|
|
I decided to post my private pilot checkride (4/14/01) story on my website... I origianlly typed this up and posted it on a great website, the student pilot network. So, I found the post I made about it, and here it is... Enjoy!
Allrighty everyone, here's the story you all have been waiting for :)
Well, I woke up at 6 AM for my 9 AM checkride. (I had to fly to Forest City, Iowa from Waterloo, Iowa, about an hour to the northwest with the nice headwind.) I looked outside, and my heart immediately sank. There was fog; dense, thick fog. After I got ready, I checked out Duats and got the METAR: M1/4SM, VV001... I knew that the sun should clear it all off so I waited and waited. I had to call and delay the checkride until the weather was better. I finally got wheels up at 9:30, and made it to Forest City in a little over an hour.
I met Ed Schoolcraft, the one giving me the practical test. We started with my oral exam, which ended up lasting over 2 hours... closer to 2 and a half hours. He asked me so many questions, and I have been trying to remember everything he asked... He asked a lot about LAHSO (Land And Hold Short Operations) and runway incursion questions. He also covered Airworthyness directives, airframe and maintenance logbooks (stuff to prove the plane is legal to fly), weight and balance, takeoff distance and landing roll stuff, FAR's, a lot of questions about sectionals, airspace, VFR minimums, and basically anything you can think of. he gave me a METAR, a TAF and a PIREP and had me translate them for him. Thank God I've been working with METARs for a while. After what seemed forever, he finally sent me off to preflight the plane and start the flight portion of the checkride.
After I preflighed the plane, and had everything ready to go, Ed showed up and I went through the checklists. I noticed that he had pulled the fuel shutoff valve and changed a few frequencies on the radios. I know he did that intentionally, just to see if I was paying attention. I made it a point to make sure I called out every radio call I could.
We started off with the takeoffs and landings, and the first takeoff and landing combination was a normal landing. Then we did a shortfield takeoff and landing. Finally a softfield takeoff and softfield landing. Coming into my softfield landing, I didn't feel good, and about 5 seconds until I was going to land, I executed a go-around. I just didn't feel good with it. He inquired as to why I did that, and I told him. he was pretty quiet (which my instructor told me is a good thing, since I wasn't making any mistakes.) He then proceeded to whip out a candy bar and eat it. I was supprised he would do this, but I guess it ment that he was comfortable with my flying. The last landing was flawless. He had me do a normal takeoff and start my cross country, which I had planned from FXY to ONL (O'Neill, Nebraska). We hit the first checkpoint, and I was on course. We continued to the 2nd checkpoint, and then he asked "well, what if we want to go to Fort Dodge?" Easy, they have a VOR. I tuned in the VOR, and followed it for a while. After this, he had me do slow flight, power off and on stalls, hood work, unusual attitude recovery, emergency descent to a simulated engine failure, ground reference manevers (turns around a point)... then came the part I really messed up. I've done about a thousand simulated engine failures... we were at 2000' MSL and he said, "your engine just died." I executed the worst simulated engine out I have ever done. He asked to go back to the airport. I thought I failed right there. The problem was that the ground was 500' higher and I was at least 1000' lower than I have ever done for an emergency engine out. I was heartbroken when he asked to go back to the airport.
We came in, he wanted me to do a landing on 27. I was midfield downwind for 27 and he pulled the power. I had to really battle the plane to get it down, which included a forward slip and full flaps. I got it down, and he had me do a shortfield takeoff. for some reason, I wouldn't let the plane go up to pattern, and I let the plane go far out on the downwind leg. he then pulled the power *again* and I got down to 60 kts (best glide) and got the plane on the runway... by about 100' :) He had me taxi in, and I was nervous with anticipation of what would happen next...
Needless to say, when I saw him take out his book with little white sheets of Temporary Airmen Certificates, I was joyous... So relived..... It sill hasn't hit me yet :)
I flew back to Waterloo; Actually, bounced back to Waterloo. Thermals off the fields on the sunny, beautiful day were making it hard to hold 3500'. I called up Waterloo Approach with "Approach, Cessna 68242 with you bouncing around over Allison at 3500', inbound for landing... you're talking to a newly liscensed Private Pilot"... I knew the controller, so we chatted for a while. I came in, landed on 24, and called it a day. my family was there, so that made it very special.
What can I tell the people about to take the exam? 1) RELAX. 2) Study FAR's, know LAHSO, Runway Incursions, signs, radio calls, and all the maneuvers. Also know spin recovery. 3) The FAA isn't looking for perfection, they're looking for a safe, knowledgeable pilot. So, remember that, and don't expect to do everything perfectly. I know I really screwed up the simulated engine failure, but I LEARNED from it. 4) Have fun and expect to learn a LOT! I probably have a few gray hairs from this experience (which is bad, considering I'm 19).
I still don't believe it happened yet, and I still can't believe that I can fly anywhere I want to now with out an instructor's endorsement... Next is my instrument rating, but I want to enjoy my liscense for a while first :) I must thank all the people on this board, as so many of them have given me so much help and advice... I plan on dweling here to help others...
Thanks everyone and be safe in the wild blue yonder!
Capt. BEEZER :)
Visitor Contributed Comments
/checkride.php
|
Add a Comment
|
There are currently no comments for this page.
If you would like to add one, please click here.
|
|
|
|
