What to Expect

Prior to the checkride:  I may reach out 3-7 days before to confirm the appointment. Ensure you are prepared and the aircraft has no maintenance issues.  You WILL be nervous - this is normal, but not a reason to cancel.  If you were not prepared, your instructor would not have scheduled your Checkride. 

The Test: You and the examiner will spend about 30 minutes or so ensuring you and the aircraft are eligible for the test. He/she will explain the process which will include:

• putting you at ease, as much as humanly possible!

• Verifying eligibility (IACRA/paperwork/endorsements are correct, flight and ground tasks have been met, and aircraft is airworthy)

• You will be given 3 briefings

  • Pretest - what to expect for the overall day and ground portion

    • Three possible Outcomes:

      • Satisfactory - congrats!

      • Discontinuance - a "pause" on the checkride; possibly due to weather or maintenance

      • Disapproval - you'll need additional training for the item that was UNSAT; we will schedule a different day so you can be retested on plus any other tasks not tested

    • Ground Portion: Scenario based questions will be asked in accordance with the ACS Standards

    • Examiners are required to cover at minimum one knowledge area, one risk area, and ALL skill areas for every single standard - ensure you are solid in all areas. 

    • All knowledge elements missed on the written exam

  • Preflight - what to expect for the flight portion

    • The flight will be in accordance with the ACS standards; questionning will continue!

    • Instruction and feedback cannot be provided

    • Examiner will be taking notes for the debrief

    • Tasks cannot be repeated

    • If a maneuver was not to standards, unless there are extenuating circumstances involving safety, you will be told at the conclusion of the maneuver - so, as long as you are told to keep on flying, you are on the right track!

  • Post Flight/Post Brief - overview and paperwork

    • overview of the ground/flight

    • outcome

    • paperwork

HOPEFULLY HELPFUL HINTS:

• Relax!!! Stressing about the test and/or the flight is counterproductive and is the biggest cause of poor performance

• Organize a checkride binder to ensure you have all of your required documents

• Ensure you have current charts at least a week prior 

• Gather all of your docs and equipment the day before

• Arrive at least 30 minutes prior; preflight and fuel the plane accordingly - ensure there are no mechanical issues

• During the test, take your time to think and answer. If you are unsure of a question, ask the examiner to reword it. Do not try to answer what you "think" he/she asked.

• Know the expectation as stated in the ACS - this is how you are evaluated

• Know the maneuver profiles as stated in the Airplane Flying Handbook (AFH) - this is how it is expected to be flown, which will meet the ACS

• Did I say "relax?"