Snaggletooth
Line Up and Wait
I can't wait!! I'll be so happy to get this over with! Wish me luck!
My checkride is this Saturday!!
- Thread starter Snaggletooth
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Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe
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Light and Sporty Guy
Snaggletooth
Line Up and Wait
I mean my Flight Training. So I can just rent a plane and fly for no good reason other than flying. lol
Can someone recommend me a good place to get renters insurance?
gprellwitz
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Oh, the training's never over with!
We got our renter's insurance through AOPA. Luckily, we've never had to use it, so I can't say how "good" it is.
TangoWhiskey
Touchdown! Greaser!
I won't wish you luck, CUZ YOU DON'T NEED IT!
You're READY! Go get your rating!! Can't wait to read all about it! Congratulations!
You're READY! Go get your rating!! Can't wait to read all about it! Congratulations!
Snaggletooth
Line Up and Wait
Oh, the training's never over with!
I guess I should say "Dual Flight Training."
How do I start the process of getting the Insurance? Is it going to cost me an arm and a leg?
TangoWhiskey
Touchdown! Greaser!
All of the rental policies (non-owner) are being underwritten by Chartis now, so it really doesn't matter who you get it through; the actual policy will be from Chartis. Are you an AOPA member?
If so, then: http://www.aopaia.com/
Snaggletooth
Line Up and Wait
Jeanie
Pattern Altitude
congrats on you - Go Get 'Em
gprellwitz
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Actually, I don't think it's a requirement that you be a member to purchase the insurance. Go to the website that Troy cited and go through the process to get a quote.
EppyGA
Touchdown! Greaser!
Good luck Snag!! 
poadeleted20
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Captain Levy’s Checkride Advice
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. It’s a test of your flying skill, not your knowledge of PTS minutiae. Make sure you know which maneuver the examiner wants done, and confirm the details if necessary – before you start the maneuver. Does s/he want stalls taken all the way to the break or just to the buffet or “first sign of impending stall”? Is that “spot landing” s/he asked for the “power-off 180-degree accuracy approach and landing” no more than 200 feet beyond the spot or the “short-field approach and landing” which allows use of power but no more than 100 feet beyond the spot?
19. Relax
20. 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.
21. Relax and enjoy your new license.
Ron Levy, ATP, CFI, Veteran of 11 license/rating checkrides, including 4 with FAA inspectors
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. It’s a test of your flying skill, not your knowledge of PTS minutiae. Make sure you know which maneuver the examiner wants done, and confirm the details if necessary – before you start the maneuver. Does s/he want stalls taken all the way to the break or just to the buffet or “first sign of impending stall”? Is that “spot landing” s/he asked for the “power-off 180-degree accuracy approach and landing” no more than 200 feet beyond the spot or the “short-field approach and landing” which allows use of power but no more than 100 feet beyond the spot?
19. Relax
20. 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.
21. Relax and enjoy your new license.
Ron Levy, ATP, CFI, Veteran of 11 license/rating checkrides, including 4 with FAA inspectors
Do you remember this kid? Wonder what ever happened to him? I suspect he's done a lot of growing up and he will go on to be a great pilot.
Congratulations, Snag. Keep up the good work.
Mason
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Well, I know what you mean, but at some point you will no doubt want some dual flight training for your Instrument. Or multi. Or just for the heck of it.;....
Go do the check ride, enjoy, and then go fly some passengers :wink2:
Snaggletooth
Line Up and Wait
Wow. I posted that over a year ago!!
No doubt that I'll be going up dual in the near future. I'd just like to have the choice of doing as I please. I won't have to have my CFI's appoval if I wanna fly to a new Airport. I just rent the plane and go.
I've read that a few times already. Awesome advise!
DutchessFlier
Line Up and Wait
WOW!!! This is Great Dustin! You will do fine!!!
It's the beginning of a great amount of freedom, joy and an awesome responsibility...we all have had the fun time of watching you go through the process; so thanks for sharing it with us.
As my CFI told me when I got my ticket:
"Now you have a license to keep on learning." You will find that most of us learn something every time we fly!
Keep us posted....
It's the beginning of a great amount of freedom, joy and an awesome responsibility...we all have had the fun time of watching you go through the process; so thanks for sharing it with us.
As my CFI told me when I got my ticket:
"Now you have a license to keep on learning." You will find that most of us learn something every time we fly!
Keep us posted....
Snaggletooth
Line Up and Wait
Thanks!
I'm going up this afternoon and my CFI called me and said we would work on the XC portion of the Checkride today. I'll probably end up flying tomorrow as well.
I'm going up this afternoon and my CFI called me and said we would work on the XC portion of the Checkride today. I'll probably end up flying tomorrow as well.
Cap'n Jack
Final Approach
Good luck! Ron's got it right in his advice.
My check ride ended a little funny. The DPE use the theme from Top Gun as his cell phone ring tone and he got a call as I taxi'd into the parking spot. I don't know if it was planned or a coincidence since he didn't tell me I passed until after I secured the plane.
Please post your checkride flight. It's almost as much of a tradition as getting your shirt cut at solo.
My check ride ended a little funny. The DPE use the theme from Top Gun as his cell phone ring tone and he got a call as I taxi'd into the parking spot. I don't know if it was planned or a coincidence since he didn't tell me I passed until after I secured the plane.
Please post your checkride flight. It's almost as much of a tradition as getting your shirt cut at solo.
RogerT
Cleared for Takeoff
If your CFI is sending you for it .. I doubt luck will be needed. He thinks
you can perform to PTS standards.
I learned something on every checkride. I found that once I'd shown
I could execute to the standards .. the examiners .. whether DPE or
FAA would always have some helpful hints that would improve my
flying. It's nice to get a different perspective than just the CFI
you've been flying with.
My attitude going in was always "I think I'm ready and understand what
to do but if I don't perform up to snuf this time .. Ill regroup and will next time."
Out of 7 checkrides I never walked away without the rating.
RT
Snaggletooth
Line Up and Wait
Well heck, I showed up for my Lesson today. My CFI called and said he was running a bit late, and to preflight the plane when I got there and he would be there soon afterwards.
Well during the Preflight Inspection, I came to the Rudder. Ummm... That's odd. It's pointing off the the right. So I gave it a slight wiggle and I could hear the cables tapping on the inside of the plane. I hoped in the plane and noted the right hand rudder pedal depressed. I wiggled the left pedal.... tons of slack. It hardly moved when I have it full left deflection.
So I continued on with the Preflight Inspection, hoping and praying it was something simple that we could fix and be on our Mary way, but no such luck.
So I'm less than a week from my Checkride, and the plane will be gone for most of the week. Leaving little time for practice. AND! On top of that we are Forecasted to have a Tropical Cyclone blow in days before the Checkride. AWESOME!
Well during the Preflight Inspection, I came to the Rudder. Ummm... That's odd. It's pointing off the the right. So I gave it a slight wiggle and I could hear the cables tapping on the inside of the plane. I hoped in the plane and noted the right hand rudder pedal depressed. I wiggled the left pedal.... tons of slack. It hardly moved when I have it full left deflection.
So I continued on with the Preflight Inspection, hoping and praying it was something simple that we could fix and be on our Mary way, but no such luck.
So I'm less than a week from my Checkride, and the plane will be gone for most of the week. Leaving little time for practice. AND! On top of that we are Forecasted to have a Tropical Cyclone blow in days before the Checkride. AWESOME!
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe
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Light and Sporty Guy
A ) Of course something is going to go wrong.
B ) That's why you pre-flight. The question becomes, when did it break and why didn't the last person notice.
C ) Better today than Saturday, eh?
Snaggletooth
Line Up and Wait
A ) Of course something is going to go wrong.
B ) That's why you pre-flight. The question becomes, when did it break and why didn't the last person notice.
C ) Better today than Saturday, eh?
A ) FML...
B ) My CFI and another Student flew the plane alot the day before, and nothing was wrong then. I wonder if the Student knew, and did not say anything, or what?
C ) We have a 40% chance of rain Saturday, so I doubt the Checkride is going to happen. We also have a 50% chance Friday, which is the only time I'll be able to go up dual between now and the Checkride. (read A. again)
t0r0nad0
Pattern Altitude
Snag, good luck, and don't sweat the weather issue. I had to reschedule my checkride because of weather. Also, look at the plane being fixed as a blessing - it gives them an opportunity to make sure everything else is good on the plane right before your ride too. Just make sure you check the rudder operation thoroughly before you take off, especially if you are the first one to fly it when it gets back from the shop. You don't want to find that the rudder was hooked up backwards when you're rolling down the runway on takeoff!
RMCN172RG
Pattern Altitude
I spent two months waiting for the weather, the plane, the DPE's and my schedule to come together.
Just be patient one flight with the CFI a day or two before the ride to get the butterflies out shoul dbe all you need.
Just be patient one flight with the CFI a day or two before the ride to get the butterflies out shoul dbe all you need.
Stuff happens.
I scheduled my checkride and then the day before, the hydraulic cylinder on the nosewheel emptied itself.
Sent the airplane off to the mechanic and rescheduled the checkride to the next available date Sept 12, 2001.
Sept 11, every aircraft in the country was grounded. It took another 2 months to untangle the mess that made.
Passed the checkride, but remembered that stuff happens.
Snaggletooth
Line Up and Wait
Thanks for the words of wisdom, guys.
gismo
Touchdown! Greaser!
I'll wish you good luck WRT the weather. Remember it's just a forecast and forecasts 3 days into the future are only about 20% accurate.
And here's a hint for the checkride (in addition to Ron's great advice):
The DPE is gonna have you plan an XC flight. Chances are that once you've identified your first couple waypoints and computed a groundspeed, he'll either give you a simulated engine failure or ask you to divert to some nearby airport (I got both on my PPL ride, the DPE pulled the throttle when we were practically on top of a nice grass strip). So I suggest that you a) make sure the first few waypoints are real easy to find (and don't make the first one so close you miss it when departing from a different runway than you expected), and b) familiarize yourself with all the suitable airports in the vicinity of the first 30 miles of the planned XC route. Some might call this cheating, I'd call it being well prepared.
Very good advice. It usually happens this way.
Snaggletooth
Line Up and Wait
Thanks for the tips!
Make sure you are aware from which direction the wind is blowing at all times. My emergency, the examiner started screaming, the engine is on fire! Know what to do for that. Also, make sure you do not dip below 500 feet on the emergency exercise; the examiner I went through has been known to fail people for flying below that minimum during the emergency exercise.
Snaggletooth
Line Up and Wait
So you make a go around before 500ft automatically, or will he tell you?
EppyGA
Touchdown! Greaser!
Remember that you are the PIC for this flight and need to act accordingly. He/she is just there to evaluate your flying abilities.
Snaggletooth
Line Up and Wait
Do I get to log the Flight as PIC time, then?
EppyGA
Touchdown! Greaser!
Yes you do.
poadeleted20
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That's something the examiner should cover during the preflight briefing, along with all crew roles and responsibilities for the test, including radio comm, exchange of controls, and all the way down to things like right-seat brake checks.
BTW, if an examiner started screaming "THE ENGINE'S ON FIRE" in the middle of a ride with me, I would look at the engine, and not seeing flames or any other indication of fire, say as calmly and quietly as possible, "No, I don't believe it is. Now please calm down, relax, take a deep breath, and tell me slowly and carefully what made you think it was."
gprellwitz
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There are few emergencies that can't be made worse by rushing into action blindly and unthinkingly. This is good advice during real life as well as during the checkride!
vontresc
En-Route
LOL the CFI that checked me out in the 182 did something like that. He said that there were deer on the runway, and I calmly replied that there were no deer that I saw. It took me about three seconds to realize what he was doing.
gprellwitz
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"Well, I don't see any, but just in case they bounded off and are about to bound back, I'll do a nice low noisy (high-speed) pass to scare them off, then we'll come back around for landing."LOL the CFI that checked me out in the 182 did something like that. He said that there were deer on the runway, and I calmly replied that there were no deer that I saw. It took me about three seconds to realize what he was doing.
poadeleted20
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That's why when I'm injecting a simulated emergency, I preface it with the old Navy standard, "This is a drill, this is a drill..." And I brief that before the flight, too. That way, we don't waste time trying to figure out why I see a big yellow school bus full of nuns on the runway and s/he doesn't.LOL the CFI that checked me out in the 182 did something like that. He said that there were deer on the runway, and I calmly replied that there were no deer that I saw. It took me about three seconds to realize what he was doing.
Snaggletooth
Line Up and Wait
Well, I got back a while ago from the Airport. Great news.
My CFI got the Plane back from the A&P, and all is in working order. We did some Oral Test prep, and it went pretty smooth. Afterwards, my CFI said he was bound and determined to get the Checkride done on Saturday! If he is, I'll follow suit!
I will be awaiting my CFI's call tomorrow to head up to the Airport and get some flying in!!
My CFI got the Plane back from the A&P, and all is in working order. We did some Oral Test prep, and it went pretty smooth. Afterwards, my CFI said he was bound and determined to get the Checkride done on Saturday! If he is, I'll follow suit!
I will be awaiting my CFI's call tomorrow to head up to the Airport and get some flying in!!