Could you pass a Private Pilot checkride today, with no prep time?

Could you pass a surprise Private Pilot checkride, today, in the plane you used for it originally?

  • Yes

    Votes: 39 48.8%

  • Probably but the DPE would have to show me some grace

    Votes: 26 32.5%

  • No, I can barely keep the thing upright as it is

    Votes: 2 2.5%

  • Probably not, but I might get lucky

    Votes: 13 16.3%
  • Total voters
    80
172andyou said:
I'm not sure why the "in the plane your originally flew" is part of the equation. When I did my check ride, I trained in that particular plane. It's been forever since I flew it.

Ignoring the dozens of small differences, there is no question I would need a couple hours just to readjust to a six pack instead of glass. That would fail me on the "you don't get any time to practice" part.

Could I pass a check ride in my current plane. Yeah, no question.
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I debated that, but decided it was the most reasonable option. I mean, I now fly a King Air and a Challenger. Doing a Private Pilot checkride in either one would be fun and entertaining, but probably not realistic. Others here are airline or corporate pilots. But even if you are now flying, say a Cirrus or Bonanza, the question I think is mostly about stick and rudder skills, and advanced avionics make lots of things easier (and some things tougher). For example, steep turns with a glass panel with a Flight Path Indicator and Flight Director are comically easy compared to a 6-pack. Having an autopilot to help while you run checklists and such is another huge boon that you may not have had in your checkride airplane.

Of course, many people, especially recently, do Private Pilot checkrides in glass panel airplanes with autopilots. So there may not be much difference there.

As I mentioned in my OP, "Yes there are a million holes in this scenario, but just answer however you feel is best."

The question started with me wondering if I could pass a surprise checkride today in the 172N, 6-pack, no GPS, airplane I took my checkride in.
 
RussR said:
The question started with me wondering if I could pass a surprise checkride today in the 172N, 6-pack, no GPS, airplane I took my checkride in.
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Heck, we might as well make it interesting then.

Could you pass your check ride in a j3 with no electrical system? :-)
 
Pass the oral? Ehhh. Pass the flight? Probably. Have to catch up on my speeds.
 
X3 Skier said:
Did a BFR Tuesday and the CFI basically did a check ride sequence. Since it was in a Cessna 152 I had never flown before, it took a bit to get familiar with the plane. He said I would have passed a check ride.
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I didn't think about this, but my last BFR was with a DPE. I should ask him if he would have passed me for PPL. It wasn't in a Cessna 150 though, and I went in cold having not flown an airplane in about six months.
 
MauleSkinner said:
Actually the answer is “read the ACS.” But it only specifies path and touchdown point, with no reference to speed.
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The ACS absolutely DOES reference airspeed, per the POH:

CA.IV.F.S7 Maintain manufacturer’s published approach airspeed or in its absence not more than 1.3 times the stalling speed or the minimum steady flight speed in the landing configuration (VSO), ±5 knots with gust factor applied
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If you can't quote the speed when the DPE asks, you fail the ride.
 
MauleSkinner said:
That’s for short field, not power off 180. They are separate maneuvers.
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Well, we started here:

MauleSkinner said:
Is a power-off 180 done at short field approach speed?
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StraightnLevel said:
There is no single correct answer to this question, aside from "Read the POH".
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MauleSkinner said:
Actually the answer is “read the ACS.” But it only specifies path and touchdown point, with no reference to speed.
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Your question was the comparison of speeds, and my response was that it depends on the POH. The is confirmed by the ACS, since the short-field airspeed comes from the POH.
 
MauleSkinner said:
That’s for short field, not power off 180. They are separate maneuvers.
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On a related note, how would you see the difference between them (aside from the obvious lack of throttle use on the P/O 180)?

From my perspective, the P/O 180 is really just a special case of the short-field landing, i.e., a short-field done with the engine at idle.
 
StraightnLevel said:
Your question was the comparison of speeds, and my response was that it depends on the POH. The is confirmed by the ACS, since the short-field airspeed comes from the POH.
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No, my question was are you allowed to do a power off 180 at short field approach speed. That’s an ACS question, and the ACS doesn’t specify a speed for the power off 180.
 
MauleSkinner said:
No, my question was are you allowed to do a power off 180 at short field approach speed. That’s an ACS question, and the ACS doesn’t specify a speed for the power off 180.
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...which would seem to say that a P/O 180, if done at short field approach speed, would pass.

That being said, I pitch for best glide on the 180. That may or may not be the same as short-field approach speed depending on the airframe.....so we're back to the POH.
 
StraightnLevel said:
On a related note, how would you see the difference between them (aside from the obvious lack of throttle use on the P/O 180)?
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I’ve never used a power off 180 to clear obstacles at the approach end of the runway, as I think it would add a level of complexity that decreases safety significantly.
StraightnLevel said:
From my perspective, the P/O 180 is really just a special case of the short-field landing, i.e., a short-field done with the engine at idle.
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From my perspective, any type of landing is just a special case of a normal landing.
 
StraightnLevel said:
...which would seem to say that a P/O 180, if done at short field approach speed, would pass.

That being said, I pitch for best glide on the 180. That may or may not be the same as short-field approach speed depending on the airframe.....so we're back to the POH.
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No, you’re back to the ACS, which does not allow best glide speed for the short field approach.

In order to pass a checkride, you have to comply with ALL of the skill requirements, not select ones.
 
X3 Skier said:
Did a BFR Tuesday and the CFI basically did a check ride sequence. Since it was in a Cessna 152 I had never flown before, it took a bit to get familiar with the plane. He said I would have passed a check ride.
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Instructors tell people they will pass the checkride every day. Not only do they tell people this, they sign an endorsement basically stating the person is prepared for the test, but 3/10 of those people fail.
 
While it's possible to combine a power-off 180 and a short field landing, both IAW the pertinent ACS, I don't think it's generally very likely. Yes you could do a power off 180 and hit the spot and get on the brakes, but there are multiple competing goals and ACS requirements on each.

Primarily, the short field field landing requires a stabilized approach at the POH speed or not greater than 1.3 Vso if not stated. The power-off 180 could be flown at this speed, as there are no speed requirements for it, but is often flown at something like best glide until short final.

But most importantly, the power off 180 is very often not a "stabilized approach". Unless you do it perfectly, you're changing configurations, slipping, flying faster or slower, whatever you need to do to hit your mark and pass your checkride.

So it would have to be a pretty perfect 180 at 1.2 Vso or whatever to work for both tasks.
 
It depends on which turning maneuver the DP gave me. Turns around a point? Probably/most likely. S-turns on a roadway, probably not. Haven't done that in several years. I'd be fine on all the other ones, to within or darned close to standards which is what a DP is going to be checking for PPL anyhoo. I'm pretty sure I still have my flip book/cheat sheets for the different settings on the piper for short fields, low flight, power on/off stalls, etc. I'd need to look at what degree setting for each on the walk out to the plane as a quick refresh for specific info.
 
No friggin’ way. Like 6 pappa mentioned, I’d fail at “What is Best Glide in a 172?”

“OK, checkride over.”
 
StraightnLevel said:
Where is "best glide speed" mentioned in the ACS as part of the power-off 180?
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It’s not. You mentioned it....which would seem to say that a P/O 180, if done at short field approach speed, would pass.
StraightnLevel said:
That being said, I pitch for best glide on the 180. That may or may not be the same as short-field approach speed depending on the airframe.....so we're back to the POH.
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Best glide will never be the same as short field approach speed.
 
Clip4 said:
Instructors tell people they will pass the checkride every day. Not only do they tell people this, they sign an endorsement basically stating the person is prepared for the test, but 3/10 of those people fail.
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Maybe you shouldn’t be instructing if your record is that bad.
 
StraightnLevel said:
From my perspective, the P/O 180 is really just a special case of the short-field landing, i.e., a short-field done with the engine at idle.
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One is a high drag approach with power, the other is without power, they couldn't be more different.
 
X3 Skier said:
Maybe you shouldn’t be instructing if your record is that bad.
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I didn’t say that was any single CFI’s record, but collectively of all endorsing CFIs, 30% of applicants fail the ride. There are 138,000 CFIs in the US, if they all endorsed one applicant, 41,000 would fail. Yet some believe without any preparation their flying and knowledge is sufficient to pass a practical test that is more difficult than it was just a few years ago.
 
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AV8R_87 said:
Yes, but could you do it facing backwards?
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This just in from my AI source: With the Navy's adoption of new rear-quarter lookout doctrine and off-boresight HUD projections we'll be seeing a lot more pilots with the skills to pass these checkrides facing backwards.
backards pilot 2.jpg

Nauga,
checking six
 
I don't teach primary and couldn't tell you the last time I did some of those goofball maneuvers like S-turns across a road. I'd almost certainly fail stepping into a PPL checkride cold.

I think I'd pull off an IR checkride or a ME checkride without issue, or maybe some item of minutia would require DPE grace.

It's interesting to throw shade at CFIs, but some of us do more than "checkride prep" :)
 
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