Commercial Checkride

gulfstreampiper

Well-Known Member
Got my Commercial ride coming up this Friday in Champaign, IL. Any last minute tips? This time I am with a different instructor and examiner than I had for both my private and instrument so I am kinda nervous about that.
 
You might browse thru the Airplane Flying Handbook just to make sure the way you're flying the maneuvers is the way the FAA wants them done. Browse thru the oral exam guide & POH for the airplane you're using to keep you fresh. If you don't know the material now, you won't suddenly learn it by Friday. Just browse the material enough to keep what you already know fresh

edit: Good luck on the checkride
 
Don't forget to look outside the window. Examiners hate to see you staring at your instruments. (2) If you can't find good points for your chandelles or lazy 8s, use a square field so you can see when you are at your 45, 90, 135 and 180 degree point. (3) Don't bs this one, if you don't know, say so.
 
Well yesterday was a great day. I passed! During the 2 hour oral we probably spend 45 minutes of him actually asking me questions. The rest of the time was about him telling me how commercial pilots need to be "thinking outside the box" and talking about the jets and taildraggers he flies lol. Real nice and knowledgable guy though. All the oral questions were really basic private pilot stuff. Except for a few commercial privileges questions.

Then it came time for the practical.

We started out with a soft field take-off. We then continued on the planned route. At my first checkpoint he said, "Is that it?" I said yes so we went out to the practice area to start maneuvers. I started out by putting it in slow flight and making a turn, followed by a power off and power on stall. We then did a lazy-eight and chandelle. On the chandelle I have a tendency to "Yank and bank" the airplane(I get in a hurry to gain altitude). He showed me how to do it much more "gracefully" lol. Then we did a steep spiral, he told me how basically no-one knows how to teach these properly. He told me that this maneuver is to show you how to "play with the wind" luckily the wind was pretty strong so I did just that. He then pulled the engine and had me do a simulated off airport landing. I was gonna make the field so we climbed a bit and did the eights on pylons. After that we went back to the airport and he had me do an emergency gear extension and a normal landing. We then taxied back and did a short field take-off with a soft- field landing. And that was it. The one maneuver I was worried about, because the wind was pretty strong, was the 180 degree accuracy landing. We didn't even do it. Overall he said I met all the requirements, but that I need to think "outside the box" more. He said I had a good understanding and control of the airplane and knowing how it is gonna react. Now off to do the Multi!!
 
Good job man, glad you had fun. Multi will be even more fun.

I like how your Check pilot was all about thinking outside the box-that seems to a forgotten thing in this day and age.
 
Back
Top