Checkride

Originally, this post was going to be about my check ride. But it quickly morphed into a check ride study guide. I'll probably edit and expand upon this later. Also, I'll be happy to incorporate any tips, tricks, and advice other pilots have about the private pilot check ride.

I finally got the opportunity to take my check ride a couple weeks ago. I spent all my free time the week leading up to the flight studying. Studying for the written exam is completely different from studying for the oral exam. Compared to the oral exam, the written exam is easy. I was able to learn most of the answers by rote memorization. However, it seems that the purpose of the oral exam is to make sure you really have an understanding of the topics.

About a month before the flight, I went through a mock check ride with the chief flight instructor. That was really useful. It exposed my strong and (many more) weak areas of knowledge. After the mock exam, I felt that I should spend most of my time studying for the oral portion of the exam. My flight maneuvers were fine and I felt comfortable that I had them down.

One of the areas that I was weakest in was the physiological aspects of flying. There are a few questions on the written about the topic. The oral exam goes into much more detail. You need to know about the different types and effects of hypoxia. Know the difference between hypoxia and hyperventilation. Finally, memorize when crew and passengers are required to use oxygen. (12,500 - 14,000 and > 30 minutes, crew must use O2, 14,000 + crew must use, 15,000+ O2 must be offered to passengers). Know the inner ear and know how altitude can affect it.

In terms of the mechanical and performance aspects of flying, my advice is: Know thy POH. (Pilot's Operating Handbook). A couple days for the exam, my flight instructor had me read aloud several portions of the handbook. A number of important facts got stuck in my head as a result of this exercise. For example: How much electricity does the alternator provide? How much electricity does the battery provide? How do the brakes work? What are the indications of brake failure and what do you do if the you suspect brake failure? How is fuel delivered to the engine? How does the carburetor work? How does carburetor ice form?

In terms of aerodynamics, know the effect of forward and rearward CG have on the plane. Know this backwards and forwards. Know what the horizontal component of lift is. (a.k.a. how a plane turns). Be able to explain, in detail, under what conditions a spin can occur and why the plane spins. And then be able to explain how to recover from a spin. I knew the recovery procedures, but I couldn't explain the aerodynamics of it.

I thought I knew a lot about all of these subjects. I could remember reading about them in ground school and hearing the instructor talk about them. But, when I tried to explain these concepts out loud, I realized there were some gaping holes in my understanding. My advice is to review the your ground school textbook and POH . After your review, explain the concepts out loud. Even if you end up talking to yourself, you'll discover what your level of understanding is.