This commodity is the offset of ii articles, both of which go into item about my PPL Checkride. Questions, topics, and problem-areas from my checkride take all been included with no filter. My email is swaynem13@gmail.com. Feel free to shoot me an electronic mail if you take any questions.

My examiner began the oral portion of the checkride by explaining that he was going to follow the PTS, merely had his ain sheet to make things period a petty better, and to bear upon on topics on which he wanted to focus specifically. He reassured me at the beginning that he wasn't expecting perfection, and that this truly is a license to larn. I was told that if there were a few questions that I didn't know the answer to, I could utilize "my library of resource" that I brought with me to detect the correct reply. He allow me know that this would be ok for a few questions, but that I shouldn't need to look up answers for more than a few. (Information technology ended up being that I didn't have to expect up answers for actually annihilation). Basically bring every book you lot used to written report to the checkride itself. In my case, I had my Jeppesen and Gleim as well every bit the required FAR/AIM, AF/D, etc.

The oral portion of my PPL checkride began equally expected. The main questions were about what information, documentation, and equipment that I would demand to begin my flying. This includes knowing currency requirements for day and night flight, Arrow documents, required equipment and instruments for mean solar day and night flying, appropriate aircraft logs (and entries), etc.

There was only 1 issue with this beginning portion of the checkride– the aircraft maintenance logs. Here is a slice of communication for students who are about to take their checkride: double bank check (the day before) the aircraft logs and familiarize yourself with the proper entires and locations. I incorrectly assumed that my aircraft's logbooks and their currency would be up to date. Equally we were going through the aircraft logs, my examiner and I noted a procedural oversight that resulted in a last minute scramble to get everything in social club (as information technology stood in the logbooks, the aircraft was technically "un-airworthy"). This could have been completely avoided had I thought the day before to double bank check the logs.

While my examiner reassured me that the responsibleness for the oversight was not mine, all the same, I should accept checked the logs before. Every bit far every bit he was concerned, I did the merely thing any pilot could do– identifying the mistake, and having it corrected. If demand be, go out to the drome the twenty-four hour period before and meet with one of the mechanics to become through the books, and get an explanation of what each entry ways and for how long it is valid.

After that isolated incident, the oral portion went smoothly for me other than a scattering of missed questions. Below, I'll go through more than stages of the checkride, including some of the questions I was asked.

Before long post-obit the opening section on requirements to wing that day, nosotros moved into discussion virtually the cross-country flight that I had been asked to plan for that mean solar day. I was requested to make a 290nm xc flight plan from Hanover KOFP to Asheville KAVL (North Carolina), with the examiner weighing 200 pounds, and with forty pounds of baggage. Normally, students are requested to make such a long xc flight plan for the checkride. This flight program alone required me to order 4 new sectionals (one just an updated version). For a flight from KOFP to KAVL, I had to have the Washington, Cincinnati, Charlotte, and Atlanta sectional charts. Most examiners will ask for a flight plan most the max range of the aircraft, to test your fuel calculations and fuel stop planning. I believe it was my examiner's intention to do this, but I ended upwards being well within range of Asheville, with 8 gallons (or ii hours flying time) to spare.

As I laid out my exclusive charts (which had already been marked for route and checkpoints), he went over my flight planning sheets. I was allowed the nighttime before to use Foreflight forecasted winds aloft for my flight plan, which made the procedure a little easier. I took screenshots on my iPhone for each forecasted winds aloft page, and printed them out, as shown below. In the margin, I wrote the interpolated values for temperature, speed, and direction, for my altitude. At that place were five legs full in the trip; I waited to plan the starting time leg (OFP-FVX) until the morn of, so that the weather condition would be more electric current. The dark before, I had printed out TAFs, NOTAMs, and TFRs that were forth my route, so that he could easily go through some of those. He never ended up asking to see them, but information technology was good to take them nonetheless. You tin see some the flight programme sheets and information beneath.

I paid special attending to terrain avoidance heading into Asheville, as it's a pretty mountainous area. I planned the flight to head through low points and passes in the mountains, post-obit highways, and then that I wouldn't take to explain terrain avoidance, or plan an additional climb. (Brand your flight plan elementary to follow!). Below, you lot can see the route I took into KAVL:

We then moved into some data about my specific aircraft. Topics and questions he asked most are listed below:

  • Powerplant
    • I was asked nearly the Tecnam's engine and some simple specifications, such equally that information technology'south horizontally opposed, etc.
  • Weight and Residue
    • Max and minimum weights
    • Bones vs. empty weight (which I should have but did not take filled out for my aircraft)
    • Brand sure that you have with you an official POH for your aircraft that has all of the required information and weights that are specific to your shipping, signed and filled out by a mechanic

Later those topics (with which I had no issues), he quizzed me on some basic sectional chart knowledge. Hither's what he asked:

  • He put his finger on dissimilar classes of airspace:
    • asking what the requirements were to fly during the solar day and night in those areas
    • asking what the "bases and tops" were for different airspace
    • asking what equipment and procedures are required for different classes of controlled airspace
  • I was asked almost isogonic lines and their meaning
  • He asked what information (and frequencies) I could read nearly an airdrome directly from the sectional, and what types of information I'd accept to refer to the AF/D to get more knowledge on
  • Special Use Airspace
    • pointed to an MOA and asked what to do when flying through them, how to find if it's agile, etc
    • pointed to some restricted airspace and asked well-nigh that
  • He pointed to a VOR and asked near how to ID one and how to enter information technology into my NAV system, what frequency to use, and how to contact the associated FSS (how one receives and transmits on different frequencies)
  • He pointed the the white foursquare box effectually Charlotte and asked what that was for (to bespeak a last chart area)
  • He pointed to a armed forces training route, just wanting me to ID information technology separately from a victor airway essentially
  • Pointing to Mountain Air (cool airport, look it upward), I was asked what I could expect flight into an drome at a higher pinnacle, on hot days, being heavy, etc.

That was it for the exclusive quizzing. The only question I missed was when he asked me what the "L" stood for when nosotros looked at an uncontrolled field on the sectional. I mistakenly said that it signified left traffic, when it actually is information about airport lighting. When I missed that, the examiner but asked where I could find the correct respond. I told him the chart legend, and we flipped over to it, and read the correct data together. I almost said that the military flight route was a victor airway, just quickly corrected myself when I paid closer attending to the black colour of the line he was pointing to. Other than that, quizzing on the sectional was like shooting fish in a barrel, going completely as expected.

Following the flight plan and sectional information, we went through aviation weather. He asked me the simple question: "What exercise you do when checking weather earlier a flight." Afterward that, nosotros moved on to reading some bones prog charts and radar summary charts. He asked me about different lines and their meanings on the charts. We went through cold and warm fronts, what to await, what an AIRMET and SIGMET is, and what the difference is between them, and when structural icing conditions can occur. Listed below are a few points that I missed in relation to this department:

  • When he asked me what kind of weather I could expect from a cold forepart, he gave me the options cumulus clouds or stratus clouds. I said stratus, which was the wrong answer. Cold fronts are often associated with cumulus clouds, thunderstorms, squall lines, etc.
  • I missed a question when he pointed to an isobaric line on a prog chart. I believe I said something like "those lines have to do with cloud cover." He corrected me, and nosotros moved on, so it was no big deal.

We then moved into other sections, briefly touching on diverse topics with about 1 question each. This is basically how it works – if you can answer the first question correctly and confidently, the examiner is most likely going to motility on to another section. If y'all answer incorrectly or hesitantly, he'll probably quiz yous more. Beneath are topics and questions I was asked:

  • Aeromedical factors
    • What is spatial disorientation and when does it occur?
  • Aircraft systems
    • What is the Pitot-Static organisation and what does information technology do?
      • Explain what were to happen if ____? (if blank were to be blocked..)
  • ADM
    • What are some situations that could crave skilful aeronautical determination making? (Resignation, "Macho," etc. – all from the PTS)
  • Rails Incursions
    •  How do you avert runway incursions and what are your personal procedures to avert them?
  • LAHSO Operations
    • What is a state and hold brusque operation and what are your responsibilities when problems a LAHSO clearance?
  • Lost procedures
    • What do you lot do?
      • The 4 C'southward: Climb, Confess, Communicate, Comply

After successfully completing the oral portion (a huge relief for me!), he told me to revise my flying plan for the first leg, to plan my xc flight to the outset two waypoints, and to add current weather information. We then took a short break for some water, and headed out to the airplane to pre-flight.

So there you accept it. That was the commencement half of my PPL Checkride! There volition exist an commodity coming soon that details the flying portion and closing. Brand sure to e-mail me if you accept any questions.

Thank you for reading,

-Swayne Martin