Checkride: passed!
Now for the long version.....
Being the bookish academic sort (and having taken one other checkride with the same DE), I knew that I could get through the oral. The questions focused on preflight planning, choosing routes, choosing alternates, weather requirements for alternates, and departure procedures.
The only "stumper" on the oral was this one: What are the fuel requirements for IFR flight with an alternate. "Easy" I thought, and spouted out the regulation about flying to your destination, and then the alternate, and then flying some more for 45 minutes. "So what is considered 'flying to your destination'?" asked the DE. "Does that mean flying a complete approach and landing? Or just flying over it and then continuing on to your destination, or what?" I wasn't sure of the answer, but I was pretty sure it was not flying an entire approach; what I've done for planning was drawn basically a straight line between an enroute fix (preferably one which is also an IAF for the airport) assuming a VFR-style approach to landing and figuring that the details will work themselves out. According to the DE the answer is that you need enough fuel to "set up for an approach" but not actually fly one. I'm not clear on what exactly that means (and I didn't volunteer my ignorance by asking!).
Part two: the flight. I was so nervous! Due to weather cancellations, I hadn't flown at all in almost two weeks. Out to the practice area; one unusual attitude. No problem, and the DE seemed satified with just the one and didn't ask for another... straight to the first approach! GPS 32 at Fitchburg, with autopilot. I had this one pretty much in hand, except for the RAIM check with I almost forgot about but remembered just in time before getting to the FAF.
The DE was conducting the flight in a few ways differently from what I was used to, and these little differences were starting to throw off my groove. For one thing, he wanted me to make all radio calls (including the traffic related calls). So whenever ATC called traffic, I had to say "looking for traffic" and then relay the DE's observations to ATC. I found this a little awkward, and definately increased the workload. I'm used to my instructor handling traffic-related radio calls. Secondly, the DE was being "fake ATC" for the practice approaches at the nontowered airports, yet he wanted me to (also) call up Boston Approach so they'd know what we were doing. Approach gave us a squawk and treated us like I was used to for practice approaches. So I was getting two sets of vectors and clearances the whole time... one from my "fake ATC" (the DE) and one from the real ATC. This also, effectively, doubled the workload since I had to respond to and write down twice as much stuff, and made things really confusing. I got cleared twice for everything.
The next approach, VOR/DME 21 at Minuteman, was a total disaster. I'm not sure how many different ways one can screw up an approach, but it seemed like I hit all the major ones.
I got way off my altitude while futzing over writing stuff down (plenty outside PTS--but it was bumpy and I guess I got some "bumpiness points"). Due perhaps to the ATC/fakeATC confusion, I lost track of who I was talking to, and once overwrote Boston Approach's frequency, and on a different occasion out of habit keyed the mic while responding to a vector from my "fake ATC" -- the DE actually reached over and removed my finger from the PTT button (not before broadcasting a garbled half fake clearance on Fitchburg's CTAF I think) I forgot to hit OBS mode on the GPS prior to the IAF/procedure turn. While trying to fix the GPS problem (it had auto-sequenced to the FAF in leg mode), I got the GPS stuck in some wack cursor-mode and has having trouble getting out of it. The DE "solved" the problem by turning the GPS off. Relieved at first, I continued flying the approach, and halfway down the final approach segment before realizing that without the GPS there is no way to identify the MAP. "Crap!" I yelled, and hit full throttle. "We can't do this approach!" I said. "Why not?" asked the DE. "There's no way to identify the MAP without this!" I said, tapping on the blank GPS screen. "It's VOR approach," said the DE. "No, it's a VOR/DME approach," I said. The DE muttered something almost under his breath, but it sounded like "You're right, I'm wrong." He then restored the GPS, and I got my DME functionality back... but the approach was already missed and we moved on. "You made the right decision," said the DE. I'm still not sure whether this was intentional on the DE's part (to test me) or a mistake. But it was an illustrative lesson, in any case, and probably the thing that I learned the most from during the ride.
At this point, it felt like the ride had been a total train wreck. Between the "double ATC's" and the confusion and the GPS problems and the missed approach and chasing my altitude all over the place, I felt barely on the edge of it all. It was like "franticness" was a liquid that was slowly filling up my body and would eventually reach my brain and end it all. But no one had said I'd failed yet...
Then we moved on to the ILS 29 back at Bedford the home drome. Vectors (thank god!) and from the real ATC this time (thank god!). The DE gave me a visual/autopilot break as we puttered on back, which I desperately needed to clear my head. I flew a pretty good ILS, which I was pretty proud of... and finished with a bouncy substandard landing.
All in all, I am amazed that I passed. If I were the DE, I don't think I would have passed me. The first and last approaches were good, but that VOR/DME 21 was just so out of control! So now I've got a shiny white piece of paper, but I don't feel terribly elated. I don't feel like celebrating. I feel like I "got away" with something. Maybe I just have a perspective twisted by overly high standards... I don't know. I'm just glad it's over, and I can start punching through wafer-thin stratus layers here and there. I'm going to go to sleep and let my brain ooze out of my ears now.
Thanks to everyone on this forum for the wisdom and moral support! :blowkiss:
--Kath
Now for the long version.....
Being the bookish academic sort (and having taken one other checkride with the same DE), I knew that I could get through the oral. The questions focused on preflight planning, choosing routes, choosing alternates, weather requirements for alternates, and departure procedures.
The only "stumper" on the oral was this one: What are the fuel requirements for IFR flight with an alternate. "Easy" I thought, and spouted out the regulation about flying to your destination, and then the alternate, and then flying some more for 45 minutes. "So what is considered 'flying to your destination'?" asked the DE. "Does that mean flying a complete approach and landing? Or just flying over it and then continuing on to your destination, or what?" I wasn't sure of the answer, but I was pretty sure it was not flying an entire approach; what I've done for planning was drawn basically a straight line between an enroute fix (preferably one which is also an IAF for the airport) assuming a VFR-style approach to landing and figuring that the details will work themselves out. According to the DE the answer is that you need enough fuel to "set up for an approach" but not actually fly one. I'm not clear on what exactly that means (and I didn't volunteer my ignorance by asking!).
Part two: the flight. I was so nervous! Due to weather cancellations, I hadn't flown at all in almost two weeks. Out to the practice area; one unusual attitude. No problem, and the DE seemed satified with just the one and didn't ask for another... straight to the first approach! GPS 32 at Fitchburg, with autopilot. I had this one pretty much in hand, except for the RAIM check with I almost forgot about but remembered just in time before getting to the FAF.
The DE was conducting the flight in a few ways differently from what I was used to, and these little differences were starting to throw off my groove. For one thing, he wanted me to make all radio calls (including the traffic related calls). So whenever ATC called traffic, I had to say "looking for traffic" and then relay the DE's observations to ATC. I found this a little awkward, and definately increased the workload. I'm used to my instructor handling traffic-related radio calls. Secondly, the DE was being "fake ATC" for the practice approaches at the nontowered airports, yet he wanted me to (also) call up Boston Approach so they'd know what we were doing. Approach gave us a squawk and treated us like I was used to for practice approaches. So I was getting two sets of vectors and clearances the whole time... one from my "fake ATC" (the DE) and one from the real ATC. This also, effectively, doubled the workload since I had to respond to and write down twice as much stuff, and made things really confusing. I got cleared twice for everything.
The next approach, VOR/DME 21 at Minuteman, was a total disaster. I'm not sure how many different ways one can screw up an approach, but it seemed like I hit all the major ones.
I got way off my altitude while futzing over writing stuff down (plenty outside PTS--but it was bumpy and I guess I got some "bumpiness points"). Due perhaps to the ATC/fakeATC confusion, I lost track of who I was talking to, and once overwrote Boston Approach's frequency, and on a different occasion out of habit keyed the mic while responding to a vector from my "fake ATC" -- the DE actually reached over and removed my finger from the PTT button (not before broadcasting a garbled half fake clearance on Fitchburg's CTAF I think) I forgot to hit OBS mode on the GPS prior to the IAF/procedure turn. While trying to fix the GPS problem (it had auto-sequenced to the FAF in leg mode), I got the GPS stuck in some wack cursor-mode and has having trouble getting out of it. The DE "solved" the problem by turning the GPS off. Relieved at first, I continued flying the approach, and halfway down the final approach segment before realizing that without the GPS there is no way to identify the MAP. "Crap!" I yelled, and hit full throttle. "We can't do this approach!" I said. "Why not?" asked the DE. "There's no way to identify the MAP without this!" I said, tapping on the blank GPS screen. "It's VOR approach," said the DE. "No, it's a VOR/DME approach," I said. The DE muttered something almost under his breath, but it sounded like "You're right, I'm wrong." He then restored the GPS, and I got my DME functionality back... but the approach was already missed and we moved on. "You made the right decision," said the DE. I'm still not sure whether this was intentional on the DE's part (to test me) or a mistake. But it was an illustrative lesson, in any case, and probably the thing that I learned the most from during the ride.At this point, it felt like the ride had been a total train wreck. Between the "double ATC's" and the confusion and the GPS problems and the missed approach and chasing my altitude all over the place, I felt barely on the edge of it all. It was like "franticness" was a liquid that was slowly filling up my body and would eventually reach my brain and end it all. But no one had said I'd failed yet...
Then we moved on to the ILS 29 back at Bedford the home drome. Vectors (thank god!) and from the real ATC this time (thank god!). The DE gave me a visual/autopilot break as we puttered on back, which I desperately needed to clear my head. I flew a pretty good ILS, which I was pretty proud of... and finished with a bouncy substandard landing.
All in all, I am amazed that I passed. If I were the DE, I don't think I would have passed me. The first and last approaches were good, but that VOR/DME 21 was just so out of control! So now I've got a shiny white piece of paper, but I don't feel terribly elated. I don't feel like celebrating. I feel like I "got away" with something. Maybe I just have a perspective twisted by overly high standards... I don't know. I'm just glad it's over, and I can start punching through wafer-thin stratus layers here and there. I'm going to go to sleep and let my brain ooze out of my ears now.
Thanks to everyone on this forum for the wisdom and moral support! :blowkiss:
--Kath
