The check-ride is an important milestone in aviation. I remember my private pilot check-ride pretty vividly. I also remember some of the things that really helped me pass. After a good amount of thinking, I realized that every tip I have to offer can be boiled down to five things: know yourself, know your aircraft, know where to find the answers, know the area, and know your examiner. These five things will absolutely help your check-ride.... Read more »
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Private Pilot! (Part 2)
After landing, he asked me to stop by the FBO so he could grab some coffee "and then we'll get to the paperwork." The scary thing about the examiner, and the hardest part about the exam, is that he is impossible to read. You never know what is going through his mind or what is coming next. So I drop him off at the FBO completely unaware of whether I've passed or failed. If we go by my self - assessment I'm sure I've failed at this point, but there is nothing else to do but secure the plane and wait for the paperwork. So I taxi over, shut down, and secure the plane. As I am finishing the last tiedown, which is always the tail for me, the examiner comes up behind me and says, "Well, congratulations." I'm thinking..."Congratulations, you failed, but we didn't die here's a pink slip."... Read more »
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Private Pilot! (Part 1)
I said I'd see him in about an hour, and I set out to find doughnuts since the coffee is already good and free at the FBO. I showed up about 20 minutes early and walked in to meet the examiner. Despite my early arrival, he had beat me. We exchanged pleasantries and he led me to the room he uses for oral exams. We made small talk while I got my stuff out. Then, once I seemed ready, he asked "Do you believe in checklists?" This made me incredibly nervous. My response slipped out, "absolutely." An affirmative answer is the only answer worth giving. He produced the examiner checklist for the entire event and started working his way down it.... Read more »
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Stall practice
I am mostly ready for my check-ride. I was 1 hour short or 40 and I need some work on controlling my stall recovery. That was the plan for this lesson. In the last lesson we had done a lot of work on the maneuvers and revisited stalls. This idea behind this flight was to get some more practice with stalls to make sure that the procedure sticks. The last thing I want is to get out and spin it on the check-ride.... Read more »
Continue ReadingAbout the author
Hello, my name is Matt Everett and as of 1/1/2010 I am a private pilot ASEL. I started this blog early in my training and used it primarily as a place to keep notes of my lessons. Since then it has grown to much more than that, but my main focus is still on aviation experiences. It is my sincerest hope that this blog is a resource for others as much as it is a resource for me. Looking for more?
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