Glasair360RB
New Member
Passed. :beer:
My situation was very unique. I am stationed in South Korea, and fly out of the Air Force Aero club here (for a wonderful $74/hr, you get what you pay for ;-)). After completion of my training I got in touch with the ONLY FAA examiner on the Korean peninsula. After a very disappointing phone call I discovered I am going to have to get my check ride somewhere other than in Korea being that the examiner could only give Private pilot check rides :dunno:. After tons of paperwork (BIG time understatement
), and coordinating with a sister unit here I ended up hopping on a C-12 (King Air 200) flight to Okinawa Japan where I would link up with an Instrument check ride capable FAA examiner. Talk about lounging through hurls!! I got in contact with the FAA examiner in Japan and he told me where I could expect to fly on my check ride and provided all the approach plates. After coordinating for 3 months I found myself on the ground in Okinawa, Japan.
Check ride day.
Sunday (6/21). I woke up at 0430 and hopped in a taxi cab to the aero club. Opened the doors, turned on the lights. Because it's freakin 5am! Laid out EVERY document I could think of. Written test results, ground course certificate, medical, logbook opened to endorsements section, pilots certificate, TDH card, aircraft logs (transponder insp, last VOR ck, altimeter insp, etc.). And of course the examiner's fee of $400 :drool:. As soon as that was laid out dress right dress I grabbed my head lamp and ran out to the aircraft to do a super thorough preflight. Preflight complete. Went back inside and tracked massive amounts of wet grass and dirt all over the floor. At this point I pinged. I ran all over this unfamiliar flight school looking for a broom. I didn't want to give the examiner a negative impression as I have never met him before.
I met the examiner, he seemed very friendly and personable. A relief since I heard a few negative things about him, I also heard he failed the last two instrument applicants :insane:. After all the IACRA fun stuff it was question time. I will do my best to remember the questions he asked me. He got out a dozen page print out that entitled "Oral PTS" on the top, it looked like he had constructed an Oral guide per the PTS which included many scenario based questions.
You get your IFR rating, what are your currency requirements?
What must you do if you do not meet these requirements?
What must you do to keep IFR currency after six months, but less than 12?
What must you do if you go past 12 months?
What manuevers must you complete in order to maintain currency?
What do you do if you're doing an approach in a class D airspace, and ATC is issuing everyone in front of you a clearance for the visual approach and you notice there are clouds in the area and you are on an IFR flight plan? (Don't forget your cloud clearances in different airspaces day/night <10,000 feet and >10,000)
What is a contact approach?
Can ATC issue you a contact approach?
What is a visual approach?
Can ATC issue you a visual approach?
What are your alternate minimums?
What are the weather requirements to file for an alternate?
What are the alternate fuel requirements?
What are the approach minimums at your alternate?
Can you list an airport as an alternate if it does not have an instrument approach?
Name the types of minimum altitudes (MRA, MCA, MVA, MAA, MOCA, MEA, MSA)
What is an ORTCA? What is an OROCA? what is the difference?
What are the components to an ILS?
What is RAIM?
What are the difference between MDA/DH?
What are lost communications procedures?
If an approach says GPS/ADF at the top, and you're doing an NDB approach, and your GPS fails, can you continue the approach?
What do we have for anti/de-ice?
What happens if your airspeed indicator remains the same even though you know you're accelerating/decelerating?
What happens if your altitude indicator stops working/VSI stop working?
Okay, you don't have alternate air, now what? (break the VSI/altimeter glass)
What are some types of VOR checks?
How do you do a VOT check? How much error is allowed when comparing 2 VORs?
He then showed me an approach plate of Chino, CA and asked me why the GPS-B had a "-B" designator even though the course was not off set more than 30 degrees. (because the descent rate exceeds 400' FPNM)
if you want to know more, just let me know.. this is getting kinda lengthy.
The flight.
Took off from Kadena to the South west, then a right turn out to the North, got an IFR clearance to Yoron island. GPS approach, circle to land, mid-field down wind in the circle to land he put my hood down and said, you're back in the clouds oh no. Did the circling to land missed approach. Up into holding, did 1 turn in holding then requested vectors back to kadena. Now we're about to have fun, when back up w/ Kadena approach I requested vectors ILS, then option missed radar for a Localizer approach 23R. The controllers informed us they were unable.. uhhhh what?? unable because the radar control that does radar patterns was closed on weekends (that was written NO where, not even in NOTAMS, not in any air force procedural guides). My examiner was shocked as well, telling me he's never heard of that and we informed atc we were on an FAA IFR check ride and it'd be awesome if somehow they could do something. No. I asked for another IFR clearance back to Yoron island to do a VOR approach. Did a VOR approach rwy 14, 40 deg XW 14 kts. nailed it. missed app. then VFR to the south for 10 DME where he had me do a DME arc. Then we did unusual attitudes partial panel, followed by steep turns (Yes I know they were removed from the PTS, but I wasn't about to challenge him :crazy: besides, it's just steep turns, basics..). After the manuevers I asked for a clearance back to Kadena ILS full stop. with a 20 kt headwind and a ground speed of 60 kts, I felt every bump that the underlying hills were throwing up at me while on the approach. The IAF was 20 miles out, so.... if you do that math I was doing the ILS for approximately 18 minutes. 18 minutes of being bumped around while we were in and out of clouds the entire time (under the hood but you can tell when you're in a cloud), with an 18 kt headwind. I'm not complaining or anything but it was far less than what I expected, then again it's instrument flying. Nailed the ILS, went visual at dh and followed the PAPI down. He told me to shoot long so we didn't fly over the arresting cables on the rwy.
Taxiied in, shook my hand and congratulated me. I can't believe he let me have an instrument rating! j/k :rotfl:
the oral started shortly after 6 and ended right before 8.
2.8 Flight (it would have been less than 2 but remember we were diverted)
My situation was very unique. I am stationed in South Korea, and fly out of the Air Force Aero club here (for a wonderful $74/hr, you get what you pay for ;-)). After completion of my training I got in touch with the ONLY FAA examiner on the Korean peninsula. After a very disappointing phone call I discovered I am going to have to get my check ride somewhere other than in Korea being that the examiner could only give Private pilot check rides :dunno:. After tons of paperwork (BIG time understatement
), and coordinating with a sister unit here I ended up hopping on a C-12 (King Air 200) flight to Okinawa Japan where I would link up with an Instrument check ride capable FAA examiner. Talk about lounging through hurls!! I got in contact with the FAA examiner in Japan and he told me where I could expect to fly on my check ride and provided all the approach plates. After coordinating for 3 months I found myself on the ground in Okinawa, Japan. Check ride day.
Sunday (6/21). I woke up at 0430 and hopped in a taxi cab to the aero club. Opened the doors, turned on the lights. Because it's freakin 5am! Laid out EVERY document I could think of. Written test results, ground course certificate, medical, logbook opened to endorsements section, pilots certificate, TDH card, aircraft logs (transponder insp, last VOR ck, altimeter insp, etc.). And of course the examiner's fee of $400 :drool:. As soon as that was laid out dress right dress I grabbed my head lamp and ran out to the aircraft to do a super thorough preflight. Preflight complete. Went back inside and tracked massive amounts of wet grass and dirt all over the floor. At this point I pinged. I ran all over this unfamiliar flight school looking for a broom. I didn't want to give the examiner a negative impression as I have never met him before.
I met the examiner, he seemed very friendly and personable. A relief since I heard a few negative things about him, I also heard he failed the last two instrument applicants :insane:. After all the IACRA fun stuff it was question time. I will do my best to remember the questions he asked me. He got out a dozen page print out that entitled "Oral PTS" on the top, it looked like he had constructed an Oral guide per the PTS which included many scenario based questions.
You get your IFR rating, what are your currency requirements?
What must you do if you do not meet these requirements?
What must you do to keep IFR currency after six months, but less than 12?
What must you do if you go past 12 months?
What manuevers must you complete in order to maintain currency?
What do you do if you're doing an approach in a class D airspace, and ATC is issuing everyone in front of you a clearance for the visual approach and you notice there are clouds in the area and you are on an IFR flight plan? (Don't forget your cloud clearances in different airspaces day/night <10,000 feet and >10,000)
What is a contact approach?
Can ATC issue you a contact approach?
What is a visual approach?
Can ATC issue you a visual approach?
What are your alternate minimums?
What are the weather requirements to file for an alternate?
What are the alternate fuel requirements?
What are the approach minimums at your alternate?
Can you list an airport as an alternate if it does not have an instrument approach?
Name the types of minimum altitudes (MRA, MCA, MVA, MAA, MOCA, MEA, MSA)
What is an ORTCA? What is an OROCA? what is the difference?
What are the components to an ILS?
What is RAIM?
What are the difference between MDA/DH?
What are lost communications procedures?
If an approach says GPS/ADF at the top, and you're doing an NDB approach, and your GPS fails, can you continue the approach?
What do we have for anti/de-ice?
What happens if your airspeed indicator remains the same even though you know you're accelerating/decelerating?
What happens if your altitude indicator stops working/VSI stop working?
Okay, you don't have alternate air, now what? (break the VSI/altimeter glass)
What are some types of VOR checks?
How do you do a VOT check? How much error is allowed when comparing 2 VORs?
He then showed me an approach plate of Chino, CA and asked me why the GPS-B had a "-B" designator even though the course was not off set more than 30 degrees. (because the descent rate exceeds 400' FPNM)
if you want to know more, just let me know.. this is getting kinda lengthy.
The flight.
Took off from Kadena to the South west, then a right turn out to the North, got an IFR clearance to Yoron island. GPS approach, circle to land, mid-field down wind in the circle to land he put my hood down and said, you're back in the clouds oh no. Did the circling to land missed approach. Up into holding, did 1 turn in holding then requested vectors back to kadena. Now we're about to have fun, when back up w/ Kadena approach I requested vectors ILS, then option missed radar for a Localizer approach 23R. The controllers informed us they were unable.. uhhhh what?? unable because the radar control that does radar patterns was closed on weekends (that was written NO where, not even in NOTAMS, not in any air force procedural guides). My examiner was shocked as well, telling me he's never heard of that and we informed atc we were on an FAA IFR check ride and it'd be awesome if somehow they could do something. No. I asked for another IFR clearance back to Yoron island to do a VOR approach. Did a VOR approach rwy 14, 40 deg XW 14 kts. nailed it. missed app. then VFR to the south for 10 DME where he had me do a DME arc. Then we did unusual attitudes partial panel, followed by steep turns (Yes I know they were removed from the PTS, but I wasn't about to challenge him :crazy: besides, it's just steep turns, basics..). After the manuevers I asked for a clearance back to Kadena ILS full stop. with a 20 kt headwind and a ground speed of 60 kts, I felt every bump that the underlying hills were throwing up at me while on the approach. The IAF was 20 miles out, so.... if you do that math I was doing the ILS for approximately 18 minutes. 18 minutes of being bumped around while we were in and out of clouds the entire time (under the hood but you can tell when you're in a cloud), with an 18 kt headwind. I'm not complaining or anything but it was far less than what I expected, then again it's instrument flying. Nailed the ILS, went visual at dh and followed the PAPI down. He told me to shoot long so we didn't fly over the arresting cables on the rwy.
Taxiied in, shook my hand and congratulated me. I can't believe he let me have an instrument rating! j/k :rotfl:
the oral started shortly after 6 and ended right before 8.
2.8 Flight (it would have been less than 2 but remember we were diverted)
