PPL Checkride Commonly Mistaken Questions
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2025
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
Posts: 20
Likes: 2
From: Greenville, SC
PPL Checkride Commonly Mistaken Questions
Hello all,
I have been a CFI for couple of months now and I am trying to get better at texting my students for their cheeckride oral part of the exam, while at the same time increasing my knowledge. Technically what I am asking is for some difficult, weird, commonly mistaken, hard to answer questions. If you have have been asked or told any, I would love to hear them.
I have been a CFI for couple of months now and I am trying to get better at texting my students for their cheeckride oral part of the exam, while at the same time increasing my knowledge. Technically what I am asking is for some difficult, weird, commonly mistaken, hard to answer questions. If you have have been asked or told any, I would love to hear them.
Joined: Oct 2007
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 1,027
Likes: 120
From: Wherever I go, there I am
Not during a PPL exam, this was for my CPL in New Zealand. I was asked "What causes wind?"
I gave a textbook answer, almost word-for-word out of the books. I was told nope, that the answer the examiner was looking for was "The Sun". He argued that the sun is what causes temperature differentials which, in turn, causes pressure differentials, and that is what then causes the movement of an airmass from one location to another, a process we call wind.
I mean, he wasn't wrong, but everyone I tell that to tells me they would also not have come up with "the sun" as an answer.
After 25 years in the industry, I've come to learn and preach that any license is just another license to learn more. Yes during an oral we want to confirm the knowledge that the student should reasonably know for the license or rating that they will hold should the ride be successful, but it should not be a deep dive into the obscure. As a Check Pilot - either for ab initio or here at the airlines - I never play "stump-the-chump." I'm there to make sure that if my family got on board the airplane, they would arrive home safe and sound. The biggest things I saw answered incorrectly during my time doing ab initio check rides were questions surrounding the limitations on the license the person would hold and the application of theoretical knowledge to real-world operations. For example, when might ATC deny entry into Class B airspace and what do you now have to do if you planned a flight 50 miles through that airspace? Or what weather can be reasonably expected when one finds the winds are backing during your cross-country flight? Another one might be at what time must a non-night rated PPL be legally landed at an airport or what is the earliest time a non-night rated PPL could take-off from xyz airport?
Like I said, the application of the required knowledge means more than the knowing what time sunrise or sunset is today.
I gave a textbook answer, almost word-for-word out of the books. I was told nope, that the answer the examiner was looking for was "The Sun". He argued that the sun is what causes temperature differentials which, in turn, causes pressure differentials, and that is what then causes the movement of an airmass from one location to another, a process we call wind.
I mean, he wasn't wrong, but everyone I tell that to tells me they would also not have come up with "the sun" as an answer.
After 25 years in the industry, I've come to learn and preach that any license is just another license to learn more. Yes during an oral we want to confirm the knowledge that the student should reasonably know for the license or rating that they will hold should the ride be successful, but it should not be a deep dive into the obscure. As a Check Pilot - either for ab initio or here at the airlines - I never play "stump-the-chump." I'm there to make sure that if my family got on board the airplane, they would arrive home safe and sound. The biggest things I saw answered incorrectly during my time doing ab initio check rides were questions surrounding the limitations on the license the person would hold and the application of theoretical knowledge to real-world operations. For example, when might ATC deny entry into Class B airspace and what do you now have to do if you planned a flight 50 miles through that airspace? Or what weather can be reasonably expected when one finds the winds are backing during your cross-country flight? Another one might be at what time must a non-night rated PPL be legally landed at an airport or what is the earliest time a non-night rated PPL could take-off from xyz airport?
Like I said, the application of the required knowledge means more than the knowing what time sunrise or sunset is today.
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 295
Likes: 10
From: Temporarily Unsure!
Hello all,
I have been a CFI for couple of months now and I am trying to get better at texting my students for their cheeckride oral part of the exam, while at the same time increasing my knowledge. Technically what I am asking is for some difficult, weird, commonly mistaken, hard to answer questions. If you have have been asked or told any, I would love to hear them.
I have been a CFI for couple of months now and I am trying to get better at texting my students for their cheeckride oral part of the exam, while at the same time increasing my knowledge. Technically what I am asking is for some difficult, weird, commonly mistaken, hard to answer questions. If you have have been asked or told any, I would love to hear them.
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2025
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
Posts: 20
Likes: 2
From: Greenville, SC
Not during a PPL exam, this was for my CPL in New Zealand. I was asked "What causes wind?"
I gave a textbook answer, almost word-for-word out of the books. I was told nope, that the answer the examiner was looking for was "The Sun". He argued that the sun is what causes temperature differentials which, in turn, causes pressure differentials, and that is what then causes the movement of an airmass from one location to another, a process we call wind.
I mean, he wasn't wrong, but everyone I tell that to tells me they would also not have come up with "the sun" as an answer.
After 25 years in the industry, I've come to learn and preach that any license is just another license to learn more. Yes during an oral we want to confirm the knowledge that the student should reasonably know for the license or rating that they will hold should the ride be successful, but it should not be a deep dive into the obscure. As a Check Pilot - either for ab initio or here at the airlines - I never play "stump-the-chump." I'm there to make sure that if my family got on board the airplane, they would arrive home safe and sound. The biggest things I saw answered incorrectly during my time doing ab initio check rides were questions surrounding the limitations on the license the person would hold and the application of theoretical knowledge to real-world operations. For example, when might ATC deny entry into Class B airspace and what do you now have to do if you planned a flight 50 miles through that airspace? Or what weather can be reasonably expected when one finds the winds are backing during your cross-country flight? Another one might be at what time must a non-night rated PPL be legally landed at an airport or what is the earliest time a non-night rated PPL could take-off from xyz airport?
Like I said, the application of the required knowledge means more than the knowing what time sunrise or sunset is today.
I gave a textbook answer, almost word-for-word out of the books. I was told nope, that the answer the examiner was looking for was "The Sun". He argued that the sun is what causes temperature differentials which, in turn, causes pressure differentials, and that is what then causes the movement of an airmass from one location to another, a process we call wind.
I mean, he wasn't wrong, but everyone I tell that to tells me they would also not have come up with "the sun" as an answer.
After 25 years in the industry, I've come to learn and preach that any license is just another license to learn more. Yes during an oral we want to confirm the knowledge that the student should reasonably know for the license or rating that they will hold should the ride be successful, but it should not be a deep dive into the obscure. As a Check Pilot - either for ab initio or here at the airlines - I never play "stump-the-chump." I'm there to make sure that if my family got on board the airplane, they would arrive home safe and sound. The biggest things I saw answered incorrectly during my time doing ab initio check rides were questions surrounding the limitations on the license the person would hold and the application of theoretical knowledge to real-world operations. For example, when might ATC deny entry into Class B airspace and what do you now have to do if you planned a flight 50 miles through that airspace? Or what weather can be reasonably expected when one finds the winds are backing during your cross-country flight? Another one might be at what time must a non-night rated PPL be legally landed at an airport or what is the earliest time a non-night rated PPL could take-off from xyz airport?
Like I said, the application of the required knowledge means more than the knowing what time sunrise or sunset is today.
I wouldn't have come up to with "the sun" as the answer to what causes wind too. But when it comes to putting theory into practice, I couldn't agree more. I have tried to expose my students to real life scenarios that I or other colleagues and friends have been exposed to in order to show the difference between theory and practice. Students seems to understand the concept of a topic much better when associated with a real life scenario and they are also becoming more intrested in the reality of the situation other than me teaching something they can find on the book or the chechkride prep softwares.
Joined: Apr 2008
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 1,118
Likes: 182
From: cowtown
The moon can move oceans up and down and effect changes to currents . So there must also be some moon effects on wind and weather as well as the Sun .
One scientist said we live at the bottom of the Ocean of air . If the moon can alter the ocean heights creating tides and alter currents . Then one could argue the moon must have an effect on winds as well as the sun’s contributions to wind .
Accurate weather algorithms must include the lunar cycles ? Or are the absence of tide tables from the algorithms the reason they occasionally are wobbly ?
Although eating anything with MSG will give me wind that would make your eyes water . Just checking the gag reflexes of all onboard
One scientist said we live at the bottom of the Ocean of air . If the moon can alter the ocean heights creating tides and alter currents . Then one could argue the moon must have an effect on winds as well as the sun’s contributions to wind .
Accurate weather algorithms must include the lunar cycles ? Or are the absence of tide tables from the algorithms the reason they occasionally are wobbly ?
Although eating anything with MSG will give me wind that would make your eyes water . Just checking the gag reflexes of all onboard
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 1,854
Likes: 75
From: uk
Has anyone ever heard of an aircraft accident caused by the pilot's failure to understand the basic cause of winds? Anyway, everybody knows that the cause of wind is a butterfly flapping it's wings somewhere a long way away.
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 5,655
Likes: 500
From: Canada
Start with the making sure the student has the gimme's down pat
- Knows the ACS
- Knows the privileges of the license being sought
- Knows the limitations section in the POH
- Knows how to prove the airplane is airworthy
- Knows how each airplane system works and can answer questions on system malfunctions
- Knows how to provide a weather briefing
- Knows how to calculate performance from POH data (eg takeoff and landing distance, cruise performance etc)
As a pilot examiner it is distressing when I see candidates that were obviously not well prepared to answer even basic questions
- Knows the ACS
- Knows the privileges of the license being sought
- Knows the limitations section in the POH
- Knows how to prove the airplane is airworthy
- Knows how each airplane system works and can answer questions on system malfunctions
- Knows how to provide a weather briefing
- Knows how to calculate performance from POH data (eg takeoff and landing distance, cruise performance etc)
As a pilot examiner it is distressing when I see candidates that were obviously not well prepared to answer even basic questions
