PPL Checkride Experience?

Billnye

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Bill Nye
Hi everyone,
I'm finishing up my training and getting ready for my check ride. I'm pretty nervous to say the least. I'm confident in my flying and knowledge but I don't like not knowing what to expect.

I have found a few posts on here but was hoping to hear from more people about what was covered on their check ride? I've been told that what I bombed on my written will probably be brought up, as well as some required things like stalls, engine fail, etc...

Care to share your experience?

Thanks!
BN
 
Airspaces (cloud clearance, visibility,, chart depiction), key FARs, weather, ADM, aeromedical factors, required equipment (burning tomahtoes), risk management, flight planning, airport signage, and more.

Best thing is to do a few mock oral and checkrides with other CFIs to not only find weak spots, but gain familiarity with the process.
 
And some needs to post the link about pflemming's check ride experience. That is sorta required reading for PoA fledglings.
 
And if the iPad is allowed during the exam, know the EFB of choice like an expert. If you don't know it well, stick with tried and true paper materials.
 
good luck..
and if your CFI is willing to send you on your ride.. you def should be able to pass.
also keep in mind, the checkride is an OPEN BOOK test (unless something changed recently).. called the PTS/ACS.
You WILL be tested on everything in there. If you can perform ALL the required maneuvers, you do very well. A checkride isnt perfection, its knowing when you mess up and quickly correcting that mistake.
I was fortunate with my DPE, in that he went out of his way to make me feel relaxed (I thought I was fairly calm/relaxed, but he still tried to make me even more relaxed).
Also, you def want to ace the oral part, if the DPE knows right away that you know your stuff, the flight portion will have a good start and you may get a little more leeway even.
If you cant explain clearly to a DPE what is class D airspace for example, your gonna have a long day.
1. know you stuff (oral)
2. your PIC, act like he/she isnt even there
3. fly the plane
4. talk to ATC with confidence, I mean you are flying a plane
5. Be respectful to the DPE (yes maam, yes sir)
6. Ask the dpe what they want you to do, show that your ready for anything
7. Talk to the DPE (your gonna be there with him for 1.5hrs)
8. Point out traffic to dpe (even if NO factor at all)
9. re-study the test prep, know the oral exam guide like the back of your hand
10. all use trim (let the plane fly itself)
11. short fields/soft fields should be automatic for you.
12. your stalls need to be very good.
13. if the DPE is talking, listen and dont interupt. most dpe's actually want to teach you something also during the oral and especially in flight, on top of giving you your certificate.
14. the sectional needs to be as easy as reading a road map.


good luck.
 
Read the ACS if you haven't already. You have all the answers before you take the test. You're going to be nervous and make mistakes but as long as you promptly correct your mistakes, you'll do fine.
 
Turn off your inner monologue and actually say aloud what you're doing.

Things like: if you're...
too high/low, SAY it and correct.
off HDG, SAY it and correct.
too fast/slow....

You get the idea. You won't be flying with a mind reader and you're not expected to be 100% spot on. You are expected to recognize and correct as appropriate.

Keep the eyes outside. They can tell when you're scanning correctly (no fixating).

Finally, in the highly unlikely event you bust a maneuver, shake it off and ASK TO CONTINUE. You're allowed to proceed through the entire examination and you'll only need to demonstrate the busted maneuver in the future.
 
And during the oral, answer the question asked, but do not ramble on and dig yourself a hole. The DPE will continue asking questions about whatever youre rambling on about until he finds your weakness. And then POUNCE like a hungry tiger!!
 
This has been around this space for a looong time, but still valid, even with the change from PTS to ACD.
____________________________________________________________

Captain Ron said:

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. 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.

19. Relax and enjoy your new license.


Ron Levy, ATP, CFI, Veteran of 11 license/rating checkrides, including 4 with FAA inspectors
 
And during the oral, answer the question asked, but do not ramble on and dig yourself a hole. The DPE will continue asking questions about whatever youre rambling on about until he finds your weakness. And then POUNCE like a hungry tiger!!
This. Plus be wary about using some of the commercial "pass your checkride" videos such as King Schools and MzeroA. Many examiners can sense when you're using pat answers from those sources and then start you down the rabbit trail of doom.

The videos can help for familiarity, but don't memorize them.
 
And during the oral, answer the question asked, but do not ramble on and dig yourself a hole. The DPE will continue asking questions about whatever youre rambling on about until he finds your weakness. And then POUNCE like a hungry tiger!!
+1.
 
If you're confident in your knowledge and your flying, you'll be fine. My DPE went at the oral just like we were having a conversation, over a cup of coffee, about flying. He was like an inquisitive friend that wanted to know about flying and wanted to see what I knew. He was able to direct his questions in such a way that it wasn't a "test", it was a conversation. If I stumbled a little in my explanation and he could tell I knew what he was looking for, he would just kind of steer me towards what it was he was looking for exactly. If you don't know something, DON'T GUESS! Say you don't know and ask to look it up. Nothing wrong with that and they encourage it. JUST KNOW WHERE TO LOOK! You need to know, is it Part 61, Part 91, Part 43, FAR/AIM, POH, etc? And yes, he will definitely go back over the questions that you missed on the written.

The flying was the easy part. If you're confident in your flying and your CFI is saying you're ready,,,,you're ready. Your CFI wants to make sure you're as ready as can be because it's also a reflection on him/her as well. Chances are, you'll fly the maneuvers just like second nature. JUST DON'T FORGET THOSE CLEARING TURNS!!!

Relax, get out of your own head a little, don't over think and have fun with it. It'll be over before you know it and you'll be a card carrying PPL.

Keep us posted! Good luck!
 
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This. Plus be wary about using some of the commercial "pass your checkride" videos such as King Schools and MzeroA. Many examiners can sense when you're using pat answers from those sources and then start you down the rabbit trail of doom.

The videos can help for familiarity, but don't memorize them.

Oh how true this is! One of the instructors at my flight school gave me a sheet containing questions that my DPE was known to ask. I learned the sheet as well as studying all the usual stuff. The DPE asked me a question that triggered a memory of one of his standard questions, but it was worded slightly different which gave it a completely different meaning. I think it was something about required equipment and how to get a permit to operate without a necessary system. As I spit out that memorized answer he grinned and I knew I was screwed! Once I realized my error I tried to recover and asked if I could look it up in the regs. He calmly told me no, let's just talk through it. I thought he was going to nail me to the wall but he just wanted to make sure I knew what I was talking about. He explained the question to me and we explored all of the possible answers and the problems with each. It ended up being a great learning experience!
 
Read the ACS if you haven't already. You have all the answers before you take the test. You're going to be nervous and make mistakes but as long as you promptly correct your mistakes, you'll do fine.

That was my first thought. Why wasn't he/she aware of the ACS? Did the CFI not go over it, or at least ensure awareness that it exists.
 
I echo all of above. Also, even though you'll be testing to new ACS, and this video covers PTS, I think it's some good viewing.
 
Don't ask the DPE to hold your beer when you are maneuvering they get all sorts of grumpy.
 
I echo all of above. Also, even though you'll be testing to new ACS, and this video covers PTS, I think it's some good viewing.
There is a video from this guy on common IFR checkride mistakes. Also worth viewing.
 
As a one-time examiner, I agree with ravioli about verbalizing what you are doing. I disagree with Baloo Air Service on #6. You are expected to be ready for anything. The last thing you want to say to an examiner is "Do you want me to....?". You are the PIC, the examiner is a passenger who tells you to do things and grades you on your performance.

Bob
 
When I did mine I talked through everything. Not sure it works with all examiners. When I did my soft field I talked through how to expertly execute each step and then promptly slammed it on the runway. He said you just buried us in the mud, let's try that again. I did the second one perfect. I guess I was lucky or prepared :) the oral was just over 1/2 hour (I got a high 90s on the written) questions were in areas of the written I missed. Flight test was exactly an hour. Flew out of a class C ended up at my home airport about 1/2 hour away from the class C and he let me drive him back to the class C figuring it would take less time and save some flight money. I wasn't going to argue with him. ;)

ETA: the 1/2 hour oral did not include my flight planning and his review of my logs.
 
I'm not a fan of talking through the maneuver unless you're a CFI candidate. Obviously if it helps you, the go for it but other than that, I don't see any need to talk through a maneuver or landing.
 
Hi everyone,
I'm finishing up my training and getting ready for my check ride. I'm pretty nervous to say the least. I'm confident in my flying and knowledge but I don't like not knowing what to expect.

I have found a few posts on here but was hoping to hear from more people about what was covered on their check ride? I've been told that what I bombed on my written will probably be brought up, as well as some required things like stalls, engine fail, etc...

Care to share your experience?

Thanks!
BN
If you're like me and are getting your PPL for fun, the best advise I can give is to keep that in mind. If you find yourself stressing over it just remember you're doing this for fun, if for some reason you bust, remember you can continue the ride and just redo that part. I did fine, you probably will too.

The next thing i'll say is try to schedule it when there is a good chance of severe clear weather. I had to cancel mine the 'day of', twice.(It was complicated by the fact that I had to XC to get to the DPE so I needed 6 hours of VMC weather). I should have called it off when it looked iffy the day or two prior and saved myself prepping for the ride 3 times.
 
As everyone has said, just talk through everything, verbally indicate if you are correcting for something, and do just what you would do with your CFI.

The winds during my check ride favored the non-standard runway which resulted in my coming in high for each of my landings. They went fine, but just make sure you fly the PAPI glideslope.

On my XC portion I planned a direct route with a road as my check point. But I didn't have any real lateral reference so I ended up a couple miles off. I would suggest just following a road and picking a totally distinct and easy to spot check point.

A bit more about my journey if you are interested https://ratil.life/the-journey-to-my-private-pilot-license/
 
8 hours bottle to throttle does not mean you can drink canned beer during the flight. Probably lots of people make that mistake though.
 
Like Gary above I have kept a blog of all my flying. Here is the post on my checkride.

http://intothesky.us/2016/10/15/check-ride/

Some of the best advice has already been given above, the one that I caught myself on a few times was giving too much of an answer. Go through the ACS and make notes about everything and put tabs in your FAR/AIM for hot topics. As has been said it is open book, and it is also not a 100%. As my DPE explained, the written was a 70% pass and the oral is too. There will be things you get wrong, and ones that you answer, "Hold on, let me look that up."

Good Luck!!
 
I'm not a fan of talking through the maneuver unless you're a CFI candidate. Obviously if it helps you, the go for it but other than that, I don't see any need to talk through a maneuver or landing.

Put yourself in the examiner's seat: The applicant is a little off in altitude or heading but not enough for an outright bust. Is it because s/he didn't notice the deviation, is fixated on something else, or has s/he noticed it and is correcting? If the applicant says "I'm a little high (or "off course and correcting") I can eliminate lack of attention from my concerns about that maneuver.

Situational awareness is much more than "Where am I in relation to other traffic, clouds, and obstacles?" It is also "Where am I in space in relation to where I am supposed to be (attitude, altitude, course), and what am I doing to get there?"

Bob
 
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8 hours bottle to throttle does not mean you can drink canned beer during the flight. Probably lots of people make that mistake though.

Are you implying it's outside of 8 hours? Really, all these years....
 
Put yourself in the examiner's seat: The applicant is a little off in altitude or heading but not enough for an outright bust. Is it because s/he didn't notice the deviation, is fixated on something else, or has s/he noticed it and is correcting? If the applicant says "I'm a little high (or "off course and correcting") I can eliminate lack of attention from my concerns about that maneuver.

Situational awareness is much more than "Where am I in relation to other traffic, clouds, and obstacles?" It is also "Where am I in space in relation to where I am supposed to be (attitude, altitude, course), and what am I doing to get there?"

Bob
I agree. The applicant can also make a correction without saying or talking through it as well. Whatever works for the student.
 
Put yourself in the examiner's seat: The applicant is a little off in altitude or heading but not enough for an outright bust. Is it because s/he didn't notice the deviation, is fixated on something else, or has s/he noticed it and is correcting? If the applicant says "I'm a little high (or "off course and correcting") I can eliminate lack of attention from my concerns about that maneuver.

Situational awareness is much more than "Where am I in relation to other traffic, clouds, and obstacles?" It is also "Where am I in space in relation to where I am supposed to be (attitude, altitude, course), and what am I doing to get there?"

Bob
Well said.
The DPE is looking for a SAFE and COMPETENT applicant.
An applicant who does not notice and correct a deviation is prime suspect for early checkride termination.
OTOH, an applicant who verbalizes deviations and corrections is subject to more lenient ruling.

My own anecdote: on my IR checkride, I had a no-BS DPE, a guy who looked at the rules in view of the practicality of flying.
The weather that day was very gusty, very sunny and thus also very bumpy with strong thermals. In one hold, I hit an updraft, immediately started correcting and verbalized "this updraft is so strong, I am pulling power, pushing down and she is still climbing like a rocket, this is ridiculous". DPE just nodded "no worries, I ain't gonna bust you". :)
He's a new DPE around here and is very logical and understanding. Cool guy to talk to. I recommend him to all pilot friends.
 
I'm not a fan of talking through the maneuver unless you're a CFI candidate. Obviously if it helps you, the go for it but other than that, I don't see any need to talk through a maneuver or landing.

Put yourself in the examiner's seat: The applicant is a little off in altitude or heading but not enough for an outright bust. Is it because s/he didn't notice the deviation, is fixated on something else, or has s/he noticed it and is correcting? If the applicant says "I'm a little high (or "off course and correcting") I can eliminate lack of attention from my concerns about that maneuver.

I gotta go with both of you on this one. A private candidate doesn't have to talk through an entire maneuver, but as two of my DPEs have said, paraphrasing...

If a maneuver isn't going right, say so, and that you're correcting it. I can't always read minds. If you say nothing, I have to assume you may not be fixing it.
 
I'm just going to recommend not changing planes right before your checkride. I had done the majority of my training in a PA28-140 with a hershey bar wing. A week or two before my checkride the flight school sold the plane and I had to take my ride in a PA28-161 with the tapered wing. I had to go around 3 times before I got the plane down at 39N. Darn things float forever compared with the -140. The DPE was not impressed, though he did skip having me do a go around for an imaginary deer on the runway. I ended up passing my checkride.
 
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I said "I'm checking for traffic"...about 1,000 times. He liked that.
 
I you think you are ready, then you are ready.

Your checkride is like your marriage proposal: If you don't already know the answer, then you have no business asking the question.
 
After acing the written, the oral was easy. She would ask a question and I nailed the answer almost immediately. Had to come back a second day to fly due to the weather.

The DPE invited my CFI to come along for the flying portion. He had never been on one. Poor guy had to sit in the back seat and keep his mouth shut. I don't know what caused me to do it, but for some reason I had run a W&B spreadsheet with him in the back seat, along with the DPE and me up front. She invited him and I said, "we're legal" as I handed her the printout. Brownie points never hurt. Cause I needed them for the engine out landing. Screwed up the approach and got a second shot later in the ride.

One thing she asked for that we had never gone over was a power on stall in a banked turn. They had always been going straight ahead. She didn't specify a direction, so, knowing that the plane liked to drop the left wing in such a situation, I banked the requested 20 degrees to the right. When the stall occurred and the left wing dropped, I let it go to wings level, caught it with the rudder and then recovered from the stall. Worked great, even without having practiced it beforehand.

Ron's advice point number 18 is worth remembering. What's behind you doesn't matter. If the DPE hasn't said the word "failure", keep on going. That second IR ride was one such moment. We were on final for landing, foggles off, and that was the most relaxed I have ever been landing an airplane. I knew all I had to do was put it on the ground and taxi back to the FBO without bending anything and I was an instrument pilot. You'll be there, too.

Your CFI won't recommend you for the ride if you aren't ready. Go for it and have fun. As the line from Airplane goes, "We're all counting on you!"
 
The DPE invited my CFI to come along for the flying portion.

Not allowed anymore.

My multi CFI used to ride along and be quiet mostly as ballast. The Seminole W&B gets way forward when only the front two seats are occupied. It flies better with someone in the back and landings are easier.
 
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