FAA Checkride Florida- Cancelled by examiner due to weather
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Watch out for these schools in the US in Florida as they dont give any ground school, just DVD videos
The FAA gotchas are knowledge of US airspace rules, the symbols on their weather charts, stuff like the Airport Facility Directory and such. But if you studied to pass the written exam you will be aware of the general scope of the oral exam.
If you want to have another go in the UK, you will need to be signed off by an FAA CFI within the 60 days preceeding the checkride. This instructor will obviously want to fly with you if he is going to sign you off as ready for the checkride. I also don't know whether you can do an checkride in Europe in a Euro-reg plane; it may have to be an N-reg.
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To follow on from IO540, you need to be signed off as had sufficient retraining and ready for the checkride by a CFI and yes it must be in a "N" reg aircraft.
Again Good luck.
Again Good luck.
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Anyone who is seriously thinking of flying shouldn't rely on any hand holding. One of my biggest problems with the PPL oral was that I didn't know how little I needed to know - there is so much to learn and if you are serious about flying you should have an appetite for learning - not just sit down and watch some DVD and expect to be ready. As it worked out the oral was a breeze but that's becasue I did tons of independent study.
No offense but if you failed to even get in the airplane then you were not prepared. Anyone considering a 3/4 week intensive course should do all the ground on your own before you ever go - get a Jepp, Sporty's or whatever syllabus (where you actaully have to read) and know it back to front. Supplement that with the FAA handbooks, chart guides, Aviation weather books, etc and use the ASA oral guide as a revision tool.
Below is a summary I put together for my flight school of my private oral. It lasted 2 hours approx... It might give someone an idea of what to expect......
Remember; the oral and checkride is also considered instructional so you can discuss and pick the brain of the examiner (not just a Q and A session). I think the DPE's like that...after my oral was over, we decided the weather was not good enough to fly, but I asked him about his aviation career and ended up talking about that for an hour or so afterwards - it gave me a great insight into what it takes to go from zero to 737 captain to nice retirement gig as DPE!
Flight portion was rescheduled due to low ceilings and visibility.
The following are some of the questions/areas that were discussed during the oral. Overall DPE is very fair, and you only need to answer the questions asked, any elaboration however may lead to other subject areas!
Aircraft and Maintenance
- What is an AD? Who issues them and what is the owner/operators responsibility? DPE gave an example a running AD for the adjustable seating on the C152
- If an annual inspection is performed on October 7th 2007, when is the next annual required to be completed by?
- What is the fuel capacity? Useable fuel?
- What grade of fuel does the AC use and how do you identify this fuel (color)
- What is the oil capacity? Minimum oil level for safe flight?
Flight Plan, weight and Balance and Weather
-Flight plan for XC and weight and balance. DPE will look over the flight plan to see if it is reasonable for direction, distance, ground speed, flight duration and fuel burn
- Weight and Balance. Looks over the weight and balance for the aircraft. Ensures weight is below max operating weight (he will ask you what this is) and that the CG is within the envelope. The weight and balance sheets from the school website are ideal and have all the info on one page.
- General discussion on the current and forecasted weather and how it would affect our flight, but nothing specific on weather.
Sectional
- 3 ways to communicate with FSS in flight a) Flightwatch 122.0 b) Navaids – transmit on the R frequency, receive on the VOR freq c) RCO’s with 2 way Comm
- He selects an airport (Keene) on the sectional and asks you to tell him everything about the airport from looking at the sectional only.
- How do you identify a towered and non towered airport on the chart?
- Explain minimum safe altitude markings on the sectional?
- Restricted airspace (R 4102 A and B) where do you find info regarding operating times, altitudes, and controlling agency on the chart? Rules for restricted airspace.
- Same with Prohibited airspace
- Point out the boundaries of class B airspace.
- What does the [26] in the Bedford Delta represent?
- Be able to give the height of an obstruction on the chart in MSL and AGL
- Know the sign for fuel and rotating beacon on a sectional.
- Fight over wildlife refuge, requested altitude
- Procedures on the CTAF or Unicom
FARs
- Minimum fuel for VFR day and Night flight
- VFR requirements in Class G, E, D, C, and B
- What is the ceiling of G airspace on either side of the E magenta boundary (700 and 1200 ft ceilings)
- Procedure for transit through C and B airspace
- Explain mode C veil and requirements for aircraft operating in Mode C airspace
- Right of way rules. (he will draw a few examples and ask who has right of way/ what action to take)
Night flight
- What lights required on the aircraft for night flight – what colors on each wing are the position lights
- Color of taxiway lighting and runway lighting.
- Airport rotating beacon colors for land airport.
Emergency
- Emergency Squak Code and emergency Comm frequency
- What to do in an electrical fire? Will this effect the engine? If the burning smell stops after you switch off the master, what do you do next? DPE noted that although it would be wise to switch off all the electrical applications, turn the master back on and try to isolate the problem by reactivating electrical components one by one, as pilot in command you could choose to continue without doing so, but would incur some operating limitations (i.e. no radio, navaids, no power to flaps) which would restrict your options (airspace, runway length etc)
Runway markings and runway incursions
- Shows a runway with a displaced threshold, where are you allowed to commence TO roll and where are you allowed to Touchdown.
- Shows a runway with a blast pad. Where are you allowed to commence TO and touchdown
- Shows a runway hold sign, where do you have to be positioned when told to hold short of the runway? Also asks where you should be positioned relative to the hold line when you have cleared the active runway? (DPE emphasizes that any part of the aircraft over the runway side of the solid line on both occasions is an example of a runway incursion).
- PAPI; what colors are they when you are on glideslope?
Wake avoidance procedures
- Procedures when arriving behind an arriving jet aircraft.
- Procedures when arriving after a jet aircraft has departed.
- Procedures when departing after a departing jet aircraft.
No offense but if you failed to even get in the airplane then you were not prepared. Anyone considering a 3/4 week intensive course should do all the ground on your own before you ever go - get a Jepp, Sporty's or whatever syllabus (where you actaully have to read) and know it back to front. Supplement that with the FAA handbooks, chart guides, Aviation weather books, etc and use the ASA oral guide as a revision tool.
Below is a summary I put together for my flight school of my private oral. It lasted 2 hours approx... It might give someone an idea of what to expect......
Remember; the oral and checkride is also considered instructional so you can discuss and pick the brain of the examiner (not just a Q and A session). I think the DPE's like that...after my oral was over, we decided the weather was not good enough to fly, but I asked him about his aviation career and ended up talking about that for an hour or so afterwards - it gave me a great insight into what it takes to go from zero to 737 captain to nice retirement gig as DPE!
Flight portion was rescheduled due to low ceilings and visibility.
The following are some of the questions/areas that were discussed during the oral. Overall DPE is very fair, and you only need to answer the questions asked, any elaboration however may lead to other subject areas!
Aircraft and Maintenance
- What is an AD? Who issues them and what is the owner/operators responsibility? DPE gave an example a running AD for the adjustable seating on the C152
- If an annual inspection is performed on October 7th 2007, when is the next annual required to be completed by?
- What is the fuel capacity? Useable fuel?
- What grade of fuel does the AC use and how do you identify this fuel (color)
- What is the oil capacity? Minimum oil level for safe flight?
Flight Plan, weight and Balance and Weather
-Flight plan for XC and weight and balance. DPE will look over the flight plan to see if it is reasonable for direction, distance, ground speed, flight duration and fuel burn
- Weight and Balance. Looks over the weight and balance for the aircraft. Ensures weight is below max operating weight (he will ask you what this is) and that the CG is within the envelope. The weight and balance sheets from the school website are ideal and have all the info on one page.
- General discussion on the current and forecasted weather and how it would affect our flight, but nothing specific on weather.
Sectional
- 3 ways to communicate with FSS in flight a) Flightwatch 122.0 b) Navaids – transmit on the R frequency, receive on the VOR freq c) RCO’s with 2 way Comm
- He selects an airport (Keene) on the sectional and asks you to tell him everything about the airport from looking at the sectional only.
- How do you identify a towered and non towered airport on the chart?
- Explain minimum safe altitude markings on the sectional?
- Restricted airspace (R 4102 A and B) where do you find info regarding operating times, altitudes, and controlling agency on the chart? Rules for restricted airspace.
- Same with Prohibited airspace
- Point out the boundaries of class B airspace.
- What does the [26] in the Bedford Delta represent?
- Be able to give the height of an obstruction on the chart in MSL and AGL
- Know the sign for fuel and rotating beacon on a sectional.
- Fight over wildlife refuge, requested altitude
- Procedures on the CTAF or Unicom
FARs
- Minimum fuel for VFR day and Night flight
- VFR requirements in Class G, E, D, C, and B
- What is the ceiling of G airspace on either side of the E magenta boundary (700 and 1200 ft ceilings)
- Procedure for transit through C and B airspace
- Explain mode C veil and requirements for aircraft operating in Mode C airspace
- Right of way rules. (he will draw a few examples and ask who has right of way/ what action to take)
Night flight
- What lights required on the aircraft for night flight – what colors on each wing are the position lights
- Color of taxiway lighting and runway lighting.
- Airport rotating beacon colors for land airport.
Emergency
- Emergency Squak Code and emergency Comm frequency
- What to do in an electrical fire? Will this effect the engine? If the burning smell stops after you switch off the master, what do you do next? DPE noted that although it would be wise to switch off all the electrical applications, turn the master back on and try to isolate the problem by reactivating electrical components one by one, as pilot in command you could choose to continue without doing so, but would incur some operating limitations (i.e. no radio, navaids, no power to flaps) which would restrict your options (airspace, runway length etc)
Runway markings and runway incursions
- Shows a runway with a displaced threshold, where are you allowed to commence TO roll and where are you allowed to Touchdown.
- Shows a runway with a blast pad. Where are you allowed to commence TO and touchdown
- Shows a runway hold sign, where do you have to be positioned when told to hold short of the runway? Also asks where you should be positioned relative to the hold line when you have cleared the active runway? (DPE emphasizes that any part of the aircraft over the runway side of the solid line on both occasions is an example of a runway incursion).
- PAPI; what colors are they when you are on glideslope?
Wake avoidance procedures
- Procedures when arriving behind an arriving jet aircraft.
- Procedures when arriving after a jet aircraft has departed.
- Procedures when departing after a departing jet aircraft.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2007
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Wow, Thank you for all the information!
The items he failed me on were Navigation, mainly the asent and desent! Which in turn put my performance out slightly! He said I hadnt calculated the time correctly, this was true and now I am having one to one tuition. The other information he failed me on was seaplane bases!!!!! I am not trainning as a seaplane pilot! I have soken to two commercial pilots and they say that the cross country planning I did was 145 miles long and within 3 minute estimate time en-route / arrival. Under UK regs this may have passed but in the US it was a failure!!
I have to say this seems like madness as I will probably be using a couple of Garmin 430's and a map as saftey measure route.
Anyway I have decided to go back on the 2nd April back to the US and retake in a Mooney, do complex and high performance, hopefully return with my wings! You guys have provided some great information, once again thank you for your input, it has been really useful.
The items he failed me on were Navigation, mainly the asent and desent! Which in turn put my performance out slightly! He said I hadnt calculated the time correctly, this was true and now I am having one to one tuition. The other information he failed me on was seaplane bases!!!!! I am not trainning as a seaplane pilot! I have soken to two commercial pilots and they say that the cross country planning I did was 145 miles long and within 3 minute estimate time en-route / arrival. Under UK regs this may have passed but in the US it was a failure!!
I have to say this seems like madness as I will probably be using a couple of Garmin 430's and a map as saftey measure route.
Anyway I have decided to go back on the 2nd April back to the US and retake in a Mooney, do complex and high performance, hopefully return with my wings! You guys have provided some great information, once again thank you for your input, it has been really useful.
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3 mins out on a dead reckoned 145nm flight cannot be a test failure; not even a robot could fly that accurately.
Unless you have somehow p1**ed off the examiner and he is out to get you.
The complex signoff is important because only an FAA CFI/CFII can give you that logbook entry, and while there are plenty of FAA CFIs in the UK, this is another thing worth getting while you can.
Unless you have somehow p1**ed off the examiner and he is out to get you.
The complex signoff is important because only an FAA CFI/CFII can give you that logbook entry, and while there are plenty of FAA CFIs in the UK, this is another thing worth getting while you can.
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Blimey Dom, I agree with IO, unless you havent told us everything you could prob appeal your failure. I got a couple of things wrong during my oral (I can just about remeber it!!!), but as they were not a major item of the test he just talked through them. Get something major wrong (such as airspace) and yes they will fail you.
I dont see seaplanes bases as a major item (although ready to be corrected!), the DPE I had I ended up having a few times over various exams and he used to like to carry out the oral for the exam then then push you further to see what els you knew - he would not fail you if you screwed up and you would usually end up having a 'mini lesson' which was great.
And as for failing for being out by 3mins...
J.
I dont see seaplanes bases as a major item (although ready to be corrected!), the DPE I had I ended up having a few times over various exams and he used to like to carry out the oral for the exam then then push you further to see what els you knew - he would not fail you if you screwed up and you would usually end up having a 'mini lesson' which was great.
And as for failing for being out by 3mins...
J.
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Not all Florida schools give only DVDs as ground school! I had several hours of very satisfactory ground school both individually and in a small group at Debenair in 2005. Of course I agree that independent study is very important.
