rene86mx
Pre-takeoff checklist
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- Mar 13, 2015
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rene86mx
I need to vent with pilots... sorry for the long rant
Finally today after 1 year and 3 months of officially being enrolled in the equivalent of a Part 141 school I passed my checkride. (I am studying in Mexico)
I got to the airport for my 11 AM checkride, DPEs normally don´t ride on PPL checkrides since 99% of Mexican pilots will become CPL or ATP and they think a PPL is something that is not cool for them. Normally your CFI would act as DPE and fill out the checkride forms where the CFI approves/disapproves your actions from preflight to securing the airplane.
I went to the DPE office where he handed the checkride forms and wished me luck. My school has 2 bases one at an uncontrolled field (MMJC) where I did around 80% of my flight time in the vicinity of Mexico City and the second one on Mexico´s second busiest airport because of all the private jets (MMTO) which is catalogued as Class C.
Out of the 5 C172 G1000 airplanes I have flown around 70% in the one they assigned me, so I think I know the airplane as good as I know me. I do the preflight, my CFI (school assigns CFIs so this is my second ride with him) tells me everything looks fine and that this should be just a normal flight to the training zone, some maneuvers, T&G and complete landing.
Just when I was finishing the preflight and texting my wife, the DPE comes to the platform and says that he would be riding with us. I really didn´t bother about it and thought that this was just one more normal training flight. The 3 of us board and continue with the checklists, just as I was contacting Ground and instructed to follow a Falcon 900 and G-550 I realized how cool was that finally I was about to officially become a pilot.
I continued with the checklists and waited for a couple of Citations to takeoff and then was cleared to take off. Field elevation is 8,466 so you can imagine the performance being close to gross with 3 guys in the cabin and full fuel. I took off and began flying to the training zone located 20 NM from the field. From the takeoff until we were at the training zone, the DPE began asking me questions on the airplane, emergency procedures and airmanship theory. While answering his questions, I was doing communications with Tower and Approach and also looking for 4 traffics that were reported to me in 3-5 mile vicinity. Visibility was around 10 miles, very hazy and we decided to do the exam maneuvers between 10,000 and 10,500.
Flight was a little bumpy, the G1000 was reporting a 7-knot wind but was struggling maintaining altitude on the maneuvers. The DPE asked me to perform a 45 degree turn and just as I was beginning the turn, wind picked up. We decided to return to the field, do a T&G and finished the exam.
When I reported to Approach, they instructed me to continue to a visual reporting point, normally from there you are directed to go straight to base for rwy 15 but in this case they asked me to enter downwind. Just as I was entering downwind, they asked me to perform 360s until cleared to continue. After a couple of 360s they cleared me to turn to base. While on base I was cleared to land behind a Honda Jet. I continued the approach, DPE requested a full stop landing, communicated it to the TWR and tower approved it.
I was a little low on the PAPIs, wind picked up and now was 240 @12. I asked for a wind check. I trimmed and landed a greaser
. I landed long so was unable to make the usual taxiway. Asked TWR to use a further taxiway and vacated the runway. Contacted Tower, waited for a Pilatus to taxi in front of me and followed them to the hangar.
Once I secured the plane, I looked at the DPE and he just said it was "fine", that he was pushy because he wanted me to be a good airman with criteria and knowledge and that my criteria would improve as I continue flying.
After that my CFI congratulated me and told me that passing the checkride in no way meant I can go out and fly anytime I want (impossible anyways because in Mexico renting a piston single is impossible) and that he advises me to continue flying with them until I feel more confident.
Am I a pilot yet? No, according to Mexican red tape I need to renew my medical before requesting my license. Tomorrow is my appointment with the doctor and I guess I´ll have the license in the coming weeks.
Even though I reached a milestone, I don´t feel different. I´m doing this as a hobby. I have 47 hours. My plan is to continue flying with them. I plan to have around 70 hours by December including occasional flying while in vacation in Mexico or the US with a CFI (I`ll need the 14 CFR 61.75 process) , continue flying next year another 50-70 hours and buy a Mooney/Cardinal/Musketeer/Sierra/Vans/Maule/Insert your favorite GA plane by 2020
I´ve been sitting at my work desk for the last 4 hours thinking about how the checkride was supposed to be THE flight and it was just one more step in my process as a pilot. Can´t wait to take my wife (already flew in Maui with me in a discovery flight), parents and brothers flying with me.
I really love flying and hopefully I will be able to share aviation with more people in the coming future.
Sorry for the long rant, I just wanted to share with somebody that understands how I feel after today.
Finally today after 1 year and 3 months of officially being enrolled in the equivalent of a Part 141 school I passed my checkride. (I am studying in Mexico)
I got to the airport for my 11 AM checkride, DPEs normally don´t ride on PPL checkrides since 99% of Mexican pilots will become CPL or ATP and they think a PPL is something that is not cool for them. Normally your CFI would act as DPE and fill out the checkride forms where the CFI approves/disapproves your actions from preflight to securing the airplane.
I went to the DPE office where he handed the checkride forms and wished me luck. My school has 2 bases one at an uncontrolled field (MMJC) where I did around 80% of my flight time in the vicinity of Mexico City and the second one on Mexico´s second busiest airport because of all the private jets (MMTO) which is catalogued as Class C.
Out of the 5 C172 G1000 airplanes I have flown around 70% in the one they assigned me, so I think I know the airplane as good as I know me. I do the preflight, my CFI (school assigns CFIs so this is my second ride with him) tells me everything looks fine and that this should be just a normal flight to the training zone, some maneuvers, T&G and complete landing.
Just when I was finishing the preflight and texting my wife, the DPE comes to the platform and says that he would be riding with us. I really didn´t bother about it and thought that this was just one more normal training flight. The 3 of us board and continue with the checklists, just as I was contacting Ground and instructed to follow a Falcon 900 and G-550 I realized how cool was that finally I was about to officially become a pilot.
I continued with the checklists and waited for a couple of Citations to takeoff and then was cleared to take off. Field elevation is 8,466 so you can imagine the performance being close to gross with 3 guys in the cabin and full fuel. I took off and began flying to the training zone located 20 NM from the field. From the takeoff until we were at the training zone, the DPE began asking me questions on the airplane, emergency procedures and airmanship theory. While answering his questions, I was doing communications with Tower and Approach and also looking for 4 traffics that were reported to me in 3-5 mile vicinity. Visibility was around 10 miles, very hazy and we decided to do the exam maneuvers between 10,000 and 10,500.
Flight was a little bumpy, the G1000 was reporting a 7-knot wind but was struggling maintaining altitude on the maneuvers. The DPE asked me to perform a 45 degree turn and just as I was beginning the turn, wind picked up. We decided to return to the field, do a T&G and finished the exam.
When I reported to Approach, they instructed me to continue to a visual reporting point, normally from there you are directed to go straight to base for rwy 15 but in this case they asked me to enter downwind. Just as I was entering downwind, they asked me to perform 360s until cleared to continue. After a couple of 360s they cleared me to turn to base. While on base I was cleared to land behind a Honda Jet. I continued the approach, DPE requested a full stop landing, communicated it to the TWR and tower approved it.
I was a little low on the PAPIs, wind picked up and now was 240 @12. I asked for a wind check. I trimmed and landed a greaser
. I landed long so was unable to make the usual taxiway. Asked TWR to use a further taxiway and vacated the runway. Contacted Tower, waited for a Pilatus to taxi in front of me and followed them to the hangar.Once I secured the plane, I looked at the DPE and he just said it was "fine", that he was pushy because he wanted me to be a good airman with criteria and knowledge and that my criteria would improve as I continue flying.
After that my CFI congratulated me and told me that passing the checkride in no way meant I can go out and fly anytime I want (impossible anyways because in Mexico renting a piston single is impossible) and that he advises me to continue flying with them until I feel more confident.
Am I a pilot yet? No, according to Mexican red tape I need to renew my medical before requesting my license. Tomorrow is my appointment with the doctor and I guess I´ll have the license in the coming weeks.
Even though I reached a milestone, I don´t feel different. I´m doing this as a hobby. I have 47 hours. My plan is to continue flying with them. I plan to have around 70 hours by December including occasional flying while in vacation in Mexico or the US with a CFI (I`ll need the 14 CFR 61.75 process) , continue flying next year another 50-70 hours and buy a Mooney/Cardinal/Musketeer/Sierra/Vans/Maule/Insert your favorite GA plane by 2020
I´ve been sitting at my work desk for the last 4 hours thinking about how the checkride was supposed to be THE flight and it was just one more step in my process as a pilot. Can´t wait to take my wife (already flew in Maui with me in a discovery flight), parents and brothers flying with me.
I really love flying and hopefully I will be able to share aviation with more people in the coming future.
Sorry for the long rant, I just wanted to share with somebody that understands how I feel after today.
