Differences between a checkride in the US and Germany
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Düsseldorf, Germany
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Differences between a checkride in the US and Germany
Hi everybody,
So i got my PPL in the US (at KARB) 4 years ago and now that I'm back in Germany I want to fly again after a 3-year pause. The idea is to convert the FAA license to a EU-FCL ticket. I need some hours to build up to get the minimum hours per year with a CFI and take a written. All no prob. I already have the medical and radio license.
However, what about the checkride? I will take a checkride with an examiner from the local LBA office (the German FAA). Apart from the standard maneuvers like slow flight, turns, recovery, engine-out, etc. are there any major differences I should be aware of?
Take care,
AlexUM
So i got my PPL in the US (at KARB) 4 years ago and now that I'm back in Germany I want to fly again after a 3-year pause. The idea is to convert the FAA license to a EU-FCL ticket. I need some hours to build up to get the minimum hours per year with a CFI and take a written. All no prob. I already have the medical and radio license.
However, what about the checkride? I will take a checkride with an examiner from the local LBA office (the German FAA). Apart from the standard maneuvers like slow flight, turns, recovery, engine-out, etc. are there any major differences I should be aware of?
Take care,
AlexUM
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Unna, Germany
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Hi Alex,
By "check flight" I'm pretty sure you're not referring to a check flight which you would expect when chartering a plane from a club where you're not known to them personally, the check flight I believe you are referring to will be a full on test as per your original skills test. Now, I don't know what your skills test was like in the US so if I run through what I did during my skills test in Germany, then you can compare and see for yourself, ok?
First you're expected to be prepared with all the documentation when the examiner arrives - means weight and balance and navigation. If you've done weight and balance manually and can show the math, you don't get additional browny points ;-)
Please note that even if the plane has GPS fitted, you will NOT be allowed to use it, with (e.g.) a built in GNS 430, my examiner increased the range to max to ensure I couldn't see anything.
So, follow all your check lists. The first thing he was looking for is the correct use of the check lists. A full safety briefing was also requested.
After take off, a simulated engine failure at 500 feet was instigated to see my immediate reaction, he also asked me to point out where I would attempt to land the plane. After this, we climbed out to a cruising height and headed towards our first way point (mine was a VFR Reporting Point for a CTR). Along the way, I had to take contact with the Tower, request crossing approval, identify the reporting point, - I was expected to be within 500m of the reporting point when I reported it so make sure you are familiar with the area you will be flying in, it helps...
After that, I transited their airspace heading to the next reporting point. The instructor asked me questions about functions of certain pieces of equipment in the plane, for example the altitude preset for the autopilots, which instruments do what, etc.
Once we'd left the control zone, we headed for the next way point, a disused glider field, where he called "engine failure" and it was then up to me to get it down on that field - we descended to 30 feet before he called off the test. We then returned to our course, started doing basic manoeuvring - 360 degree turns with various degrees of bank up to 60 degrees, both to the left and right, stalls (both clean and with various levels of flaps) and flying at given speeds - 90 knots, 80 knots, 70 knots, 60 knots, 50 knots. At 50 knots he wanted to see direction changes - 90 degrees first to the left and then to the right, in the hope that the plane would start to show signs of a stall and see the recovery if I banked too steeply..... which I didn't, so we did the trial again, this time with 30 degrees of bank, IIRC.... As soon as the stall was identified, recovery was instigated.
By the time we'd finished manoeuvring, we'd diverted significantly from our planned track so the examiner then asked me to identify a town or a feature in the area and point it out on the map. I was pretty much hopelessly lost at this stage and recalled a fellow pilot failing his test for not being able to identify where he was and remembered the tip - just be honest, say I don't know but that I'll use the instruments at my disposal to find out where we are - however GPS was, in my case, not allowed. I took a bearing from a VOR and was about to take a second bearing when the instructor said "ok, that's fine" - it's just to demonstrate you know what to do if (e.g.) your GPS fails and you need to check where you are.
From there we returned to the departure airfield, performed a normal landing, a landing without flaps, a go-around and a simulated engine failure from 2000 feet above the airfield. Duration was around 90 minutes, I believe....
If you compare that to your skills test, you'll know what to expect.
By "check flight" I'm pretty sure you're not referring to a check flight which you would expect when chartering a plane from a club where you're not known to them personally, the check flight I believe you are referring to will be a full on test as per your original skills test. Now, I don't know what your skills test was like in the US so if I run through what I did during my skills test in Germany, then you can compare and see for yourself, ok?
First you're expected to be prepared with all the documentation when the examiner arrives - means weight and balance and navigation. If you've done weight and balance manually and can show the math, you don't get additional browny points ;-)
Please note that even if the plane has GPS fitted, you will NOT be allowed to use it, with (e.g.) a built in GNS 430, my examiner increased the range to max to ensure I couldn't see anything.
So, follow all your check lists. The first thing he was looking for is the correct use of the check lists. A full safety briefing was also requested.
After take off, a simulated engine failure at 500 feet was instigated to see my immediate reaction, he also asked me to point out where I would attempt to land the plane. After this, we climbed out to a cruising height and headed towards our first way point (mine was a VFR Reporting Point for a CTR). Along the way, I had to take contact with the Tower, request crossing approval, identify the reporting point, - I was expected to be within 500m of the reporting point when I reported it so make sure you are familiar with the area you will be flying in, it helps...
After that, I transited their airspace heading to the next reporting point. The instructor asked me questions about functions of certain pieces of equipment in the plane, for example the altitude preset for the autopilots, which instruments do what, etc.
Once we'd left the control zone, we headed for the next way point, a disused glider field, where he called "engine failure" and it was then up to me to get it down on that field - we descended to 30 feet before he called off the test. We then returned to our course, started doing basic manoeuvring - 360 degree turns with various degrees of bank up to 60 degrees, both to the left and right, stalls (both clean and with various levels of flaps) and flying at given speeds - 90 knots, 80 knots, 70 knots, 60 knots, 50 knots. At 50 knots he wanted to see direction changes - 90 degrees first to the left and then to the right, in the hope that the plane would start to show signs of a stall and see the recovery if I banked too steeply..... which I didn't, so we did the trial again, this time with 30 degrees of bank, IIRC.... As soon as the stall was identified, recovery was instigated.
By the time we'd finished manoeuvring, we'd diverted significantly from our planned track so the examiner then asked me to identify a town or a feature in the area and point it out on the map. I was pretty much hopelessly lost at this stage and recalled a fellow pilot failing his test for not being able to identify where he was and remembered the tip - just be honest, say I don't know but that I'll use the instruments at my disposal to find out where we are - however GPS was, in my case, not allowed. I took a bearing from a VOR and was about to take a second bearing when the instructor said "ok, that's fine" - it's just to demonstrate you know what to do if (e.g.) your GPS fails and you need to check where you are.
From there we returned to the departure airfield, performed a normal landing, a landing without flaps, a go-around and a simulated engine failure from 2000 feet above the airfield. Duration was around 90 minutes, I believe....
If you compare that to your skills test, you'll know what to expect.
Last edited by Steve6443; 16th May 2013 at 11:35.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Düsseldorf, Germany
Age: 46
Posts: 28
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Hey Steve,
Thanks for your detailed answer! That's pretty much all the info I need
It's quite similar to what I did in the US. However, I had to do some unusual attitude recovery also during my checkride. I'm starting in June to build up hours. I hope I can get everything done before winter!
Take care,
Alex
Thanks for your detailed answer! That's pretty much all the info I need
It's quite similar to what I did in the US. However, I had to do some unusual attitude recovery also during my checkride. I'm starting in June to build up hours. I hope I can get everything done before winter!
Take care,
Alex
