CFI Checkride Today

skydriverdc6

skydriverdc6

Well-Known Member
Here are the details of my CFI Checkride, I took it today after studying all this stuff for nearly 3 months. I tried to write in some answers I gave or things that helped me. I hope some of you guys/girls find it helpful. I passed the oral, which was a ball buster in my opinion, but by the time I got in the airplane my brain was fried, and honestly I didnt feel good about the flight portion even before we took off, but I did it anyway. So here goes.

ORAL PORTION 6.5 Hours Long (passed)
FLIGHT PORTION 1.2 hours long (failed)


Spent maybe 30 minutes reviewing Documentation, endorsements in my log book, etc.

FUNDAMENTALS OF INSTRUCTING (basically covered everything)

·Learning
oHow do people learn
oTransfer of learning
oCharacteristics of learning
·Flight instructor as a psychologist
·Describe all of the laws (principles of learning) and give examples
·Describe Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs and give examples of how you as an instructor can help a student fulfill those needs
·Effective communication (everything)
·Critique and Evaluation –
oWhat makes an effective critique
oAfter you critique your student and do some ground and more flight training, then what do you do?

INSTRUCTOR RESPONSIBILITIES (covered everything)

·Character of a good flight instructor
·Professionalism
·Emphasizing the positive

AEROMEDICAL FACTORS
Covered nothing here

VISUAL SCANNING and COLLISION AVOIDANCE

·If you tell a student to scan in 10 degree increments how can they know what 10 degrees looks like? (hold up middle and index finger spread apart and that’s about 10 degrees)
·What is “Operation Lights On”?

PRINCIPLES OF FLIGHT (Covered everything in details)

·Airfoils (talked about camber, chord line, relative wind, AOA,
·Aerodynamics (talked about Bernoulli and newtons lift theories)
·4 forces acting on an airplane (what happens when speed up or climbing to forces and ones opposing them)
·Airplane stability, talked about static and dynamic, mentioned that must have positive static in order to have dynamic (give examples of positive, neutral and negative, like in turns)
·Differences between induced and parasite drag

AIRPLANE FLIGHT CONTROLS

·How do ailerons work, elevator, and rudder work.
·Asked “Do you hold rudder in during the turn the whole time?” NO, just initially then as needed

WEIGHT and BALANCE
Covered nothing here

NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT PLANNING
Nothing here



NIGHT OPERATIONS

·What would you do if you had an engine out at night and couldn’t see anything? (hold the airplane straight and level, and at MCA, until impact

NATIONAL AIRSPACE

·Taught everything A, B, C, D, E, and G, Dimensions, VFR Minimums
·Special VFR Clearance
·Special Use Airspace
·Where do you need a transponder besides in A, B, C airspace? (Class E above and below 10000 he says


LOGBOOK ENTRIES AND ENDORSEMENTS

·What can you do as a flight instructor?
·Should you be teaching or endorsing your friends and family and what are the implications of that?
·What does a student need in terms of flight training prior to solo 61.87d, Here is an acronym I came up with to remember this, kind of weird, but hey it worked for me (GETT WRAPS 4 FUN)
oG = Ground Reference Maneuvers
oE = Emergency Procedures and simulated engine outs
oT = Traffic Patterns
oT = Take off and landings (normal, x-wind, go-around, forward slip)
oW = Wake turbulence, wind shear and collision avoidance
oR = Run ups and taxi procedures
oA = Aircraft Systems
oP = Preflight planning and procedures
oS = Slow flight and stalls
o4 Fun = 4 fundamentals of flight (S&L, Climbs, turns, descents)
·61.87b, what subjects must you cover on the pre-solo written (memorized)
·61.93(e) solo cross country flight training requirements (expected this to be memorized) I used a weird acronym I came up with, its kinda lame, but it helped me. I C WETT TARP 4FUN in IMC
oI = Instruments and equipment usage
oC = Climbs in Vx and Vy,
oW = Wake turbulence, wind shear and collision avoidance,
oE = Emergency procedures including simulated engine out,
oT = Traffic Patterns,
oT = Take off and landings (short, soft, xwind and normal, go around and forward slip);
oT=Terrain Hazards
oA = Aeronautical Charts
oR = Radio Communications and Navigation Aids
oP = Performance Charts
o4 Fun in IMC = 4 fundamentals of flight (S&L, turns, climbs, and descents all by sole reference to instruments
·When you sign off students for solo or solo cross country, where do you put there endorsements?



OPERATION OF SYSTEMS


·Power plant and propeller
oWhat does the IO in Lycoming IO-360 mean?
oWhat does horizontally opposed mean?
oExplain how fuel injection works and what are the benefits and disadvantages of it?
oWhat is the difference between a constant speed prop and fixed pitch propeller, describe the differences between cruise props and climb props. (my explanation was that climb props have low blade angles, and related that to riding a bicycle up hill, in a low gear with high rpm you can get up the hill with better performance than if you are using a cruise prop which would be like riding a bike up hill in high gear with lower RPM. Then stated that constant speed was best of both worlds, he accepted that
oDraw the fuel system from memory and tell what all the parts are for. and tell what part is critical in the fuel injection system (ie. Servo regulator, because it meters the fuel mor efficiently)
oHow does carburator ice form? What advantages does Fuel injection have over carburators?
oDraw whats going on inside the engine, all the strokes, compression, power, etc. And tell how that makes the propeller turn
·Landing Gear System explanation
oDescribe how the landing gear works on Piper Arrow, draw a diagram and show the reversible pump and how that connects to gear switch and landing gear
oEmergency gear procedures, how to troubleshoot not having 3 green gear lights
oHow does the auto-extend work on landing gear
·Avionics
oDescribe how to use the Garmin 430
oDescribe how satellite navigation works
oExplain what RAIM is?

PERFORMANCE AND LIMITATIONS

·Discuss what load factor limitations are, normal category, utility and aerobatic and what the stress limits are, where they come from?


AIRWORTHINESS REQUIREMENTS

·What must you check prior to flight in terms of documentation and maintenance?
oAROW, 100 hour inspection if flight training aircraft, annual, VOR check, Pitot Static check, Altimeter check, Transponder, ELT, etc and the times they are valid through
oWhen do you need an FCC radio license onboard the airplane?

MANEUVER LESSON

·He gave me 20 minutes and had me prepare lesson plans on Steep Turns, Go-around, Chandelles, and Short Field takeoff and landings and I taught all of those.


FLIGHT PORTION OF EXAM

After 6.5 hours of oral my brain was fried, no lunch break and nothing to drink but one cup of coffee at 10 am. We went out to the airplane and he made me teach the following.

·Preflight walk around
oTaught the preflight procedures without (that’s right without) looking at the checklist. Said he wanted to see if I could do it
oWent through everything, landing gear overcenter locks, fuel sumps, fuel tank vents, checking alternator belt, prop for nicks, landing light operations and when one is needed, what antennas were for, how the flight controls operated by cables and pulleys,
oSafety while maneuvering around the propeller, when could the propeller just start up on its on (magneto ground broken)
oWhat was the inflation in the tires supposed to be, what type of tires were they?
oWhere was the external power outlet and how to do that for starting
oWhat type of oil should we be using in the summer versus in the winter
·Engine start
oWhy are we priming the engine
oWhat would we do if the landing gear handle was up when we enter the cockpit
oWhen are safety belts required
·Taxing
oHow do you know how fast to taxi? (fast enough that someone could jog along side the airplane and keep up, he thought that was outstanding answer)
oAirport signs, runway and taxiway markings, what they mean, etc
·Runup
oWhy are we doing 3 prop cycles (manifold pressure goes up, why?; RPM goes down, why?, oil pressure goes down, why?)
oWhat are we looking for when we check the magnetos, and if they drop out of RPM tolerance what does that mean?
oWhy do we position the airplane into the wind for runup?
oWhat would happen if we run the engine up in an area with lots of rocks, FOD?
·Radio Communications
oHe wanted me to teach him how to listen to ATIS, copy clearance and how to ask for that
oHow to find your way around an unfamiliar airport (in class C or B), I said ask for progressive taxi
·Takeoff
oNormal takeoff ( I was copying instructions and totally freaking forgot to pull the gear up, he finally said when we were about 1 mile from airport “When do you pull the gear up? DUH!) I just said “no more usable runway, gear comes up and kept on talking)
·Departure
oI talked about looking for emergency fields and keeping track of your position at all times while flying (just as a filler so he wouldn’t ask me anything)
oTalked about visual scanning and collision avoidance, didn’t want to give him time to ask me anything while we fly out to this unfamiliar airport in the middle or nowhere
·Maneuvers
oFirst thing we did was short field landing and I blew it, landed short and he said “Ok that’s unsatisfactory” Now show me a short field takeoff, which went well
oThen we did go around, which went well
oThen we did steep turns, one to the left was beautiful, then one to the right sucked, I admit I was a bit frazzled from lack of food, sweat in my eyes and busting the short field landing
oThen he said, Take me back to the airport, this ride is over

Im glad the ball buster oral is over, but pretty dissappointed in myself on the flight portion, which is supposed to be the easy part. Hopefully next time will go better
 
Sounds like an extremely thorough ride. Sorry to hear about the outcome, in case you didn't read it in the member announcements forum, I also failed my initial in June. I went back and got it with less than an hour on the hobbs, but failed nonetheless. It looks like you got almost the whole ride in, so here's to hoping that he doesn't bust your balls about retesting anything more than necessary.

I also had an issue on my CFI ride with hydration and fatigue. I think that some of the checkrides I've heard about, and the one I experienced are unnecessary. If you are going to give a ride so thorough in one day that you have to skip eating lunch and drinking plenty of fluids (I did bring a water bottle, but had no time to refill), than it's too much for the applicant. I think some of these DPE's are forgetting what the student is going through trying to pass a checkride. On my CFI ride my DPE asked how I was feeling at the beginning of the ride and I said "nervous". He said "oh really, I feel great". HAHA ahole.

The whole day was rushed and frantic, so although it seems like a huge pain in the rear to do a CFI ride over 2 days, it really is the best option for most people (depending on who's giving the ride).

Good luck on finishing it up and let us know how it went.
 
6.5 hours for the oral portion??!!

Man that's brutal!

Mine was 2.5 hours, and the flight was 1.3 hours, and I did them over 2 days. I can't imagine trying to do all that in the same day.

At least you've got the oral out of the way. You'll nail it next time!

So, congratulations anyway!
 
You guys are welcome, I hope it helps. I must say this checkride was a long one, longer than I anticipated. I was so tired after that I shouldve asked for a discontinuance, but like most pilots no one likes accepting defeat, so I went for it. I had trouble with my short field landings because I didnt get set up properly and overshot the first one, then initiated a go-around, then on the second one I came in about 150 feet short and it wasnt a stabilized approach. The other problem I had was with my steep turns, to the left was beautiful and I think it was because I could actually see the attitude indicator, but to the right I lost about 200 feet and never got it back. I basically feel like I flew like a moron, and so my confidence is down at the moment, but Im hoping to get it back soon and practice more and give a good showing next time. This ride was with a DPE, but contrary to popular belief I think it was just as hard if not worse than the FAA, from what I've heard.

If anyone has any good tips for chandelles, steep turns, shorts they would be much appreciated.
 
Short field landings - a stabilized approach is arguably even more key here than a normal approach, so give yourself a little extra time in getting set up.

Fly a slightly wider pattern than normal, and a longer final approach leg. Have the airplane all configured as you roll out on final (gear down, all flaps extended). Stabilize your airspeed early! If you nail the airspeed given in your aircraft's performance chart for short field landings, then you're already winning the battle!

Know where your obstacle is and know your touchdown point. The obstacle is 50 feet AGL, so aim to clear it around 100-150 feet AGL. As soon as your are clear (your instructor/examiner should inform you of this point), then decrease power a little, while maintaining airspeed with pitch, to increase your rate of descent momentarily. Then basically continue to use power to "drive" the airplane to the touchdown point (which is also your aiming point in a short field landing).

Steep turns - these are all about knowing where the horizon cuts across the cowling of your aircraft to maintain level flight - this will vary depending upon your power settings, so be consistent with the power setting and airspeed that you use to enter this maneuver. What works for me in a C172RG is, in a left turn, have the horizon run along the right-hand edge of the cowling, and in a right turn have the horizon cut through the 2nd set of rivets on the nose. I enter the maneuver at 100KIAS.
Also, anticipate changes in altitude early. As soon as the horizon moves of your reference point - DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! If the nose goes below the horizon, roll out the bank slightly, pitch up, and then re-establish the bank. If it goes above, then increase your bank momentarily to dump some of that vertical lift component.

Chandelles - the best advice I can give here is not to rush with the initial pitch-up attitude, otherwise you'll be "carrying the nose-up attitude" all the way around the maneuver and are liable to rollout too soon and/or be too slow. But on the other hand, you don't want to be too hesitant with pitching up either. So, be consistent with the entry airspeed (I use 90 KIAS in the C172RG), and verify your airspeed at the 90 degree point - it should be approx half way between the entry airspeed and Vs1. If it is, then you can be fairly confident that your pitch attitude is correct, otherwise adjust as necessary. As for the bank, just stay coordinated - use that rudder, and anticipate making rudder changes all the way through the maneuver.

Hope all of that helps, and good luck on the retest!
 
skydriverdc6 said:
my confidence is down at the moment, but Im hoping to get it back soon
Click to expand...

I know EXACTLY what you are feeling. I don't know if it was the dehydration or fatigue (probably a combination of both), but I was in shock for most of the evening, especially since I had never failed a checkride before in my life. I still don't know what a pink slip looks like since I never got one, but I know the feeling of what you are experiencing. I just swallowed my pride a little bit, got back up in the air the absolute next opportunity I had and my confidence came right back since I only had a couple of things to focus on. I would think you are in a similar position and won't have a problem either.
 
skydriverdc6 said:
I was so tired after that I shouldve asked for a discontinuance, but like most pilots no one likes accepting defeat, so I went for it. .
Click to expand...

Asking for a Letter of Discontinuance isn't accepting defeat. In fact I think, considering your situation, it would've been the prudent thing to do.

You are responsible for considering the Go/No Go decision, and I think if you had have applied I'M SAFE to your condition, then I think a no-go would've been right (Fatigue, Stress, Not eating...)
 
Yeah I know, youre right dazzler, I shouldve, but its too late now. I went up and flew today and did pretty good and have some of my confidence back. The examiner is certainly an intimidating guy though. I saw him today and he says "Are you ready?" and I said just about, and he says "Well you better be, because if you fail again youll be going to a new FAA inspector and they will probably make you take the whole thing over, oral and all. I was thinking, Great, thanks for the info, lol. I would have thought that if you once pass the oral, that you dont have to do that again no matter what, but maybe you do I dunno. Im trying to keep good spirits and have a can do attitude, so i can pull this off.
 
Congrats, man. Hope the weight off of your shoulders is as much as mine was.

Was this your first busted checkride?
 
Yep, this time the examiner was much more relaxed, less tension in the air and seems generally happy with my skills and flying. This is a huge weight off my shoulders, although now Im gonna need to focus on the CFII, but I've heard its a relatively easy checkride in comparison to the Initial CFI.

Yeah this was the first time I've ever busted a checkride. Although Im sure that in my flying career this can happen again. I've talked to several 135 charter guys who take checkrides a lot and they said "Sh*T happens" man, some days youre on, and somedays youre just off, dont sweat it. But I guess that will give me a good reason to try harder ya know. I think just like anything else, the CFI ticket is a license to learn, and I hope to learn a lot more as I begin instructing.

Now Im on to the CFII, by the way, any recommendation on a good CFII Instrument flying pilot manual? For study purposes?
 
skydriverdc6 said:
Now Im on to the CFII, by the way, any recommendation on a good CFII Instrument flying pilot manual? For study purposes?
Click to expand...

I'm just using all the same study guides I used for the instrument rating, with the addition of Rod Machado's Instrument Pilot Survival Manual. There's not really a dedicated CFII training manual per se.
 
Okay, well its been 11 years since I got an instrument rating and I just wanted something more current. I've seen all the FAA pubs such as Instrument procedures handbook and so on, and wondered if they were any good, or if there were any others that were better than others.
 
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