I passed!!!

[ebutner]

Re: I passed!!!

There's more to the story, but you'll have to ask if you want to hear it.

Bring it on... lets hear it.

[mustang5151]

Re: I passed!!!

Even better (and this is a true story) pull out the POH when you are taxiing out for takeoff and announce (truthfully) to all on board (5 pax) that you have never flown "one of these" (C206) before. No one wanted out, so I took off (Spokane) and flew to Portland (really nice landing). After parking and getting out of the plane, one of the pax commented that my "joke" wasn't very funny and had him worried throughout the flight. My comment, "What joke?"

There's more to the story, but you'll have to ask if you want to hear it.

Oh yeah, we want to hear it - that's what we're here for!!!!!!

[race9]

Re: I passed!!!

Only 9 more days until I take mine.

[mustang5151]

Re: I passed!!!

Only 9 more days until I take mine.

Good luck to you, and remember,


1) Don't scare the examiner(very bad)
2) Never answer a question with, "I don't Know"(if you don't know, say you'll find out or where you'd look)
3) Stay calm and relaxed(breathe deep)
4) Better to land long and smooth than short and rough(he/she won't be impressed)
5) No showy, abrupt, performance maneuvers(it's not an audition for The Thunderbirds!)

You'll do just fine, and hey, if you don't, you can always take up Photography!!! Just kidding(apologies to all you great photogs, ure #1!!)

[Bottom Rudder]

Re: I passed!!!

1) Don't scare the examiner(very bad)

Well, very true.

2) Never answer a question with, "I don't Know"(if you don't know, say you'll find out or where you'd look)

No; it is perfectly fine to say that you do not know something. The examiner is going to try and find the limit of your knowledge. If you don't know, then say so, and then tell him or her where you would find the information.

3) Stay calm and relaxed(breathe deep)

Best advice ever.

4) Better to land long and smooth than short and rough(he/she won't be impressed)

I know what you're trying to say, but it could be misconstrued... You must always land in the landing zone of the runway. Stay on the VASI or PAPI and touch down in the first 1000 feet (generally) in a GA aircraft.

5) No showy, abrupt, performance maneuvers(it's not an audition for The Thunderbirds!)

Excellent advice. Smooth, coordinated and confident. You come from good stock, so continue forth and commit aviation.

BM

[Ron101502]

Re: I passed!!!

Great job, welcome to the "club!" Bottom Rudder has it right, every examiner wants to teach you something, so don't try and BS them, and you will learn! Most examiners are passionate about flying and are instructors as well since they love sharing their passion with "newbies". I always thought that any checkride I don't learn something on is a waste of time, and I've learned every time. Yesterday I took my annual checkride on the airline which was the last day of 3 days in the simulator. Many uninformed folks would think that after 42 years of flying starting in a cornfield in a J-3, flying F-4s in the USAF and 31 years of airline flying, 23 of which was as a captain, that I should "know it all". Nobody knows it all, there is always something new to learn, perfection is always the goal and nobody is perfect but the more you work at it the closer you get. What did I learn this week? That the holding speeds in Japan have changed, that the recommended pitch attitudes on takeoff with both 3 and 4 engines has changed, not to dial in the missed approach altitude until passing the "key waypoint" on a non-precision approach, that a reverser deployed while on climb out shakes the airplane like you wouldn't believe even when the engine is shut down, I should have deployed flaps and slowed down to reduce the stress on the airframe as we had to dump fuel anyway, and that maintenance control can actually contact the computer in flight and give us more information (we got an anti-skid light and all the checklist says is you have no autobrakes and may have degraded braking but maintenance control could find out that it was only on one wheel so we'd have no problem, I would think the computer would tell US rather than them but the 747-400 is an old airplane, maybe the 787 will tell the crew who really needs to know).

I know this info doesn't pertain to a C-172 but the point I'm trying to make is I still learn something or at least remember something I forgot almost every time I fly and certainly at every training event even after over 21000 hours. When the day comes that I stop learning or don't care to learn or, even worse, think I know it all, it's time to quit.

So welcome to our fraternity, I don't care if you ever fly anything other than a 172 you are still one of "us" and I challenge you to fly that 172 to the best of your ability, be safe, be legal, keep learning, and have FUN!

Ron Henning
ATP# 1784255

[mustang5151]

Re: I passed!!!

In one aspect, I tend to disagree with Ron and Bottom Rudder, and that is that an examiner wants you to say you don't know or wants to teach you. The proper job of a flight examiner is to see what you have already learned in your training and if you are fit to carry the privilege of the ticket you're trying for-he/she's there to TEST your knowledge, not to instruct - that's what the flight instructor is for. On the ground after the flight the examiner is more than happy to give you advice, answer questions or to help you in the right direction, but during the test, I've never had an examiner tell me anything!! He would watch, ask questions, then write something on his clipboard. I was always taught the worst thing you could ever say was to answer a question with, "I don't know." and leave it at that. Instead, you would say, "I know where to look for the answer to that question - or I will find out the answer and get back to you as I have studied it but can't come up with it right now." He/she is interested in what you know - how much of the training you have absorbed to make you a safe competent pilot. You have to WANT to learn and seek out answers, nobody can make you learn, it is a self-discipline. There are lots of people along the way you will learn from that have a wealth of knowledge to pass on(instructors, weathermen, mechanics, control tower people, etc, etc...). Maybe it's different here(canada, but I doubt it) but don't confuse the job of a Flight Instructor with that of a Flight Examiner.
And remember:
Learn from the mistakes of others, you won't live long enough to make them all yourself!
You start out with a full bag of luck and an empty bag of knowledge, the trick is to fill the bag of knowledge before you empty the bag of luck!
Also you'll find the only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire!!!

Good luck and Godspeed to all

[Mluvara]

Re: I passed!!!

All examiners are different, so each experience will vary. There are a lot of different philosophies out there on flying and certainly being a safe pilot is of the highest priority.

Certainly, if you don't know something, admit to it, but state where you can look it up. They are testing your knowledge of the FARs and such.

On my private checkride, I felt that the DPE was doing quite a bit of commenting and coaching during the flight. I certainly listened and dialogged, but felt I was there to demonstrate my proficiency. Maybe that was his way of testing knowledge. On final to the home airport, we had a discussion about flying the glideslope to the runway. My home airport is in a very congested area, so I was always taught to not drag the whole approach in on the vasi from a million miles out. If the engine quits, there would be few options to land, other than on top of houses. Of course, his comment was how reliable aircraft are. I felt being a little high until I had the runway made was better off, even if I needed to slip it in. On the other hand, I was taught in a taildragger and all landings in the pattern were power off, thus one should be able to make the runway from anywhere in the pattern, so my approaches are typically higher than most.

Either way, every day is an opportunity to learn!

Michael

[Peashooter]

Re: I passed!!!

Michael brings up a good point; that frequently the examiner's preferences will vary from your instructor's. An example happened to me on my multi-engine check ride: while demonstrating "approaches to stalls", my instructor had me push over gently to recover since the Twin Comanche I was flying had long prop extensions. (Piper's "Tiger Shark" cowls) Well, in my check ride as I was gently pushing forward to recover, the DE jammed the yoke forward with an emphasis on quiick recoveries from imminent stalls.

The one thing he did show me that I hadn't seen before was how to handle the A/C in approaches to stalls, single engine -- you know, once the rudder is bottomed out!

["Bear" Driver]

Re: I passed!!!

Congratulations from someone who participates at Reno.

Going forward in your flying career, I hope you enjoy all of your flying and search to continually expand your experiences and storehouse of aviation knowledge.

Low 'n slow...lots of rudder in the turns...

John Penney

[mustang5151]

Re: I passed!!!

[QUOTE=Mluvara]All examiners are different, so each experience will vary. There are a lot of different philosophies out there on flying and certainly being a safe pilot is of the highest priority.

Certainly, if you don't know something, admit to it, but state where you can look it up. They are testing your knowledge of the FARs and such.


Isn't that what I said?????

[SCEPTER]

Re: I passed!!!

On my private checkride, I felt that the DPE was doing quite a bit of commenting and coaching during the flight. I certainly listened and dialogged, but felt I was there to demonstrate my proficiency.

It was the same on my checkride. I thought he would just sit there and make notes on his clipboard. He had sometihing to say about everthing I did. I learned alot on my ride.

[SCEPTER]

Re: I passed!!!

Congratulations from someone who participates at Reno.

Going forward in your flying career, I hope you enjoy all of your flying and search to continually expand your experiences and storehouse of aviation knowledge.

Low 'n slow...lots of rudder in the turns...

John Penney

Thanks Mr.Penney.

[SCEPTER]

Re: I passed!!!

Only 9 more days until I take mine.

Good luck Ryan. I'm sure you'll do fine.

[wyhdah]

Re: I passed!!!

Only 9 more days until I take mine.

Good luck Ryan....then on to Dancer.