CFI Checkride Gouge

My CFI checkride is today. I'm scheduled with an FAA examiner and I'm really not feeling overly confident. This checkride is like any other I've had in that I could pass or fail it on any given day, except that this one is universally accepted as being extremely difficult. I'm reminded of this old joke:

Guy 1: I don't think I'm going to pass this test today.
Guy 2: C'mon dude... think positive!
Guy 1: Ok... I'm positive I'm not gonna pass this test today!

It's not quite that bad inside my head, but it's not wildly removed either.

So I arrive at the FBO on time, loaded down with Krispy Kreme doughnuts. My examiner chose a chocolate. I think we're going to get along fine.

Me: Well, that's one of Maslow's needs taken care of...
Examiner: (chuckle)

We settle in and start going over the paperwork. Since I'm using a Bonanza A36 for the ride, he checked my aircraft logs including the last annual, ELT, transponder, and pitot inspections. The last we wouldn't need as long as we stay IFR, but he did check nonetheless.

E: Does your airplane have a MEL?
Me: No, sir.
E: Then how do we determine if an item is a no-go item today?
Me: AFM, day VFR certification regs for this aircraft, ADs, and 91.205.

Apparently he was mostly looking for 91.205.

After that we go over my paperwork. Evidently my pedigree is in order between IACRA, the CFI ground instruction logs, my AGI cert, logbook, medical, and FIA exam results. With all of that checked off, it's time to settle in for the test.

It is at this point that I notice I'm shaking almost imperceptibly. At least I hope it's imperceptible; I hate to think he can see it. I will myself to take a drink, calm down, breathe, etc. Then I realize it's an uncontrollable physiological result of my overactive adrenal glands this morning. Apparently I was more worked up about this than I thought, and there's nothing to do but carry forward and wait out the shakes.

The following are a list of questions and answers that ensued on the 4.5+ hours of oral examination. I don't remember every question, so this is definitely a subset of what was asked, but it should prove helpful to anyone prepping for a checkride.

How would you prepare a lesson?
- PPARE = Preparation, Presentation, Application, Review, and Evaluation (expound on each)

How would you go about systemically meeting the Private Pilot requirements?
- I'd use a syllabus I prepared on my website along with a new student questionnaire I stole from Philip Greenspun to learn about my student. The syllabus is not a discreet collection of lessons, however, because I don't really believe in those. Every student is different and some will require more or less of a given topic. Thus I've broken down the curriculum into steps that can be covered in one or more lessons each and I'll evaluate the progress of the student through each phase of the requirements in determining when to move on.

(I think he liked that answer)

When and how would you give a critique?
- I'd give it immediately after the lesson and I'd be: objective, specific, acceptable, comprehensive, thoughtful, etc

What methods of teaching are there?
- Lecture, demo/performance, group discussion

Which will you use most often?
- Demo/performance

How will you use that?
- I'll explain a concept, demo it for the student, have them explain it to my while I do it, and finally have them perform while I supervise

Where will you do that?
- On the ground and in the air

What's the worst classroom in the world?
Me: The cockpit.
E: Yep, you got it. They're not going to hear a thing you say up there. Remember that.

What do you have to teach before you solo a student?
- Takeoffs, landings, stalls, wake vortices, ground reference, go-arounds, emergency procedures, etc. See 61.87.

What would you put on a pre-solo knowledge exam?
- Part 91 review, local procedures and airport, make and model specific questions

E: Always put a question on it about alcohol, whether a student can carry passengers, etc. Think of all the dumb things your student could do after solo, and really protect yourself from those things by putting it on the knowledge exam.
Me: Will do.

How long must you keep records?
- 3 years

How long should you keep records?
- Forever.

How will you know when it's time to solo a student?
Me: When I'm confident he or she can safely solo the airplane under the given conditions for the day and be able to reasonably handle any changes in those conditions.
E: I always say it's when you've become a passenger in the airplane. When you don't have to do or say anything, it's probably time.

What's the most common form of hypoxia?
- Hypoxic. It stems from a lack of oxygen, typically at high altitudes.

Have you ever experienced hypoxia?
- Yes and no. I probably have and did not realize it fully. The signs can be very subtle.

What is hyperventilation and how can you fix it?
- Breathing too rapidly, causing too low a ratio of carbon dioxide in the blood. Slow your breathing through effort or use a paper bag.

If you have a student that is blind in one eye, what can he/she do?
- Get a SODA, statement of demonstrated ability.

Who will fly with them for that?
- The FAA.

How do you scan for traffic?
- Small segments of the sky, say 10 degrees, at a time. Look at each segment for at least 1 second to detect movement.

What about on a high wing airplane?
- Have to raise the wing.

Where do most accidents happen.
- Paradoxically, most occur on clear VFR days in the vicinity of an airport or VOR.

E: (paraphrasing) Ok, Jeff, the rest will not be like other oral exams you've had. Now you're going to have to teach me lessons on varying topics. The detail you go into and the methods you use are entirely up to you. If you need to use texts or figures, feel free to do so as appropriate.
Me: Ok.

E: Teach me how an airfoil generates lift.
- At this point, I drew an airfoil, some air flowing around it, and described Bernoulli's principle and Newton's third law.

E: Teach me about left turning tendencies.
- Torque, slipstream, P-factor, precession with a lot of detail on each.
E: Which of those are dominant in what we fly?
- I'll say torque. P-factor is also a big one. Precession is more prominent in tail draggers.
E: Good. I think P-factor is at the top, followed by torque.

E: Teach me about primary and secondary control surfaces and how they work.
- Drew an airplane, taught ailerons, elevator, rudder, trim, flaps, etc. We didn't hit on it much, but now would be a good time to know your stuff on adverse yaw.

E: Teach me about static and dynamic stability.
- Used the marble in/on a bowl example. Drew an airplane and described the effects of positive, neutral, and negative static and dynamic stability.

E: Teach me about the landing gear system on your airplane.
- Drew it out. Mechanically linked, electric motor actuates, and described in as much detail as I could manage.

E: Teach me the fuel system.
- Had a diagram from the POH which I handed him. Went through all the parts on the board, including sumps, fuel vents, and returns.
E: So does your airplane return unused fuel to both thanks?
Me: Apparently so.
E: Interesting, some only return to the left tank. Also, good job on the fuel vents. Why are those important?
Me: Because if dirt daubers (or anything else) stop them up you'll create a vacuum and starve the engine for fuel.
E: Very good.

E: Teach me the electrical system.
- 24V, with 100A alternator. Voltage regulator sets the output from the alternator to rest of the system.
E: What's the difference between a generator and an alternator?
Me: Output from a generator is induced while an alternator has a bridge... uh...
E: ...Rectifier.
Me: Exactly! What a good student! Bridge rectifier that converts the AC current to DC. It requires an external voltage source and is more stable under low RPM conditions.
E: So which would you want if you had a dead battery?
Me: A generator.

E: How does the prop governor work?
Me: Magic!
- I drew it out and fumbled around through overspeed and underspeed conditions and he was apparently satisfied.
E: Which direction does our prop default if we lose oil pressure?
Me: In singles, it will go to the flat, or fine, pitch.

E: Teach me about operational limitations using a Vg diagram.
Me: I can draw a bad one on the board, or I can show you a great example in the Jepp Commercial book.
E: Absolutely! Page 12-22.
Me: (chuckle)
- Mostly covered that abrupt control maneuvers at certain speeds cause stalls, and at other speeds break the airplane. Know where Va, Vno, and Vne are for sure, and what they do.

E: Will that be our Va today?
Me: No, that's for gross weight.
E: Let's calculate our Va using this formula then.

From same page in Jepp Comm book: Va2 = Vagw * sqrt (W1 / Wg)

Va2 = New Va
Vagw = Va at gross weight
W1 = Current weight
Wg = Gross weight

What are the G force limits on your airplane?
- The Bonanza is utility rated up to gross weight so 4.4 positive Gs and 1.76 negative Gs.

After a lunch break, we came back and he assigned me some endorsements.

E: You've got a student taking his long solo XC. Here's a copy of a medical and pretend this blank sheet is a logbook. Give him all the endorsements he'll need to make this flight. Assume he's flying a Cessna 150.

I endorsed the medical (student certificate) for solo in the C-150 and for XC. Then I endorsed the logbook for the pre-solo knowledge exam, solo, initial XC, and solo XC. Other than forgetting to sign the last one (and don't forget your CFI number and expiration!), he was satisfied with it.

Where do you find the FAA recommended language for endorsements?
- AC 61.65.
E: Correct. Never put anything less than what they suggest on any endorsement. You can put more, just don't use less.

If more than 90 days passed, would you endorse the medical again?
- No, just the logbook.

When would you add an endorsement to the medical?
- When the student is ready to solo a new make and model.

Next we started on the VFR sectional.

Where does class E start here?
- 700 AGL.

Here? (pointing to dashed magenta line)
- At the surface.

Why are they different at those airports?
- The purpose of class E airspace is to separate IFR and VFR traffic. I imagine the airport with class E to the surface has an instrument approach with lower minimums than the other.

E: Any other reason?
Me: Uh....
E: Is there a particular type of activity that takes place at one of these airports that would require class E to the surface?

At this point I begin staring holes in the chart.

E: The answer's not on the chart, Jeff.
Me: That's too bad because it's not in my head either.
E: (laugh) It's because of scheduled air carrier service to that airport.
Me: Oh, ok. Never heard that one.
E: Is this class E in effect all the time?
Me: Yes.
E: (pause) Where might you look that up?
Me: Ah, the AFD.

Apparently some class E are not full time, though we couldn't find an intermittent one of this particular chart. Still, good to know.

What airspace is this?
- Class B, C, D, TRSA with all the limits, weather reqs, etc. I suggest knowing airspace cold.

What's this line?
- Mode C veil

What are the pilot and airplane requirements for class B?
- Private pilot, mode C transponder, two way radio.

Can you solo a student in class B?
- If I've given them training in that specific bravo space, an endorsement, and it's not one of the ones that prohibits student pilots.

What are the weather minimums for class B? (and others)
- Clear of clouds, 3 sm visibility.

Pilot and airplane requirements for class C?
- Student, mode C, two way radio.

If I wanted to fly in this airspace without talking to anyone, how would I do that?
- Fly at XYZ altitude. (Know the airspace limitations depicted on the chart)

Is TRSA participation mandatory?
- No, but it's a good idea and highly recommended.

What are wake vortices?
- Vortices of air that form at the wingtips as high pressure air below the wing seeks lower pressure.

When are they the strongest?
- When the airplane is in the clean configuration and slow.

Why?
- Because the vortex strength is in proportion with induced drag which is highest while clean and slow.

That's about all I can remember from the oral. In the days since the ordeal I have apparently made good use of repression as there was more I cannot recall at the moment.

We next discussed the flight and I got a standard weather briefing. Then we covered things like, I'm PIC, I do radios, and I should not assume he knows how to fly a plane. He wanted me to comment on any common errors he made, and correct them if necessary. Additionally, as I talked through the maneuvers, I was supposed to note any common errors I made during the flight rather than ignoring them.

Lastly, he reinforced that I should be absolutely certain to do clearing turns. This was obviously a biggie for him. I put it on my kneeboard with stars around it.

Again, I should stress this isn't everything we did or discussed on the flight, but it's what I remember.

- Start up, he taxied, and performed a soft-field takeoff. I instructed.
- Slow flight
- Hood work, unusual attitudes (nothing too hard)
- Power off stall
- Power on stall (Stay coordinated! I made sure to point out as I increased right rudder)
- Accelerated stall (45-50 degrees bank, and recover at first sign of stall)
- Steep turns (rolling from one to another)
- Turns around a point
- 8s on pylons
- Chandelles
- Emergency descent
- Short field landing
- Short field takeoff
- Soft field landing instruction
- Power off 180
- Go arounds

So I'll give you a little anecdote on the emergency descent. During the oral he asked the following.

E: Does your airplane have a published emergency descent procedure?
Me: Yes, it does.
E: Ok, make note of that we'll need to do it during the flight portion.

I wrote down the steps, though they're nothing special in the Bonanza. Gear down, one notch of flaps, power to idle, and pitch for 154 KIAS.

Now, I should point out that I've heard from people who attended the BPPP (Beech Pilot Proficiency Program) that you couldn't hit 154 KIAS on a bet during one of these. Mainly because, as my IA likes to say, "The Bonanza goes from the cleanest airplane in the world to the dirtiest in the flick of two switches." Translation: When you throw out gear and flaps, you create a tremendous amount of drag on this airframe.

So we're up there and then the following...

E: You have smoke coming in the cockpit, what do you do?
Me: Kill the master.
E: Alright, that's done. Now you see smoke and flames from the cowling.
Me: Ok, emergency descent time. Gear, flaps, power, 154... here we go! Clear left, right and below.
Me: By the way, I don't think we'll hit 154 but I'll do my best.

At this point I pitched for about a 60 degree dive. I was really aggressive about it, too. The airplane absolutely begins to fall out of the sky. I check the VSI and it's pegged at -4000 fpm. Our best estimation after the fact is that we were doing -6000 fpm or so. I then look over at the airspeed indicator and it's locked at 135 KIAS.

Me: I can stand this thing on its nose if you want, but I still don't think we'll hit 154.
E: (looking impressed and slightly nervous) Wow... no, that's ok, we can recover here.
Me: Roger that.

So we recover and the demonstration has obviously made an impression.

E: I've never seen an airplane do that before. This thing comes down like a lead-covered brick!
Me: Amazing aint it?
E: That was very impressive.

Translation: if you have a fire on the blower, you want to be flying a Beech :) All I would have to do in a real emergency descent is level-off, one more notch of flaps and I'd be slow enough to land within seconds. The Bonanza is truly a marvel of aeronautical engineering, thank you Walter Beech!

The last maneuver was me instructing through a soft-field landing. I'm slightly embarrassed to say the examiner performed a better landing then than I ever have on my own plane. It really wasn't even close. I barely felt the sucker. Hell, I kinda liked the guy until that!

After shutting down we remarked about a couple of the maneuvers and he said I did very well. We drove back over to the conference room where we had begun the day and a few minutes later I'm holding a beautiful new temporary certificate.

E: That what you've been waiting for?
Me: Yes, yes it is.
E: Well, you're through the hard one now. Good job.
Me: Thank you.
E: That's not something to just hang on your wall though. Get out there and use it!
Me: Will do.

And then I called everybody I knew, took my family out to dinner, and enjoyed a relaxing evening of NOT studying for my CFI oral examination. Students, hide your logbooks, there's a new CFI in town...

Tags: flying, checkride, bonanza