Checkride was 10AM this morning.
I set the alarm for 7AM, got a DUAT brief and filled out the rest of the flight plan.... I was done by 8:15AM.. drove to the airport and crammed for a few minutes but ended up talking to CFIs for a longer time than cramming. DPE got there 10AM sharp. We went over the paper work, had problems with IACRA, then got it sorted out after about 10 minutes. She asked if I made an inspection summary, which I did, and she asked to look at it. Then we went through the airframe and engine logbooks, and I just had to point out the most recent required inspections which I had marked yesterday. She asked how often the transponder needed to be checked.... and then we were done with that part. Next she asked how I got the weather for the cross country I planned. I showed her my DUAT route-briefing which I printed in "English", and basically just read the pertinent information. For the SIGMET/AIRMET part she asked if there was a better way to visualize them, and I said a graphic is available. She then asked if based on my weather briefing I would go on this flight or not. I was really surprised that is all I was asked on weather. We didn't look at any weather graphics at all, and I didn't have to decode any FAA language.... even a METAR. She did not ask anything about PIREPs, radar, fronts, or anything. She looked at my weight and balance and asked where my calculations fall on the chart in the POH. I pointed to the spot, and she asked me if I would have it here (aft) or here (forward), to which I answered forward and explained why. Then, she had me unfold the sectional and terminal charts. She asked me to go through my checkpoints and explained how I picked each one. I basically told her that I picked out things that would seem distinguishable compared the area around it for each one. She asked me to explain each airspace I would be in during the flight. I told her I am departing from a class D, and would be under the Bravo shelf in the class Echo all the way to the destination which was a class C. She asked what TRSA was. She asked what I would do if I had a radio failure prior to entering the class C that was busy at the destination, and I told her I would then divert to a uncontrolled field that is right outside the Class C ring. She asked what if I need fuel too. So I pointed to another uncontrolled field that had the "services available" markings. She asked if I needed a transponder to fly over this class C. I said yes, and she asked if the same was true at 2AM. I said no, because the tower closes and it becomes uncontrolled and there is no longer a class C there. She asked what I would do if I wanted to go into a class delta where they had a radio shop to get my broken radio fixed. Finally, she showed me a diagram with a tetrahedron and asked what runway I would land on. The she showed me a page with like 30 different markings you would find at an airport and asked which one was a hold-short line, and which sign indicates what taxiway you are currently on. That was it! I felt the oral was pretty easy. She told me to go preflight the plane and she would meet me there.
The flight was pretty straight forward. It was pretty windy for a C150... 13 knots or so, but nothing unbearable. It was the busiest I've ever seen PWK... We were behind 5 departures and a bunch of arrivals. Finally we departed and started on the cross country. I found my checkpoints perfectly and was able to calculate the groundspeed and also determined the winds had increased since I made the plan, so corrected for it. About 25nm out or so she told me she wanted to take a break and get coffee. She basically let me pick where I wanted to divert to. So I found a nearby uncontrolled field and flew there... it was like 13 nm away. I calculated how long it would take to get there and then entered the pattern and she told me to do a short field landing. I hit my sport perfectly and smoothly. We did a soft-field takeoff and went around in the pattern and then she did pulled the power and had me do a simulated engine out in the pattern. I brought it around and over the runway she had me do a go-around. We then departed the area to the north east and she had me do steep turns. I blew the first try of steep turns and lost like 250 feet. She let me try it again to the right and I nailed it perfectly. Then we did slow-flight... the power-off turning stall, then power-on stalls. Then she had me put the hood on and she said "The ceilings have just came down, and you are inside a cloud..." So I did a standard-rate 180º turn. Then she told me to turn left.... turn right... etc... while looking down and then she told me to look up and recover. I did very well with that. Then she had me find a spot to do turns around a point. So I did that, and then she told the name of the town we were next to, and to head back. So I knew exactly where we were and just started heading back the same way we got here. I descended beneath the bravo when the time came, and she had me do a soft-field landing. She said ok, we're done. So I told tower we were taxiing back and he gave me instructions and then over to the parking area we went. I shut it down and was told I passed! I was really excited then. I finished tying down the plane and went back to the office for a debriefing.
Overall a good flight. I am really excited that I'm officially a licensed pilot now. I can't wait to start taking people up!
I set the alarm for 7AM, got a DUAT brief and filled out the rest of the flight plan.... I was done by 8:15AM.. drove to the airport and crammed for a few minutes but ended up talking to CFIs for a longer time than cramming. DPE got there 10AM sharp. We went over the paper work, had problems with IACRA, then got it sorted out after about 10 minutes. She asked if I made an inspection summary, which I did, and she asked to look at it. Then we went through the airframe and engine logbooks, and I just had to point out the most recent required inspections which I had marked yesterday. She asked how often the transponder needed to be checked.... and then we were done with that part. Next she asked how I got the weather for the cross country I planned. I showed her my DUAT route-briefing which I printed in "English", and basically just read the pertinent information. For the SIGMET/AIRMET part she asked if there was a better way to visualize them, and I said a graphic is available. She then asked if based on my weather briefing I would go on this flight or not. I was really surprised that is all I was asked on weather. We didn't look at any weather graphics at all, and I didn't have to decode any FAA language.... even a METAR. She did not ask anything about PIREPs, radar, fronts, or anything. She looked at my weight and balance and asked where my calculations fall on the chart in the POH. I pointed to the spot, and she asked me if I would have it here (aft) or here (forward), to which I answered forward and explained why. Then, she had me unfold the sectional and terminal charts. She asked me to go through my checkpoints and explained how I picked each one. I basically told her that I picked out things that would seem distinguishable compared the area around it for each one. She asked me to explain each airspace I would be in during the flight. I told her I am departing from a class D, and would be under the Bravo shelf in the class Echo all the way to the destination which was a class C. She asked what TRSA was. She asked what I would do if I had a radio failure prior to entering the class C that was busy at the destination, and I told her I would then divert to a uncontrolled field that is right outside the Class C ring. She asked what if I need fuel too. So I pointed to another uncontrolled field that had the "services available" markings. She asked if I needed a transponder to fly over this class C. I said yes, and she asked if the same was true at 2AM. I said no, because the tower closes and it becomes uncontrolled and there is no longer a class C there. She asked what I would do if I wanted to go into a class delta where they had a radio shop to get my broken radio fixed. Finally, she showed me a diagram with a tetrahedron and asked what runway I would land on. The she showed me a page with like 30 different markings you would find at an airport and asked which one was a hold-short line, and which sign indicates what taxiway you are currently on. That was it! I felt the oral was pretty easy. She told me to go preflight the plane and she would meet me there.
The flight was pretty straight forward. It was pretty windy for a C150... 13 knots or so, but nothing unbearable. It was the busiest I've ever seen PWK... We were behind 5 departures and a bunch of arrivals. Finally we departed and started on the cross country. I found my checkpoints perfectly and was able to calculate the groundspeed and also determined the winds had increased since I made the plan, so corrected for it. About 25nm out or so she told me she wanted to take a break and get coffee. She basically let me pick where I wanted to divert to. So I found a nearby uncontrolled field and flew there... it was like 13 nm away. I calculated how long it would take to get there and then entered the pattern and she told me to do a short field landing. I hit my sport perfectly and smoothly. We did a soft-field takeoff and went around in the pattern and then she did pulled the power and had me do a simulated engine out in the pattern. I brought it around and over the runway she had me do a go-around. We then departed the area to the north east and she had me do steep turns. I blew the first try of steep turns and lost like 250 feet. She let me try it again to the right and I nailed it perfectly. Then we did slow-flight... the power-off turning stall, then power-on stalls. Then she had me put the hood on and she said "The ceilings have just came down, and you are inside a cloud..." So I did a standard-rate 180º turn. Then she told me to turn left.... turn right... etc... while looking down and then she told me to look up and recover. I did very well with that. Then she had me find a spot to do turns around a point. So I did that, and then she told the name of the town we were next to, and to head back. So I knew exactly where we were and just started heading back the same way we got here. I descended beneath the bravo when the time came, and she had me do a soft-field landing. She said ok, we're done. So I told tower we were taxiing back and he gave me instructions and then over to the parking area we went. I shut it down and was told I passed! I was really excited then. I finished tying down the plane and went back to the office for a debriefing.
Overall a good flight. I am really excited that I'm officially a licensed pilot now. I can't wait to start taking people up!
