Kenny's Check Ride
Taken July 6th, 2004
at Hooks Wayne Memorial Airport
Houston, Texas

It seems like a reasonably good idea to get my memories down on paper before they fade. So, here goes…

1. I received notification of my flight plan destination (Alexandria, LA) and the examiner's weight (187lbs) several days before the exam. I chose my waypoints and completed as much of my flight plan as possible days in advance. I also completed my weight and balance calculations the day before the exam and had them ready (I was told by the school which plane I would be taking). Also got my $350 ready.

2. Got up at 5:30am and hit the shower. Called FSS and got a weather briefing for my planned flight. Also got NOTAMs, TFRs, etc. Asked about activity reports for the two MOAs that I was to fly through. They had nothing but suggested that I contact Houston Center en route. They gave me the frequency to use for that. That was a good thing since I couldn't find exactly the right one on the chart or in the AF/D. Of course, it ultimately didn't matter, but now I know I can ask the FSS for that information.

3. Finished my flight plan.

4. Made one last check to make sure that I had all of the required forms, money, ID, etc, etc, and then headed for the airport.

5. I got there a bit early and checked over the airplane fuel and oil state. I decided it needed a little oil and added half a quart. Fuel was OK. I was toying with the idea of doing the whole pre-flight to get it out of the way when the examiner showed up.

6. I grabbed the maintenance logs and we went up to one of the offices. He spent about 20 minutes or so setting up his laptop and getting online. During this time we chatted about his business and various computer-related items. He told a few stories about other check rides he had recently finished and friends in the aviation industry. Finally, he started gathering information from me and checking my hours to make sure everything was up to speed and the exam could continue. As he got the information he entered it into his computer.

7. Once that was done he described the exam, the rules, what to expect, etc. The examiner had a very laid back attitude about the whole thing. Obviously, he has done this MANY, MANY times. He described possible outcomes (along with animated Yay! And Boo! sounds) and the general idea of how the exam was to progress. I had done a little research, so I was already up on all of this.

8. He informed me that in a few minutes he would say "Lucy, you got some 'splaining to do." When he says this I am to get out my sectional, maintainance logs, weight and balance calculations, weather notes, etc and begin explaining my flight plan. EVERYTHING about my flight plan. I needed to dump out everything I was thinking, why I chose the route I did, what I need to watch out for, any related thought, anything at all. At the end of this I needed to make a pilot-in-command GO/NO GO decision for the flight. He stated that from that moment on he didn't want me to refer to anything as a student. I was to conduct myself and explain my decisions as a PIC.

9. Then he asked for the money.

10. He said, "Lucy, you got some 'splaining to do" and we were off. I explained my flight to the best of my ability and then I showed him the weight and balance sheet. He rummaged around until he found a Cessna 152 POH and threw it across the desk saying, "Show me why those numbers mean anything." I did. I forgot to show him the CG and loading charts. He asked if there were any charts for this sort of thing. I got out my POH and showed him that I had marked on the charts where our particular load-out fell and that we were within limits. He seemed mildly impressed with that detail. I then read him my weather notes. I got out the maintenance logs and showed him that everything (100-hour, annual, ELT and transponder) was up to date. He then asked me if I, as a pilot, was in proper order to conduct the flight. I said that I had my photo ID, license, and medical with me and that I was ready to go. He then asked about what I need to do to keep current to fly and carry passengers.

11. Then I said that I would call a NO GO on this flight. While the weather at Hooks was passable, it was a little worse in Louisiana. I was afraid that I would not be able to return if I went on the entire flight. At that point I was done.

12. First, he questioned why I didn't just fly a straight line to AEX. I stated that I wanted to avoid the restricted areas directly in the way and that I preferred to take a more southern route that over flew several airports, considering my level of experience. He quizzed me about why I couldn't fly through the Restricted areas and why I still chose to fly through two MOAs. I explained that I didn't want to mess with getting approval to fly through the Restricted areas and I figured that they were restricted for a reason. However, I didn't need approval to fly through the MOAs, even though I did plan to contact Houston Center and find out if there was any activity.

13. He asked me if I was allowed to fly a friend's 172, even though I have never flown one before. He then went on to explain how insurance companies have stricter requirements than the FAA.

14. He then chose a point on my flight and asked me what airspace I would be in there. Class E.

15. Then he asked me what kind of restrictions there were there. 3 miles visibility and 1000 above/500 below/2000 horizontal clearance from clouds.

16. He then got out the POH and flipped to the Cruise Performance section. He showed me how at 2400rpm and at 2000ft the bhp was around 100hp and the fuel consumption was around 5.7 and the TAS was around 100kts (approximate numbers, I don't have a POH with me as I write this). He then pointed out how at 2400rpm and at 12000ft the bhp was around 56hp, the fuel consumption was around 4.1 and the speed was around 95kts. He asked me why the bhp dropped so much as the altitude went up. Less oxygen in the cylinders. Why the lowered fuel consumption? Have to lean out the mixture since there is less oxygen; therefore, less fuel being used. And then -- and I was dreading this because I knew the question was coming and I didn't know the answer - why is speed only decreased by about 5%? I literally had a 45 second physics class out loud right there in front of him. Amazingly enough, I realized the answer: reduced drag.

17. Then he said we were flying at 13,000ft at the same point and asked what requirements had changed. Mode C transponder now required, visibility 5sm, 1 mi horizontal cloud clearance, 1000 feet above and below.

18. He then asked me where a Mode C transponder was required. I found out later I was a little wrong as I stated that one place it was required was under class C. Not true.

19. Then he asked me to tell him everything I knew about Class B and Class C airspace, the differences, etc.

20. He then asked me to list all of the benefits of flying at higher altitudes. I got most of them: more emergency response time, greater radio range, better endurance, better range, smoother ride. I found out later that I missed better radar coverage and greater navigational aid range. I also got dinged later for not mentioning all of these on my own as I was describing my flight plan. Oh, well.

21. Then he goes off on a very anecdotal direction. He tells this story wherein he asks exam questions as part of the story. We covered alcohol, night equipment requirements, light gun signals, what I could determine about an airport from the sectional, whether I could let my company reimburse my flight expenses, what do I need to do to keep current, and so on. Pretty funny story, by the way.

22. These meandering questions went on for a little while, then we were done. He tells me to go ready the aircraft and let him know when we were ready to fly. It is important to note that he does not tell you whether you are right or wrong about anything. You can sometimes pick up that he is trying to get more or something else out of you, but you seldom know if you are really going in the right direction or not. The oral part of the test was about 2 hours long, including setup time and general chatting.

23. I preflight the airplane and get it ready. I had a question about the weight and balance sheets, but the maintenance guys answered it for me. The topmost sheet "superceded" the others and I wanted to know what that meant. Just what it says, the top one is the correct one.

24. Almost forgot the "view limiting device". Don't forget that. He won't mention it and you can't finish the test in the air without it. VERY IMPORTANT.

25. We get in the plane and he explains that he is a passenger. He will look for and report traffic. He will hold my charts. Pretty much anything a passenger would do. However, he will not take the controls (except for the instrument portion and unusual attitudes) and he will not help me make any decisions. If he does need to take the controls, the test is over. I am PIC and he will sit quietly, tell me what he wants me to demonstrate, and take notes. He also stated that he knows how to work the seatbelts and doors and understands to get away from the plane in the event of a crash or forced landing. His personality changes at this point from congenial and chatty to extremely quiet. He will not chat with you, so don't even try. Pretty much his communication is restricted to "When able, demonstrate…", "Okay", and "I understand".

26. First, after we both checked the brakes and were taxing to the run-up position he asked to see a soft field takeoff. No problem. Make sure to record your takeoff time on your flight plan.

27. Then he told me to fly to my first waypoint (Anadarko Tower). No problem. Be sure to record this time, too.

28. At the first waypoint he told me to fly to my next one (Williams airport) and compute my groundspeed. I did, but I came up with 60kts. We didn't have anywhere near that kind of headwind, so I put that down to just not keeping time very well. I recommend a stopwatch for this one little portion of the test. Keep in mind, though, that I was pretty much done with my watch at this point.

29. He says that we are diverting due to weather (imaginary reason to divert) and that he wants me to go to Huntsville. I immediately marked my current position and time on the map and then pointed the plane roughly towards Huntsville. I got out my plotter and decided that Huntsville was about 350 degrees from my position and got on that course. He told me to throw my charts and whatnot into the back at this point and climb up to 2500ft.

30. He then asked me to demonstrate slow flight. After clearing turns, done.

31. He then asked for a steep turn to the right. Clearing turns and then done.

32. Power-off stall. I am notoriously bad at not recovering before losing too much altitude in these. Did my clearing turns and then just didn't pay any attention to the altitude and did my best. It seemed okay and he didn't say anything.

33. Power-on stall. Clearing turns and then done.

34. He then wanted me to fly to a VOR that he had dialed in. I flew towards it for about 20 seconds and that exercise was over.

35. Then he took the plane and had me put on the "view limiting device". He had me fly at a particular altitude and heading for a little while then asked to see a 90 degree turn to the left and then a 360 degree turn to the right. Then he had me descend 500 feet and then climb 500 feet.

36. He took the plane back and had me look at my lap. He then established an unusual attitude (while making machine-gun sounds and saying "Die, you Iraqi bastards…pretty funny) and had me recover. I must say it was a rather extreme unusual attitude. I recommend that you practice those several times as they can be a little…well…disorienting. The second was a shocker, too, because when I looked at the instruments we were in essentially level flight. I didn't actually have to do anything. Tricky guy. He let me take off the hood at this point.

37. Next, he pulled my engine and then imitated several screaming people as I dealt with the emergency. Also pretty funny and, oddly enough, broke the tension. Once I was established on a final to land in a field he gave me my engine back.

38. He then pointed out some smoke coming from something burning at a construction site and told me to demonstrate turns about a point over the smoke. Worked out pretty well, I think. As I was setting up this maneuver he asked me about Hypoxia. I knew what it was, but my knowledge stopped there. I knew that you needed supplemental oxygen or a greatly reduced altitude to avoid/handle it. He asked me what the requirements were as far as needing to have oxygen in the plane and I drew a complete blank. I got dinged for that one later.

39. Then he told me to fly to Lone Star (CXO) and pointed to where it was.

40. He said that he wanted me to enter traffic and demonstrate a short-field landing. I got an airport advisory and aside from entering traffic for runway 14 a little cock-eyed, getting into the pattern wasn't a problem. Demonstrating the short-field landing was pretty bad, though. I landed about 20 feet too short, but he didn't say anything. I was still concentrating on that screw-up when I heard him say, "This is a short-field landing" and realized that I hadn't hit the brakes. I hit the brakes. He then said to taxi off the runway and go back to the threshold and demonstrate a short-field takeoff. I told him I'd never taxied at Lone Star and he gave me directions.

41. As I crossed runway 19 I remembered to announce to traffic that I was crossing the runway.

42. When I got back to the hold-short line for the beginning of 14 there was landing traffic so I decided to do another run-up while I waited. I figured it didn't hurt.

43. Once the traffic was off the runway I went to position-and-hold and demonstrated the short-field takeoff. No real problems there. He told me to stay in the pattern.

44. Next he wanted to see a forward slip to landing. As I was performing the slip he said "Go around" and I executed a go-around. While I was climbing out of that he asked me "What is the correct throttle setting for this climb-out?" I realized as a looked at the throttle that the carb heat was still on. Oops. I shoved it in and said "Maximum throttle". He didn't say anything.

45. Then he said to depart the pattern for Hooks at speed and altitude of my discretion.

46. As we were coming in to land at Hooks he asked to see a soft-field landing and that this would be our last landing. As I was on final I reached over to lower the flaps before I had slowed the plane down. I realized I was screwing up just as I lowered the lever and quickly snapped it back up. He noticed, but didn't say anything. Otherwise, that went okay and we taxied back to the ramp. I got to hear the sweetest words ever: "The exercise is complete."

47. He told me to secure the aircraft and meet him inside.

48. When I found him back up in the office he was printing out the temporary license and had me sign it. He read off a list of evaluations for the various demonstrations. Most were in the "good" range. Got dinged (as mentioned earlier) for a couple of things. Fine by me.

49. That was it. He said he was going to grab some lunch before the next test, scribbled in my log book, curtly shook my hand and he was out the door and gone.

50. I now have the most expensive piece of paper I will probably ever own aside from my college diploma.

There are some basic things to keep in mind:

He isn't in the plane to be your friend or offer advice. I like to talk and it was a little frustrating to have him just sit there and be stoic.

He also isn't there to fail you. He understands (probably better than you do) where you are and what you are going through. He knows it's stressful and he takes things into account. Just don't freak out and always try to get back within the standards if you find yourself slipping out of them and you'll probably be okay. He is looking as much at how you recover from problems as how well you demonstrate the maneuvers.

If you screw up and he has told you to go on to the next demonstration, you have passed the previous one. If you are still testing you have passed everything behind you. Put it out of your mind and focus on the demonstration you are currently doing.

Look at the checklist from time to time. He is watching for that, too. Do what is on the checklist. If you just glance at it and then don't do any of the things on the list it probably won't reflect too well on your performance.

He has to be very curt and serious as he reads his script. Don't take it personally. It is required by the FAA so that there is no misunderstanding and everyone is tested to the same standard. This examiner is very gregarious and jovial until you get into the plane and then it seems like he hates you. He doesn't. Just go with it.

He is EXTREMELY patient. Take your time. You are under no pressure to do things the instant he asks to see it. Make sure you are comfortably flying at your assigned heading and altitude and you have completed your clearing turns before you start the demonstration. If he says you have to maintain 2500ft and you start the maneuver at 2420, you only have to drop 20 feet to be outside the standard. Take the time to get to 2500 before you start. He has ABSOLUTELY no problem with you taking your time. This applies to every single aspect of this exam. Even during the oral portion I never felt that he was in a hurry or would do anything other than sit there and politely wait for my bumbling response.

He will always reward sound decision making. If you are screwing up a landing and decide to go around, that will actually be satisfactory as opposed to badly messing up the landing and having him pull the plug on the whole test. He knows that you are nervous and how you deal with that stress is part of the exam. I was scared out of my mind when it started, but I settled into sort of a rhythm about half-way through the exam. By the end I was a lot less stressed out. It also helps that demonstrations that are behind you are done and passed.