Thread: What's the checkride like?

I have been looking over the FARs for Sport Pilot and one of the bullet points for examiner is "plan cross country". Will I be asked to fly a xcountry? Just curious what to expect. I am not sure I can even find someone to check me out in the plane when I'm ready, which should be in about 4 weeks. I'd like to hear from some of you how the checkride went down..

Thanks!
James

Sport Pilot Practical Test Standards:
http://www.faa.gov/training_testing/tes ... 081-29.pdf

Anything in it is fair game. Count on flight planning and X-country, steep turns, stalls, pattern work, short and soft field landings and takeoffs. I understand that sometimes ground reference maneuvers are skipped if your pattern work is precise with good wind correction, but I wouldn't count on it. Your instructor should be preparing you for all of this stuff and will sign you off when you are ready.

Hi Jim,

The examiner will give you a cross country location to plan. He wants to see if you can put it on paper and plan it out from start to finish. It isn't hard. Then on check out day he will review it, then when you take off and he may have you start to fly the first leg of the cross country for a couple of miles then maybe tell you to divert to another field location. Just turn the plane in the general direction first, whip out your map and plotter and give him the new course heading and distance. This is what my examiner made me do, but all are a little different. When you talk to your examiner while setting up a date just ask him what he might do.

Hi James,

As mentioned above you will be given a X/C destination to plan to. Its a verification that you understand how to perform dead reckoning calculations (Time, speed, fuel and headings) for your aircraft. You will then most likely start out your checkride as if your going on the cross country so your pilotage skills can be evaluated. My advice is to plan check points relativly close together (7-10 miles) so you don't have to spend alot of time getting to a checkpoint just so the examiner can see your within the 3 mile spec of your course (hopefully closer than that if you did it right). The cross country plan is also a good lead in on the oral for discussion on the sectional, airspace, and weather go/no go decsion making.

The CTsw manual is a bit lacking in the performance section for climb and cruise. If you need some more info I have some performance charts I developed for my students that seem to work out pretty close at least at the altitudes we fly (6000-12000 feet). They are not very good near sea level since I never get to fly there, but I can send them to you if you want.

Hope that helps,

Good luck

Eric Swisher
Copper City Aviation Services
www.coppercityaviation.com

Eric, I'd appreciate the charts. Send them to jstewart@jkmicro.com. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Jim Stewart

Eric, I'd appreciate the charts. Send them to jstewart@jkmicro.com. Thanks.

Yes Please send them to me also. adslparts@yahoo.com. Thanks, I'm at 1200msl, but I will get the idea.

James

Originally Posted by Jim Stewart

Sport Pilot Practical Test Standards:
http://www.faa.gov/training_testing/tes ... 081-29.pdf

Anything in it is fair game. Count on flight planning and X-country, steep turns, stalls, pattern work, short and soft field landings and takeoffs. I understand that sometimes ground reference maneuvers are skipped if your pattern work is precise with good wind correction, but I wouldn't count on it. Your instructor should be preparing you for all of this stuff and will sign you off when you are ready.

Man, I should do it in a single seater that would make it alot easier LOL

Our examiner has them plan a cross country. He has you fly to the second check point where he expects you to figure your ground speed and give him an ETA. The oral and checkride come right out of the practical test standards as it should. You should be able to pass with any examiner. Tom

As others have said, you'll probably be asked to plan and start a XC, at least to the first led. A good examiner will then present you with a situation where you have to deviate. It's then up to you to figure out where you can go and land there. A really tricky examiner will "fail" the engine in the pattern when you're going to the diversion. It's a very realistic scenario - engine starts running rough, you need to set down quickly, engine stops before you land.

Doug