Private Pilot Exam

[RyanbATC]

IS coming up.....there were some things in the past that I may have regretted, but I'm over that now. So, what are some simple things that may keep me relaxed for this flight/oral exam? I know there are some knowledgable pilots out there.....input anyone???

Thanks a ton!

[positiveg]

Good luck! I expect you to know this material well as I will be needing you as well in a couple of months. My best wishes to you and just relax!

[lnuss]

Probably the biggest thing you can do is to be prepared for the test, and to know that you are prepared. Also, keep in mind that a failure isn't the end of the world, and gives you feedback on where future preparation needs to be emphasized.

The examiner is just another person, just like you and me -- he's not an ogre, and he'd really like to see you pass, but expects you to meet the standards. Don't try to bluff your way through anything -- it won't work, and gives him a bad impression -- and don't be afraid to say, "I don't know" or (if appropriate) "I don't know off the top of my head, but I know where to look it up."

If you make a mistake or two, it's not an automatic failure, especially if you catch and correct the mistake. It helps to say you are correcting whatever it was. Examiners, just like CFIs, love to see how a student/prospective licensed pilot handles errors.

[jcmissionary]

Excellent advice, Larry. I had my PPL checkride about a year ago, and I wish I would've known these things before the ride.

"If you make a mistake or two, it's not an automatic failure, especially if you catch and correct the mistake."

VERY true. On my ride, I landed maybe 30' short of my point on short-field landings, and I told the DE so. Since the tolerances for short-field are -0/+200, I thought I had busted my checkride right there. As we taxied off, the DE asked what I could've done to hit my spot. I commented that I could perhaps flare a little longer, or just have pulled up a bit more for a few seconds. He said, "Works for me." And we continued the ride.

And in case the worst happens, the DE MUST tell you if, at any point, you've failed the checkride. So as long as he hasn't told you you've failed, you're doing fine.

Good Luck, Ryan! It's a lot of stress, but it's all worth it once the DE hands you that airman's certificate. :-wave

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[helo_av8or]

Try not to think about it too much, because you ARE going to be nervous before the checkride. If you're anything like me, however, these butterflies pass about as soon as the oral exam starts. If you get a good DPE, the the oral will be less like an exam, and more like a nice chat about aviation. A good examiner will make you feel comfortable enough to do your best, and that helps them determine what you really know.

That being said, I've also heard horror stories about examiners, so be prepared for either.

Don't bluff! Everyone has said that, but it is perhaps the most important thing to remember about an oral exam. This examiner will have more than enough experience to see if you are blowing smoke.

Don't be afraid to say, "I don't know, but I know where to find that in the Far/AIM, POH, etc." Obviously, you don't want to do this with every question, but don't feel bad about having to look up one or two things.

Be confident, but not arrogant. If you act like you're #####'s gift to aviation, then the examiner will more than likely find a way to put you in your place.

Finally, don't be too hard on yourself if you bust. I know several professional pilots who have at least once been the not-so-proud owner of a pink slip.

Best of luck to you,

Jeff C.
CP AMEL/ASEL IA

[Khirsah13]

You will answer a question wrong, or won't know the answer. At least one. It happens to every applicant. I tell this to every person who asks me for advice with our local examiner: When you get that wrong/don't know answer out of your system, FORGET ABOUT IT. Letting a wrong answer or a somewhat botched maneuver get to you is the surest way to fail a checkride.

The examiner is looking for a wrong answer or a slightly botched maneuver so he/she can test your ability to handle yourself when things don't go exactly right. Do you collapse? Or do you turn to the examiner and say, "Well #####. I screwed that one up. Lets see if we can fix it."

Don't be afraid of the wrong answer or the busted altitude. Yeah, try to avoid it, but if/when it happens, let the examiner know you recognize you've screwed up, and move on.


Other advice?

Don't be afraid to use EVERYTHING in the airplane to your advantage. Just because your instructor didn't want you touching the GPS or the NAV radios when doing pilotage/dead reckoning doesn't mean the examiner doesn't want to see it. Use the GPS, use the nav radios. If the examiner doesn't want you using them, he or she will say, "Your GPS/radio failed."

The examiner is going to load you up in the airplane with lots of tasks. "Give me a groundspeed check and divert to XYZ." Don't be afraid to reach for that autopilot. If the examiner doesn't want you to use it, he or she will do the same thing he or she did with the radios.

One of the things an examiner is looking for is good cockpit management skills, and by and large the biggest part of that is using everything you have to your advantage.

[saabpilot98]

My best advice is the morning of the checkride, eat breakfast, and go get some exercise. At this point, your instructor wouldn't have signed you off if you don't know the material or don't have the skills. If you go out for a good run, or cycling, or whatever you like to do, you won't have any extra energy to be nervous and with food in your stomach, you'll think straight.

Capt. Bob

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[flyinggriffin]

One thing that will help is to book the plane and the exam as early as you can. CHECK THE PAPERWORK OUT BEFORE YOU TAKE THE EXAM. Nothing will bust you faster than to find out that a required inspection had not been done. Be sure you know where to find the paperwork and show the examiner all these things. Its your responsibility to make sure the plane is airworthy. You cannot imagine how difficult it can be to track down the last ELT inspection or the list of ADs if you have never seen the logs before.

Show up at least a half hour before the examiner. Do not keep him waiting. You wouldn't show up for a job interview late then use a goofey excuse like my car wouldn't start, or the dog ate my carkeys.

What one very experienced examiner in the area used to say was that all you had do to pass was not to scare him. Sound easy? It is, but think about what would get you upset as a passenger, like someone who launches into a steep turn without doing a couple of clearing turn.

Unless this guy or gal is totally burned out, they will show you some tricks and tips. They are former CFIs and I what I have noticed is that a CFI cannot resist teaching. Believe it or not you can have fun! My private checkride though I sweated it out was very enjoyable. The instrument exam was really fun trying to work through the problems that ATC and the DE threw at me.


Make haste slowly. You almost always have time to work out any problems he throws at you be it engine failure, diversion, etc.

Finally, remember that the ride isn't over till you secure the airplane. You don't want to cut off another airplane on the taxiway or almost run over someone on the ramp and still expect to pass.

[toddrf]

Fly with the thought that you are the only one in the cockpit. Forget trying to impress an examiner, just fly the airplane as if you are by yourself practicing for the ride...I am not yet a CFI but I can tell you that after 15 years of this I can tell within about 30 seconds of "pilot" climbing into an airplane with me whether or not they are in the cockpit or hanging off the tail. It is blatantly obvious. BTW, I see the same thing in "trained military aviators", especially in instrument flying. It is almost painfully obvious. So if you are not ready for the test, postpone it. You'll know...

AND

Verbally state everything you are doing TO INCLUDE correcting for altitude deviations and headings. Verbally state everything. Two things occur while you are doing this. Your force yourself to think at the speed of speech and therefor you reduce the chances of RUSHING into something that you will end up botching

AND

You might just distract the examiner enough by your thoroughness, voiced, to allow him to overlook minor dicrepancies you create whilst flying.

Finally, there is no time limit on these things. DO NOT be in a rush to complete the exam. Measure your voice and rate of words. If you need time to set up for a maneuver, take it. Just voice what you are doing so the examiner knows that you have not stopped thinking.

Good pilots are lazy pilots. They are never in a rush to do anything and they anticipate what the airplane is doing 1, 5, 10, 100 miles out long before they get there. emulate this and you'll never have a problem with a checkride.

One last point that just came up in my head...

Airplanes have throttles and fly at setting much less than 75%. Pull the power back, get slow and allow yourself time. NOT TOO slow, I doubt an unanticipated spin would be helpful, but a slow cruise setting.

Todd :-wave

[flyinggriffin]

What shocks me is the number of busts due to paperwork. I witnessed one guy who would have busted if another CFI didn't go over his log book. The dates he did solo cross countrys and the sign offs didn't match. Turned out he posponed a few flights and never bothered to get signed off again. Weather was good, so what the heck. Showed a big lack of knowledge of the rules on his part and oversight on the CFIs part.

One member of this group busted because of a lack of cross country hours. Again, everyone missed it. Something like that or an out of annual airplane is totally inexcusable.