Profile of a Private Pilot

Check Ride

with Pete Foreman

Part Three

By Bruce Decker

Practical

What to have handy (i.e., on a knee board or within convenient reach)

• Maps
• NM Ruler (have this handy throughout the flight)
• Flight computer

Make sure that your aircraft is topped-off. I suspect that if it's not, Pete may ask you for the implications for your available fuel on board and weight/balance data. Take your time on the pre-flight check and through all checklists. Read checklists out loud so that Pete can hear them. He appears to like you to think aloud as you proceed, especially during taxiing (e.g., "Pete, I noticed that the wind is out of 220 about 5 on the windsock so I’ll taxi with left aileron for now"). Also, make sure that you taxi no faster than a brisk walk.

• Make sure to instruct Pete to secure his seatbelt and lock his door.
• Make sure that all flight bags are secured.
• Perform brake check immediately after aircraft begins to roll.
• Use exaggerated head motions to make sure he knows you are looking in all directions for conflicting ground traffic and obstacles.

Short Field Takeoff

• Use your standard, approved procedure.
• Make sure you know the POH-recommended rotation speed and stay close to this recommendation.
• Make sure that you pitch to clear 50’ obstacle the level
• Clean up aircraft as soon as practical.
• Make sure that you mark the time of takeoff and adjust your flight plan.

• Make sure that you make a notation that if this were an actual X-C flight, you would call FSS to open your flight plan.

Attain Cruise Altitude

Within 5 minutes of departure, expect to be diverted to a landmark. In my case it was the town of Elizabeth.

• Make sure that you mark the time of diversion before or quickly after turn is completed.
• Have sectional and NM scale ready for measurement.
• Use true airspeed to calculate time to landmark from time of diversion. He wants an accurate estimate based upon true airspeed and prefers that you use your calculator for this computation rather than eyeballing it. He also disapproves of using a finger or some other non-precision device to measure distances, so use the ruler from your E6B or some other precision measuring device.
• Measure diversion heading and do not forget to account for magnetic variation.
• If you are also able to calculate an ETA based on ground speed, figuring in wind correction, this will impress him, but it was not required on my check ride.

Minimum Controllable Airspeed

This was the first maneuver Pete requested. Make sure you know the minimum safe altitude (AGL) per the Practical Test Standards for all possible maneuvers.

• Make sure you announce that you will perform a clearing turn prior to each requested maneuver. If one maneuver immediately follows another, he may tell you to proceed without a clearing turn.
• Do not rush the entry to the maneuver. If you need a couple of minutes to stabilize the aircraft or collect your thoughts, this is OK with Pete.
• If possible, keep an eye on your DME and make sure that you are a safe distance from class B airspace before executing a requested maneuver. In one case, I noted that we were entering MCA 2.2 NM from class B on a heading directly towards class B. We proceeded with the maneuver but he commented that he liked the fact that I was aware of our proximity to class B.

Other than that, the MCA request was straight out of the book with left and right ninety-degree turns while holding altitude. Following the completion of the right turn, he requested that I go straight into a power-off stall.

Power-Off Stall

• Make sure that you are practiced in this maneuver and within PTS specifications.
• Make sure you quickly clean up the aircraft after the maneuver.

Power-On Stall

Pete then asked for a power-on stall with minimal altitude loss. He may point to a reference altitude on the altimeter bezel and ask you to assume that the specified point is the hard deck (ground). If you miss by just a little he may say that you are dead but as long as you are still within PTS specifications, the ride will continue.

Part four next month!

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