logs a day or two ahead of time and make sure there are no discrepancies that could delay the checkride. Also make sure your pilot's logbook is in order. My CFI screwed up an endorsement and we had to track him down and get it corrected before my ride.
DON'T FORGET THE CLEARING TURNS!
Review the airplane logs a day or two ahead of time and make sure there are no discrepancies that could delay the checkride. Also make sure your pilot's logbook is in order. My CFI screwed up an endorsement and we had to track him down and get it corrected before my ride.
DON'T FORGET THE CLEARING TURNS!
danhagan
En-Route
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- danhagan
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- KDNA Dona Ana NM
It's been 20 years since mine, but they were allowed to request at 20* bank during the power on stall which I had never done ... wasn't a problem, but sure had my attention.
Half Fast
Touchdown! Greaser!
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- KGIF
...or "hold my beer."
If you haven't already, read the Private Pilot ACS so you know what to expect, and you have time to get answers to any questions you might have.
texasclouds
En-Route
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- Bryan, Texas
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- Mark
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- Coulter Airfield CFD
Don’t choke.
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- Mar 2, 2005
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- 16,628
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- Southeast Tennessee
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From waaay back in the early POA days when dinosaurs roamed the earth:
Captain Ron said:
1. Relax and enjoy it. Nationwide, about 90% of applicants pass on the first try, so look around and see if you think you’re as good as 9 out of 10 other students. Also, your instructor must maintain a pass rate of at least 80% to get his ticket renewed, so he’s not going to send you up unless he’s pretty darn sure you’ll pass – otherwise, he has to find four other people to pass to make up for you, and that’s not always easy.
2. Go over with your instructor the logbooks of the aircraft you're going to use the day BEFORE the checkride to make sure it's all in order (annual, transponder checks, ELT ops and battery, 100-hour if rented, etc.). If the airplane's paper busts, so do you. Run a sample W&B, too – get the examiner’s weight when you make the appointment. If you weigh 200, and so does the examiner, don’t show up with a C-152 with full tanks and a 350 lb available cabin load – examiners can’t waive max gross weight limits.
3. Relax.
4. Rest up and get a good night's sleep the night before. Don't stay up "cramming."
5. Relax.
6. Read carefully the ENTIRE PTS including all the introductory material. Use the checklist in the front to make sure you take all the stuff you need -- papers and equipment. And the examiner’s fee UP FRONT (too much chance a disgruntled applicant will refuse to pay afterward) in the form demanded by the examiner is a “required document” from a practical, if not FAA, standpoint.
7. Relax.
8. You’re going to make a big mistake somewhere. The examiner knows this will happen, and it doesn’t have to end the ride. What’s important is not whether you make a mistake, but how you deal with it – whether you recover and move on without letting it destroy your flying. Figure out where you are now, how to get to where you want to be, and then do what it takes to get there. That will save your checkride today and your butt later on.
9. Relax.
10. You're going to make some minor mistakes. Correct them yourself in a timely manner "so the outcome of the maneuver is never seriously in doubt" and you'll be OK. If you start to go high on your first steep turn and start a correction as you approach 100 feet high but top out at 110 high while making a smooth correction back to the requested altitude, don't sweat -- nail the next one and you'll pass with "flying colors" (a naval term, actually). If you see the maneuver will exceed parameters and not be smoothly recoverable, tell the examiner and knock it off before you go outside those parameters, and then re-initiate. That shows great sense, if not great skill, and judgement is the most critical item on the checkride.
11. Relax.
12. During the oral, you don’t have to answer from memory anything you’d have time to look up in reality. You never need to memorize and know everything. Categorize material as:
a. Things you must memorize (i.e. emergency procedures, radio calls, airspace, etc).
b. Things you must know or have reasonable understanding of (i.e. interpreting weather codes, non-critical regs).
c. Things you know about but can look up and will have time to look up on the ground.
(Thanks to Mark Bourdeaux for this categorization.) So if the examiner asks you about currency, it’s OK to open the FAR book to 61.56 and 61.57 and explain them to him. But make sure you know where the answer is without reading the whole FAR/AIM cover-to-cover. On the other hand, for stuff you’d have to know RIGHT NOW (e.g., best glide speed for engine failure, etc.), you’d best not stumble or stutter – know that stuff cold. Also, remember that the examiner will use the areas your knowledge test report says you missed as focus points in the oral, so study them extra thoroughly.
13. Relax.
14. Avoid this conversation:
Examiner - Q: Do you have a pencil?
Applicant - A: I have a #2, a mechanical, a red one...
Examiner - Q: Do you have a pencil?
Applicant - A: I also have an assortment of pens, and some highlighters...
Examiner - Q: Do you have a pencil?
Applicant - A: Yes.
Examiner - Thank you.
One of the hardest things to do when you’re nervous and pumped up is to shut up and answer the question. I've watched people talk themselves into a corner by incorrectly answering a question that was never asked, or by adding an incorrect appendix to the correct answer to the question that was. If the examiner wants more, he'll tell you.
15. Relax
16. Some questions are meant simply to test your knowledge, not your skill, even if they sound otherwise. If the examiner asks how far below the cloud deck you are, he is checking to see if you know the answer is “at least 500 feet,” not how good your depth perception is. He can’t tell any better than you can, and the only way to be sure is to climb up and see when you hit the bases, which for sure he won’t let you do.
17. Relax
18. Remember the first rule of Italian driving: "What's behind me is not important." Don't worry about how you did the last maneuver or question. If you didn't do it well enough, the examiner must notify you and terminate the checkride. If you are on the next one, forget the last one because it was good enough to pass. Focus on doing that next maneuver or answering the next question the best you can, because while it can still determine whether you pass or fail, the last one can’t anymore. If you get back to the office and he hasn't said you failed, smile to your friends as you walk in because you just passed.
19. Relax and enjoy your new license.
Captain Ron said:
1. Relax and enjoy it. Nationwide, about 90% of applicants pass on the first try, so look around and see if you think you’re as good as 9 out of 10 other students. Also, your instructor must maintain a pass rate of at least 80% to get his ticket renewed, so he’s not going to send you up unless he’s pretty darn sure you’ll pass – otherwise, he has to find four other people to pass to make up for you, and that’s not always easy.
2. Go over with your instructor the logbooks of the aircraft you're going to use the day BEFORE the checkride to make sure it's all in order (annual, transponder checks, ELT ops and battery, 100-hour if rented, etc.). If the airplane's paper busts, so do you. Run a sample W&B, too – get the examiner’s weight when you make the appointment. If you weigh 200, and so does the examiner, don’t show up with a C-152 with full tanks and a 350 lb available cabin load – examiners can’t waive max gross weight limits.
3. Relax.
4. Rest up and get a good night's sleep the night before. Don't stay up "cramming."
5. Relax.
6. Read carefully the ENTIRE PTS including all the introductory material. Use the checklist in the front to make sure you take all the stuff you need -- papers and equipment. And the examiner’s fee UP FRONT (too much chance a disgruntled applicant will refuse to pay afterward) in the form demanded by the examiner is a “required document” from a practical, if not FAA, standpoint.
7. Relax.
8. You’re going to make a big mistake somewhere. The examiner knows this will happen, and it doesn’t have to end the ride. What’s important is not whether you make a mistake, but how you deal with it – whether you recover and move on without letting it destroy your flying. Figure out where you are now, how to get to where you want to be, and then do what it takes to get there. That will save your checkride today and your butt later on.
9. Relax.
10. You're going to make some minor mistakes. Correct them yourself in a timely manner "so the outcome of the maneuver is never seriously in doubt" and you'll be OK. If you start to go high on your first steep turn and start a correction as you approach 100 feet high but top out at 110 high while making a smooth correction back to the requested altitude, don't sweat -- nail the next one and you'll pass with "flying colors" (a naval term, actually). If you see the maneuver will exceed parameters and not be smoothly recoverable, tell the examiner and knock it off before you go outside those parameters, and then re-initiate. That shows great sense, if not great skill, and judgement is the most critical item on the checkride.
11. Relax.
12. During the oral, you don’t have to answer from memory anything you’d have time to look up in reality. You never need to memorize and know everything. Categorize material as:
a. Things you must memorize (i.e. emergency procedures, radio calls, airspace, etc).
b. Things you must know or have reasonable understanding of (i.e. interpreting weather codes, non-critical regs).
c. Things you know about but can look up and will have time to look up on the ground.
(Thanks to Mark Bourdeaux for this categorization.) So if the examiner asks you about currency, it’s OK to open the FAR book to 61.56 and 61.57 and explain them to him. But make sure you know where the answer is without reading the whole FAR/AIM cover-to-cover. On the other hand, for stuff you’d have to know RIGHT NOW (e.g., best glide speed for engine failure, etc.), you’d best not stumble or stutter – know that stuff cold. Also, remember that the examiner will use the areas your knowledge test report says you missed as focus points in the oral, so study them extra thoroughly.
13. Relax.
14. Avoid this conversation:
Examiner - Q: Do you have a pencil?
Applicant - A: I have a #2, a mechanical, a red one...
Examiner - Q: Do you have a pencil?
Applicant - A: I also have an assortment of pens, and some highlighters...
Examiner - Q: Do you have a pencil?
Applicant - A: Yes.
Examiner - Thank you.
One of the hardest things to do when you’re nervous and pumped up is to shut up and answer the question. I've watched people talk themselves into a corner by incorrectly answering a question that was never asked, or by adding an incorrect appendix to the correct answer to the question that was. If the examiner wants more, he'll tell you.
15. Relax
16. Some questions are meant simply to test your knowledge, not your skill, even if they sound otherwise. If the examiner asks how far below the cloud deck you are, he is checking to see if you know the answer is “at least 500 feet,” not how good your depth perception is. He can’t tell any better than you can, and the only way to be sure is to climb up and see when you hit the bases, which for sure he won’t let you do.
17. Relax
18. Remember the first rule of Italian driving: "What's behind me is not important." Don't worry about how you did the last maneuver or question. If you didn't do it well enough, the examiner must notify you and terminate the checkride. If you are on the next one, forget the last one because it was good enough to pass. Focus on doing that next maneuver or answering the next question the best you can, because while it can still determine whether you pass or fail, the last one can’t anymore. If you get back to the office and he hasn't said you failed, smile to your friends as you walk in because you just passed.
19. Relax and enjoy your new license.
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2005
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- 16,628
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- Southeast Tennessee
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- This page intentionally left blank
And of course @SixPapaCharlie ‘s corollary:
1. Expect to fail. Nationwide, about 90% of applicants pass on the first try, so leaves you. Look around. Everyone is getting their pilot's license. Seems like 90% or more are doing it.
Your instructor signed you off so he could have a day of flying without you scaring the hell out of him. Just for 1 day.
2. Call your instructor and ask him out for a beer the night BEFORE. This guy taught you to fly and its time to celebrate.
3. Drink some coffee.
4. Cram as many post-its as you can get into your FAR AIM and pop some no doze. you're going to be up late.
5. Grab a smoke.
6. Watch all of the MzeroA youtube videos again. Write a "tomato flames" on the back of your hand. -- Bring a LOT of extra cash. Money talks and it can get you out of a bind.
Remember your DPE is human and everyone has a price.
7. Tequila shot.
8. You’re going to screw this up and you know it. The examiner knows it, and it doesn’t have to end the ride. I'm not saying you need to pack heat but I'm also not not saying it.
What’s important is not whether your DPE fails you, but how you deal with him – whether he recovers and continue flying is up to you.
9. Ex-lax
10. You're going to make some minor mistakes. Let the DPE correct them so he feels powerful and so the outcome of the maneuver is never seriously in doubt. If you start to get high
on your first steep turn the DPE will pass you. He knows you are high and it would be unfair to judge someone who is impaired using the same standards as an individual that
doesn't require "treatment for his glaucoma"
If it gets hot try not to sweat. It is a sign of weakness stay dry and you'll pass with "flying colors" (a rainbow term, actually). If you see the maneuver will exceed
parameters and not be smoothly recoverable, fake a heart attack but then quickly recover. Nobody is going to fail a guy with a heart condition.
11. More Coffee
12. During the oral, offer him a drink or try to distract him by pointing out the window and screaming "I think that plane just crashed!" The examiner will be
impressed that you are concerned about other pilots and can tell if a plane is in trouble and he will pass you.
13. Splash cold water on your face.
14. Avoid this conversation:
Examiner - Q: Do you need to use the restroom?
Applicant - A: I have to go #2, I've had a ton of coffee.
Examiner - Q: Do you need to use the restroom?
Applicant - A: I also had a lot of water, and a couple of beers
Examiner - Q: Do you need to use the restroom?
Applicant - A: No?
Examiner - Thank you.
One of the hardest things to do when you’re nervous and pumped up is to not **** yourself. I've watched people pee into a corner while incorrectly answering a question that was
never asked, or rupture their appendix straining to keep from peeing. If the examiner wants you to go to the lav, he'll tell you.
15. Clench.
16. All questions are meant simply to trip you up so the examiner doesn't have to fly with you. If the examiner asks how far below the cloud deck you are, just ask "What clouds?"
ONLY take your flight test on a clear day.
17. Relax. Just kidding NEVER RELAX!
18. Remember the first rule of Italian driving is: "You don't talk about Italian Driving." Don't worry about how you did the last maneuver or question. If you didn't do it well enough,
the examiner will fail you and terminate the checkride. Brandish your iron, demand your cash back, and ask him if he brought a parachute. This is when he will tell you it was just a joke.
Focus on distracting the examiner as much as possible. Also you can cover your altimeter and flag your gauges as inop. He can't fail you if he can't confirm the readings on the panel.
19. Relax and take a leak. You've earned it.
1. Expect to fail. Nationwide, about 90% of applicants pass on the first try, so leaves you. Look around. Everyone is getting their pilot's license. Seems like 90% or more are doing it.
Your instructor signed you off so he could have a day of flying without you scaring the hell out of him. Just for 1 day.
2. Call your instructor and ask him out for a beer the night BEFORE. This guy taught you to fly and its time to celebrate.
3. Drink some coffee.
4. Cram as many post-its as you can get into your FAR AIM and pop some no doze. you're going to be up late.
5. Grab a smoke.
6. Watch all of the MzeroA youtube videos again. Write a "tomato flames" on the back of your hand. -- Bring a LOT of extra cash. Money talks and it can get you out of a bind.
Remember your DPE is human and everyone has a price.
7. Tequila shot.
8. You’re going to screw this up and you know it. The examiner knows it, and it doesn’t have to end the ride. I'm not saying you need to pack heat but I'm also not not saying it.
What’s important is not whether your DPE fails you, but how you deal with him – whether he recovers and continue flying is up to you.
9. Ex-lax
10. You're going to make some minor mistakes. Let the DPE correct them so he feels powerful and so the outcome of the maneuver is never seriously in doubt. If you start to get high
on your first steep turn the DPE will pass you. He knows you are high and it would be unfair to judge someone who is impaired using the same standards as an individual that
doesn't require "treatment for his glaucoma"
If it gets hot try not to sweat. It is a sign of weakness stay dry and you'll pass with "flying colors" (a rainbow term, actually). If you see the maneuver will exceed
parameters and not be smoothly recoverable, fake a heart attack but then quickly recover. Nobody is going to fail a guy with a heart condition.
11. More Coffee
12. During the oral, offer him a drink or try to distract him by pointing out the window and screaming "I think that plane just crashed!" The examiner will be
impressed that you are concerned about other pilots and can tell if a plane is in trouble and he will pass you.
13. Splash cold water on your face.
14. Avoid this conversation:
Examiner - Q: Do you need to use the restroom?
Applicant - A: I have to go #2, I've had a ton of coffee.
Examiner - Q: Do you need to use the restroom?
Applicant - A: I also had a lot of water, and a couple of beers
Examiner - Q: Do you need to use the restroom?
Applicant - A: No?
Examiner - Thank you.
One of the hardest things to do when you’re nervous and pumped up is to not **** yourself. I've watched people pee into a corner while incorrectly answering a question that was
never asked, or rupture their appendix straining to keep from peeing. If the examiner wants you to go to the lav, he'll tell you.
15. Clench.
16. All questions are meant simply to trip you up so the examiner doesn't have to fly with you. If the examiner asks how far below the cloud deck you are, just ask "What clouds?"
ONLY take your flight test on a clear day.
17. Relax. Just kidding NEVER RELAX!
18. Remember the first rule of Italian driving is: "You don't talk about Italian Driving." Don't worry about how you did the last maneuver or question. If you didn't do it well enough,
the examiner will fail you and terminate the checkride. Brandish your iron, demand your cash back, and ask him if he brought a parachute. This is when he will tell you it was just a joke.
Focus on distracting the examiner as much as possible. Also you can cover your altimeter and flag your gauges as inop. He can't fail you if he can't confirm the readings on the panel.
19. Relax and take a leak. You've earned it.
rockyfatcat
Pre-takeoff checklist
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2026
- Messages
- 134
- Display Name
- keith whitcomb
As said above. Review your aircraft and logbooks. If it is installed in your dash, you need to know how to use it. If something is inoperative, there needs to be a logbook entry and an inop placard on the dash. Without both it’s an instant fail.
My DPE gave me a 3 airport cross-country route to plan to fly. Have that on paper in your hand when you show up. My DPE Asked me how much fuel and how much time it would take to fly the first leg of the cross country. I quickly rattled off that the leg was x number of miles, my aircraft flies at 100mph and burns 5.7 gallons per hour. I gave him the number of gallons it would take, how many gallons on board. (I Had to fuel up at another airport before landing at the DPE’s airport, no fuel available, and carefully calculate the number of gallons of fuel to have the aircraft not exceed gross weight with the DPE onboard. I was then able to answer his questions and tell him how much fuel would be remaining.
He then related that he had an applicant who he instantly failed when she couldn’t answer that one question.
I expected to fly the route and perform basic maneuvers enroute. After a couple checkpoints he had me abort and deviate to another airport for an ‘emergency’.
Always talk out loud to yourself. Explain to yourself what you are doing and point out the key points you are looking for when you are executing a maneuver.
Between my position and the designated airport there was a nice BIG fluffy cloud. I announced that I was going to give the cloud a wide berth and rattled off the required VFR separation from clouds.
Don’t be afraid to execute a go-around if your landing ain’t going to be right. They’ll happily accept the decision to go-around as opposed to trying to make a questionable landing work.
Remember their decision to issue is based upon how they perceive your knowledge, skills, and JUDGMENT.
Good luck!
My DPE gave me a 3 airport cross-country route to plan to fly. Have that on paper in your hand when you show up. My DPE Asked me how much fuel and how much time it would take to fly the first leg of the cross country. I quickly rattled off that the leg was x number of miles, my aircraft flies at 100mph and burns 5.7 gallons per hour. I gave him the number of gallons it would take, how many gallons on board. (I Had to fuel up at another airport before landing at the DPE’s airport, no fuel available, and carefully calculate the number of gallons of fuel to have the aircraft not exceed gross weight with the DPE onboard. I was then able to answer his questions and tell him how much fuel would be remaining.
He then related that he had an applicant who he instantly failed when she couldn’t answer that one question.
I expected to fly the route and perform basic maneuvers enroute. After a couple checkpoints he had me abort and deviate to another airport for an ‘emergency’.
Always talk out loud to yourself. Explain to yourself what you are doing and point out the key points you are looking for when you are executing a maneuver.
Between my position and the designated airport there was a nice BIG fluffy cloud. I announced that I was going to give the cloud a wide berth and rattled off the required VFR separation from clouds.
Don’t be afraid to execute a go-around if your landing ain’t going to be right. They’ll happily accept the decision to go-around as opposed to trying to make a questionable landing work.
Remember their decision to issue is based upon how they perceive your knowledge, skills, and JUDGMENT.
Good luck!
+1 read the ACS
Make double sure your paperwork is all in order
Tab the maintenance logbooks for annual and inspection info
Don’t be afraid to say I don’t know and need to look something up. Just not everything!
During the flight, you are PIC.
Have fun!
Make double sure your paperwork is all in order
Tab the maintenance logbooks for annual and inspection info
Don’t be afraid to say I don’t know and need to look something up. Just not everything!
During the flight, you are PIC.
Have fun!
crash7
Line Up and Wait
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2008
- Messages
- 897
- Display Name
- Crash7
- Home Airfield
- KEVV
A DPE once told me, “I’ve never seen a perfect checkride and I don’t -WANT- to see a perfect checkride. I want to see small (yet safe) mistakes and how they fix them”.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2019
- Messages
- 2,885
- Display Name
- Domenick
This was true when I took my checkride back in 2001, and I believe it is still true:
If the DPE busts you, he must inform you immediately, and you may request to continue. Each maneuver you successfully complete after the bust is one less you need to demonstrate on your re-examine. If all goes well for the rest of the flight, you may have only a single maneuver to complete on your do-over.
Someone please correct me if this is no longer true.
If the DPE busts you, he must inform you immediately, and you may request to continue. Each maneuver you successfully complete after the bust is one less you need to demonstrate on your re-examine. If all goes well for the rest of the flight, you may have only a single maneuver to complete on your do-over.
Someone please correct me if this is no longer true.
MauleSkinner
Touchdown! Greaser!
The way it’s worded in the ACS:
“The evaluator or the applicant may end the test if the applicant fails a Task. The evaluator may continue the test only with the consent of the applicant.”
Lucky man
Pre-Flight
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2022
- Messages
- 44
- Display Name
- Lucky man
Hi & you are almost there!!
Beyond everything else said,
1. Before the test get all your required paperwork together and organized (driver’s license, student pilot certificate, log book tagged to show sign-offs/hours, insurance, airplane info/docs, etc
2. Go through your copy of the entire ACS and ask your CFI to assist you with any items that may be unclear. I made notes in my ACS and brought it to the exam
3. Have your CFI go through all the documents with you, prior to the exam to make sure there are no mistakes (I say this because I was unable to take my checkride due to a flight school error in my log book)
4. Get plenty of rest the night before
5. Arrive early to your exam and have all your documents organized and laid out on the table to review and provide to your dpe.
6. Big picture, having all this done will take stress off you so you can concentrate on the oral and practical parts of the test. It also makes it easier for the dpe.
Good Luck!!
Beyond everything else said,
1. Before the test get all your required paperwork together and organized (driver’s license, student pilot certificate, log book tagged to show sign-offs/hours, insurance, airplane info/docs, etc
2. Go through your copy of the entire ACS and ask your CFI to assist you with any items that may be unclear. I made notes in my ACS and brought it to the exam
3. Have your CFI go through all the documents with you, prior to the exam to make sure there are no mistakes (I say this because I was unable to take my checkride due to a flight school error in my log book)
4. Get plenty of rest the night before
5. Arrive early to your exam and have all your documents organized and laid out on the table to review and provide to your dpe.
6. Big picture, having all this done will take stress off you so you can concentrate on the oral and practical parts of the test. It also makes it easier for the dpe.
Good Luck!!
Do the weather dance at least once daily and offer up some sacrifices to satisfy the weather gods. It’ll help to not get a howling cross wind that day or worse get postponed for another 3 weeks.
Daleandee
Final Approach
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2020
- Messages
- 8,354
- Display Name
- Dale Andee
One of the more difficult things to do. I told my DPE that he reminded me of a girl in high school that kept me awake in anticipation.
But in reality my DPE was super as he was strict but made it a very enjoyable experience. For instance, with the emergency landing (we were over an airport) I was slipping to make the touchdown right at the markers and thrilled that it was going to be extremely close when at about 15' he said, "go around" ...
DeltaCharlie172
Pre-takeoff checklist
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2025
- Messages
- 128
- Display Name
- DeltaCharlie
- Home Airfield
- KSEZ
Go fly with someone new... Not your usual CFI.
Relax
Your CFI signed you off
You at this point ether know your stuff or you don’t, no need to stress now, if you’re good you’ll pass, if you suck you won’t, its written
Personal I like to own my rides, I book them in the afternoons, I’ll fly in the morning, much like stretching before a workout.
Ether way relax, and have fun
Your CFI signed you off
You at this point ether know your stuff or you don’t, no need to stress now, if you’re good you’ll pass, if you suck you won’t, its written
Personal I like to own my rides, I book them in the afternoons, I’ll fly in the morning, much like stretching before a workout.
Ether way relax, and have fun
Couple Tips..
Like others have said talk out loud about what you are doing, like you are showing your friend all the stuff you had to do on the checkride. Tell him what you are going to do, then do it, then be your own worst critic and tell him what you could have done better or are doing to correct issues as they happen, i.e. there goes the altitude, we pull back and add a bit trim and/or power to fix that.
The checkride will move along quickly, I recently did a check prep for an applicant and he pretty well bombed it because it surprised him how fast things moved along. His instructor and I kept prepping him and he took his checkride last week, and said I was exactly right, the exam went at a very fast pace. Some of that might just be his perception, but examiners do a lot of exams and can figure out if you meet the standards or not, very quickly.
Brian
CFIIG/ASEL
Like others have said talk out loud about what you are doing, like you are showing your friend all the stuff you had to do on the checkride. Tell him what you are going to do, then do it, then be your own worst critic and tell him what you could have done better or are doing to correct issues as they happen, i.e. there goes the altitude, we pull back and add a bit trim and/or power to fix that.
The checkride will move along quickly, I recently did a check prep for an applicant and he pretty well bombed it because it surprised him how fast things moved along. His instructor and I kept prepping him and he took his checkride last week, and said I was exactly right, the exam went at a very fast pace. Some of that might just be his perception, but examiners do a lot of exams and can figure out if you meet the standards or not, very quickly.
Brian
CFIIG/ASEL
andrewwgray
Filing Flight Plan
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- Jan 4, 2026
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- Andrew G
JEB
Pre-takeoff checklist
Something I learned on my 1st check ride; Examiners may try to get you flustered or distract you, become comfortable with the idea that you are PIC. If you need to ask the examiner to wait a moment while you focus on the assigned task, that is totally ok.