Take a Checkride and Lose Weight Now! Checkride Story [Longish]
Ben
and get the time to finish this story]
When people told me that it was a day I would not soon forget, I believed
them. However, for me, it was the few days before the checkride, making sure
all the endorsements were correct, that I had all my paperwork and logged
hours, that made me crazy at the beginning of the week.
As ominous day of the checkride approached, my nervousness, stress level
and studying intensified. By the weekend, I was in such a frenzied state, I
had resigned myself to believing that I was most assuredly going to fail,
that I was not qualified and will never master the amount of information I
needed to learn in time for the checkride. Of course everyone around me was
saying "You'll do fine" and "it will be a breeze" etc.
While I appreciated the words of encouragement, I was not convinced that I
was even going to pass the oral, much less the practical part of the
checkride. One piece of advice a fellow pilot gave me stuck in my head.
"Make sure you get there early and get a few tenths in, it will loosen you
up and get you in the right mindspace," he told me.
My checkride was at 1pm on a Monday, so I decided to take a half day at work
and head down to the airport at noon. After fighting with lunch hour traffic
I
arrived at 12:15pm, just enough time to jump in the 172, do some takeoffs
and landings and head out on the first couple legs of my cross country that
I had never practiced before.
After some real rough short and soft field practice, I headed southwest
towards my first checkpoint, a nice sized lake, somewhere about 10 miles on
the 199 radial to the Westminster, MD VOR. As I turned midfield across the
airport, I saw about three bodies of water ahead of me. In a panic, I
grabbed the sectional. "WHAT THE...," I thought to myself as I looked at the
sectional that only listed one body of water, my checkpoint.
I flew about 10 miles until I was over what looked to be the largest body of
water 10 miles out and took a mental survey. On the way back to the airport,
I decided I was just going to ask one of the line personnel at the FBO what
the bodies of water were, and which was the one I had specified on my cross
country, it was now 12:55pm.
I ran into the FBO after I landed and began frantically asking anyone I saw
about this specific body of water and they all began to argue about what the
one on the sectional was! The final consensus was that the one I took the
mental snapshots of, was indeed my checkpoint and that I should be fine on
the checkride. I thanked the gentlemen and line personnel and went upstairs
into the office to wait for the DE.
About 30 seconds later, one of the gentlemen that was most positive about
the body of water on the sectional came into the room(which is also used as
a pilot lounge) and sat across from me at the table. I said "hello" and then
he asked what my name was. I told him. He then told me, "hello Ben, I am
Dale, your DE." At this point I was ready to pack up my things and just
leave. This was not going well at all.
I frantically tried to explain why I was so confused about the lake but Dale
just sat there smiling. He finally said, "it's okay, no big deal, can I have
your logbook for a bit please?" I then passed him my log book which I had
totaled up in all the columns and signed every page, which made him very
happy because all he had to do is match my numbers and he could be fairly
certain he was correct on all of the requirements.
Dale then grabbed his monstrosity of a FAA examiner's binder and asked me if
I was ready. I was ready to get on with the interrogation. He began by
asking me about the FARs and what I could do as a private pilot and then
moved on to weather, systems, airspace, airport procedures and
equipment(what are the color of the end lights on the far side of the runway
when you are positioned for takeoff?[Think about it awhile, answer at end of
story]). We then covered the cross country, airspaces, symbols and
procedures on the route. No big deal really. After every oral question,
except for a few, I gave the standard FAA response, written in the ASA study
guide(little blue book [get this, it is invaluable for the last week or so
of your studying]). After it was all over, he said "very good, I hope your
flying is as good as your oral was, let's go fly." Heck, I thought I had
blew it.
We then headed out to the plane... the plane.. where was it? Did someone
steal my checkride plane? I ran over to the schedule, no one listed but me,
it has to be here, I just parked it an hour and a half ago, right out front.
Dale told me he had to use the restroom, so I ran around the tarmac looking
for the plane. No Cessna 172 to be found. In a panic, I called one of the
line guys over and asked where it went. "Oh, the door lock fell out last
night and I just took it to the shop to be replaced." I very calmly and
slowly said, "I am in the middle of my checkride, could you please BRING THE
$#&#$$#%# PLANE BACK!?!?!?" I think they lineman understood my urgency and
the plane quickly reappeared where I parked it.
Luckily, the DE saw none of this, he came out of the FBO and I was waiting
for him right by the plane, welcoming him onboard and doing my preflight out
loud, with the aircraft checklist in hand, I also added some of my own
things that I thought should be checked, IE: door hinge pins, seat rails,
anything else that I can get to that has had an AD out about it. As I was
completing the last item on the list, he asked me with a chuckle, "ready to
kick the tires and light the fires?" I indicated affirmative and we loaded
in.
I gave him the pamphlet from Dauntless software that has a nicely formatted
passenger flight safely information and told him to ask me if he has any
questions about the flight. I also instructed him on the operation of the
seat belts and when they are to be worn. He appeared bored, so I stepped up
the pace a bit. I started the engine, turned up the avionics and called
UNICOM to check the radios and tuned in ATIS. We then taxied into the runup
area, did the runup and he asked me to do a normal takeoff with a soft-field
touch and go, then a short field landing touch and go, then depart for the
x-ctry.
I greased the soft field, came in a little too hot on the short, and
departed on my XC a little far crosswind(I had planned on coming back over
the airport, but there were three other people over flying the airport at my
planned altitude so I asked the DE if I could intercept the VOR radial a
little further out, and not start right from the center of the airport. He
agreed and that went well. We made it to my first checkpoint right on the
time I had planned and he asked where my second checkpoint was. I told him,
Westminster, MD, about 20 miles out. He nodded and went back to watching me.
I thought to myself, damn, we're going to fly the whole thing,(York, PA ->
Winchester, VA -> Manassas, VA(into the class B)). However, as soon as we
were clear of Codorus Lake, my first checkpoint, he said, "okay, lets do
some maneuvers."
I did all of my required maneuvers within spec, not a big deal, he even
pulled the engine on my twice and told me to stop fiddling with the
checklist since the engine died so low to the ground, there is little time
for checklists(we were 1000 AGL on the last simulated engine failure). He
was right, by the time I went through that checklist manually, I would have
already been a part of the scenery. So I did as he suggested and do what I
had memorized. He smiled and said "good job." He then asked for my "view
limiting device." Uh, oh. They were back in the locked closet at the FBO and
no one had a key that morning, oops! I told him why I didn't have them and
he said "no problem, I'll test you like we used to." He then asked for my
sectional and began covering up the whole windshield with it(except for a
little spot on his side that he was peeking around.) It was pretty neat and
it made me fly very carefully.
I made a few mistakes in my maneuvers, and I caught myself outside the
limits a few times, but quickly correcting it, hoping he didn't see it, so I
was not sure if I had passed or not. He was constantly writing, looking,
writing, looking. Then, after about an hour he turns to me and says, "take
me back to the airport." I then asked him, "are we going back because you
are finished, or is it because _I_ am finished?" He turns to me and says,
"just take us back, and when we are on the ground I will tell you how you
have done." Well, being the pessimist that I am, I assumed that all bad news
is better delivered when people are not driving or flying and are sitting
down. Thus, using this theory, I thought that I had surely failed.
I found the airport and landed(after he told me to do a normal landing) and
went through the shutdown checklist. After everything was off, and the
windows were open(it was at least 120F with 100% humidity inside the cabin
at this point) he turns to me and says "you don't think you did well?" I
said, "it was not the best flying I have done, actually it was some of the
worst." He then looks down at his papers and grins and says, "you did
excellent, congratulations pilot."
I didn't know whether to laugh, cry, faint, or just sit there with the
biggest Cheshire grin on my face that man has ever seen. So I did them all
at the same time. He got out of the plane and said he was off to do some
paperwork and that I should meet him back in the FBO. I remember tying the
plane down and walking on cloud the whole way back into the FBO. No one was
there except the CSR, but she congratulated me. I walked into the pilot
lounge and he handed me my temporary license and explained the expiration on
it. I was still on cloud nine, so relieved that I had passed and it was
over.
I also felt quite cold and couldn't imagine why until I looked down and
realized that my light blue shirt was now dark blue, I had sweat a river! I
didn't weigh myself afterwards but I bet I lost a few pounds!
There was the intro flight, then 48.5 Hours later....
Ben Silverman
PP-ASEL (<-- Wow, that looks great there)
Now on to the Instrument ticket....
Dan
Dan
He then looks down at his papers and grins and says, "you did
excellent, congratulations pilot."
Ben
Q: "what are the color of the end lights on the far side of the runway when
you are positioned for takeoff?"
A: Green.
The end lights on final, looking at the near set are red. Those are the only
ones I really ever looked at, so he got me on this one :)
"Ben" <ter...@yorkaviation.com> wrote in message
news:1wgL5.15$34....@e420r-sjo3.usenetserver.com...
Jim Fisher
try
> and get the time to finish this story]
Excellent posting of your experience, man.
Good for you, dude!
--
Jim Fisher
North Alabama
Cherokee 180
robert a barker
ter...@yorkaviation.com says...
>
>[Ed. Note, I took my checkride a week ago today, it's just been hard to
try
>and get the time to finish this story]
>
>Ben Silverman
>PP-ASEL (<-- Wow, that looks great there)
>
>Now on to the Instrument ticket....
>
>
>Ben: CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! Loved your story and you are right! That
PP-ASEL does look good beside your name. :-)
Bob Barker PP-ASEL
>
>
>
Al Gilson
<ter...@yorkaviation.com> wrote:
> [Ed. Note, I took my checkride a week ago today, it's just been hard to try
> and get the time to finish this story]
>
(Snipped a great story).
>
> Ben Silverman
> PP-ASEL (<-- Wow, that looks great there)
>
> Now on to the Instrument ticket....
Ben....Congrats! That PP-ASEL looks great and feels fantastic, doesn't
it. As a recent checkride grad, I know exactly how you feel. My ride
was, in my opinion, the crummiest flying I had done in months.
--
Al Gilson, Spokane WA USA
PP-ASEL
Check out my Flying Page at:
http://www.ieway.com/gilson/flying.html
ThJester99
Jesse
Lurch
I had my checkride with Dale that morning at 9:00. He gave me the same
cross country, nice trick CXY to Winchester goes right over Camp David, I'm
glad I caught that one. I went in 63493, which had several problems that
day, so I was also very nervous... I thought I had failed the ride myself
after a nosewheel landing on my first softfield landing attempt. I had an
idea that I passed when on approach to 08, Dale asked of he could bring it
in. What a pleasure watching a 747 pilot drop a 172 onto the field like one
of the big jets.
Again congratulations! Maybe I'll see you around the Jet center some time.
John Shingara
Lurch
because I am usually far past the theshold when the 172 decides to quit
flying
John Shingara
"ThJester99" <thjes...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20001031235014...@ng-fi1.aol.com...
Ben
I took my ride out of THV in York, my home FBO, a little south of you, but
the way I got out of that Camp David issue was to do THV to Westminster VOR,
then inbound Frederick THEN Winchester. It dropped me south enough to clear
Camp David. Did you opt to drop below the airspace at Manassas to slide in
without clearance, or did you just tell him you would get clearance through
to Manassas? He seemed happy with the way I did it, but I had looked at all
possible ways in case he tried to burn me on it. I also told him that if
weather moved in on me to the East, I would use the VFR corridors out to the
Westminster VOR then track out until I could pick up THV's NDB.
Dale is an international freight pilot, but you are right, he likes to drop
the 172's in like they are 747s. I guess he doesn't get much time in the
small stuff anymore.
Maybe we can get together for some lunch over at RDG. They have some good
wings there!
Congrats to you too, sorry it took so long to reply to this, I was real
busy. Keep the sunny side up!
-Ben
Lurch wrote in message ...