"I'll meet you inside"

KaiGywer

Line Up and Wait
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Oct 11, 2014
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KaiGywer
Had my checkride today, after 12.5 years of training and 61.5 hrs total time prior to today. Did my oral and the examiner said "ok, we'll go fly".

Flew around, did the usual. Felt good on the majority of the maneuvers, but botched my turn around a point, realized and told the DPE I felt it was botched and that if he didn't mind I was going to reset and do another and he said go ahead. Flew back to the airport and did a soft field landing and takeoff, a no flaps landing with a forward slip but uh oh, something on the runway, so go around. Then another round in the pattern, a short field landing over an obstacle and after I slammed on the brakes told me to taxi to the FBO. Parked the plane, he unplugs the headset and said "we'll talk about some things inside, so I'll just meet you inside".

Wondering whether or not I passed, I walk through the door and see a friend of mine standing there with a bottle of champagne and lots of glasses and the FBO staff standing behind the counter smiling. DPE is nowhere to be seen, but at this point we're celebrating a pass or drowning my sorrows with champagne :cheerswine:

Go into the conference room where I had my oral and my DPE is printing my temporary certificate :)

Glad to have this done and as the DPE said, here's your license to learn. So, instrument rating, here I come.
 
Congrats! 12.5 yrs? Slow down, it's not a race. Take your time on the instrument.
 
:cheers:

Congratulations!

A license to learn is exactly what it is.
 
Congrats slow and steady ,wins the race.
 
Surely you didn't just do 1 lesson a month until you passed?

Congratulations!!
 
Congratulations!

Then another round in the pattern, a short field landing over an obstacle and after I slammed on the brakes told me to taxi to the FBO. Parked the plane, he unplugs the headset and said "we'll talk about some things inside, so I'll just meet you inside".

Not unlike how my check ride ended. I realized at the time that if I had failed he should have had to promptly say so, but I wasn't too thrilled by my performance and was annoyed with myself.

Oh - and it didn't help that near the end the DPE did say "my plane!" on a go-around. My instant reaction after "your airplane," was "Crap - what did I do wrong?" He said "Nothing - I just want to check something" and he looked to be checking something on the ground. He never did say what he was checking and I didn't press the issue.

I had known him, though, for a couple years prior to that check ride, so he may have felt less need to rigorously follow all the check ride conventions.
 
Well done and congrats! Now if I cold get my doctor to finish his up. He still has not even solo yet after 4 years of taking lessons. Looks like he is on the 10 year plan.
 
Congrats!! I had that moment, too, just a few weeks ago. The DPE got out of the plane, gathered his things and said "I'll meet you inside." I assumed (was hoping) no news was good news.

Go ye thereforth and aviate!
 
Very nice! Congratulations!

Hint for the future, if you failed, they tell you immediately after the maneuver. So, if you make it to the ramp and you shut down without a fail, you're good.
 
Very nice! Congratulations!

Hint for the future, if you failed, they tell you immediately after the maneuver. So, if you make it to the ramp and you shut down without a fail, you're good.

I didn't know that...:no:
 
Very nice! Congratulations!

Hint for the future, if you failed, they tell you immediately after the maneuver. So, if you make it to the ramp and you shut down without a fail, you're good.

Not always. My one and only bust I found out in the debrief.
 
Hey, congratulations! So much fun.
 
Life, family, and jobs get in the way and before you know it, it is 10 years after your first flight. CONGRATULATIONS on your new certificate! It is still something lots of people never finish.
 
it only took me 23 years to get my PPL.

Good Job. Now go fly!! :D
 
Thanks everybody. It's definitely a huge weight off my shoulders. To explain the 12.5 year timespan, I started in a college aviation program and switched majors before completing my private. Had about 50 hrs total time after one semester. Didn't fly over the years until finally deciding last fall it was time to finish this up. Started flying in October and after 1.8 hrs and 7 landings got signed off for solo again.

Now the next adventure is to get instrument rated and I plan on doing it hardcore with a CFII buddy of mine in about 1-2 weeks of fulltime flying. He has access to an AMD Alarus for cheap and he needs to build time for his ATP. Win win.
 
Do you know what someone who takes 12.5 years to pass the check ride is called?

PILOT!

Congratulations!

-Skip
 
he unplugs the headset and said "we'll talk about some things inside, so I'll just meet you inside".

I heard the same thing, but in my case, he wanted to go over a couple things he saw on the flight. We sat down and discussed my landings (thought my approaches were a bit flat) and something about my short field takeoff that he was curious about.

After the discussion, he looks me in the eye and asks me "Would you put your family in the plane with you right now?". I told him I know I'm very new to this and will make mistakes, but I'm very conservative about my flying and would be comfortable taking my family up. He smiled and said "I agree. Good Job!"

I got a big handshake and off he went to the printer.

Thinking back on it, it was a good move by him having the discussion before he told me I passed. I actually remember just about all of that conversation. Had we had the talk after he told me I passed, I doubt I would've heard any of it.

Back to you...Congrats on becoming a pilot!! Have fun and be safe up there!
 
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