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The commercial checkride is in many respects just a private checkride with higher standards. The Oral portion of the ACS is essentially identical for both except that the commercial ACS asks about risk management, and skills associated with operating as pilot-in-command (PIC) as a commercial pilot.—rather than as a private pilot—in the Pilot Qualifications section. […]

§91.103 Preflight action. Each pilot in command shall, before beginning a flight, become familiar with all available information concerning that flight. This information must include— (b) For any flight, runway lengths at airports of intended use, and the following takeoff and landing distance information: (1) For civil aircraft for which an approved Airplane or Rotorcraft […]

The day before the checkride we took advantage of a break in the weather to move the the checkride airplane from KSBP to KSMX. I found a hole in the clouds and did some scud running to get out of KSBP but KSMX was clear. On the way back we tried to practice some holds […]

The oral portion of the checkride starts with Preflight Preparation and the applicant is expected to demonstrate an understanding of certification requirements, recency of experience, and recordkeeping. Qualified The first part applies to anyone flying an airplane. Do you have a current flight review and medical? Are you endorsed for the aircraft? Tailwheel, high-performance, complex? […]

I am taking the checkride at KSMX and we have been practicing the approaches and holds that the examiner likes to use. There are five different approaches there so you get to practice just about everything you might encounter in the wild. Any time you are flying with your iPad, it would be a good […]

The answer is in the Private Pilot ‒ Airplane Airman Certification Standards Task B. Airworthiness Requirements References 14 CFR parts 39, 43, 91; FAA-H-8083-2, FAA-H-8083-25 You should read and understand CFR §91.203, §91.205, §91.207, §91.209, §91.213, and §91.215. The DPE will want to know that the aircraft is legally permitted to operate in the airspace […]

For the IFR checkride the local examiner has you plan a few flights. He gives the destinations in advance and on the day of the checkride you use current weather or he gives you the weather at each destination. The exercise tests your ability to plan alternates, check for icing along the route, and know […]

Sometimes when you look at an approach chart, you see fixes that are labeled as IAF but have a gap between the arrow and the next fix (usually an IF). For example, FIKDU on the KPRB RNAV RWY19 does not have a continuous arrow leading to the approach. However, it does have an altitude, direction, […]

IFR INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULES A set of rules governing the conduct of flight under instrument meteorological conditions IMC INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS Meteorological conditions expressed in terms of visibility, distance from cloud, and ceiling less than the minima specified for visual meteorological conditions. DP INSTRUMENT DEPARTURE PROCEDURE A preplanned instrument flight rules (IFR) departure procedure published […]

§91.103 Preflight action. Each pilot in command shall, before beginning a flight, become familiar with all available information concerning that flight. This information must include— (a) For a flight under IFR or a flight not in the vicinity of an airport, weather reports and forecasts, fuel requirements, alternatives available if the planned flight cannot be […]

Common Mistakes Make sure you ask the examiner to clear the area before maneuvers. Use checklists for all phases of flight—if using a mnemonic, tell the examiner what you are doing. Use rudder for small corrections on final. Approach Setup for stabilized approach 4 miles before FAF. 10° Flaps, Landing Gear down, Prop in, Mixture […]

I ran across this video by Andy Munnis and it’s full of interesting stuff about the oral portion of the checkride. This is the AIM Cold Temperature Error Table that he references in the talk. And the Fort Collins Departure Procedure. Note the minimum turning altitudes (MTA) at Allan. This FAA presentation has lots of […]

The night before she gave me a cross country assignment (Mojave) and four problems to work out. Weight and Balance, Crosswind component, Takeoff distance, and density altitude. We started out looking at the documents. She wanted me to show her that we were legal to fly. She needed to see the AR(R)OW docs and the […]