Instrument Checkride Cram Session

Murdoughnut

Murdoughnut

Well sized member
I figured I'd start a new topic for all of the last minute questions I have before my checkride in 5-days. I greatly appreciate you guys' help!

First question...

I just found out that I'll be meeting the examiner at his home field, Clearwater Airpark (CLW). It's a pretty simple field with no instrument approach procedures. Since I've always departed out of controlled fields during my IFR training, I want to make sure I understand how to pick up the clearance.

I've attached a photo of the AFD page for CLW.

So since there's no RCO listed in the AFD, does this mean I either have to call ahead of time (via phone) or pick up my clearance from the air? If calling is an option - who do I call? Do I find a phone number for Tampa Approach and call them? I assume that's also who I would call in the air?

KPIE is only about 8-miles away - should I even bother trying to pick up their clearance delivery frequency from the ground?

Thanks again for the help!
 

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Takeoff VFR and get your clearance airborne, or call and get a clearance void time. Read in the AFD about GCO and how to use it, and understand that you are responsible for closing your IFR flight plan upon landing, or while VMC prior to landing.
 
RCO to FSS

GCO to ATC / FSS (tune in the freq and key up 4 times and it rings a phone in center or approach, or 6 times for FSS)

You can call ahead to the FSS Flight Data / Clearance line on 888.766.8267 (I use this to save the hobbs)

Airborne pickup

Might be other options, these are just what I have used in the past.

Good Luck!
 
Just my 02 from various accident reports studied in college, get a clearance void time. There is no need to increase your workload in the air if you don't have to, whenever possible always have your clearance before you depart. What happens if weather is lower than reported and you have to bump around a few hundred feet above the ground trying to get a clearance? This sounds to me like a preparation for an ADM test by your examiner, maybe I am just reading into it though.

Good luck bud.
 
Know the number to call for center/approach so that if he asks you to call you have it handy. But chances are that the examiner will give you a 'fake' clearance, have you copy it down, he will act as your controller, and have you depart vfr. (at least that's what mine did), After we did some tracking, holding, and airwork, he had me get on with approach control for the practice approaches....

and my examiner had me do a zero-zero takeoff on my checkride, not in the pts, but I hadn't done one before. just sayin', maybe go do one with your cfii if you haven't.
 
Murdoughnut said:
I figured I'd start a new topic for all of the last minute questions I have before my checkride in 5-days. I greatly appreciate you guys' help!
Click to expand...

Good luck! Memorize the Oral Exam Guide, best $12.95 you can spend. Every single question on my oral came from that book.

Let me know if you need a safety pilot to practice some approaches this week. You'll end up doing all of them at KPIE or KSRQ depending on weather. KPIE can be challenging, as the tower likes to change your missed instructions 5 or 6 times once you are on the ILS (as I'm sure you already know).

What cross country do you need to plan? Be sure not to use any SID/STAR that says "turbine only." :)
 
Thanks guys - I greatly appreciate all of the help! Thanks for the Beagle offer - unfortunately I have next to no time to fly this week before the ride due to work and other responsibilities - but I'm using the time to really hit the books. My practice checkride went very well - a few minor mistakes that I won't repeat. I feel pretty good about it - or as good as you can I guess. Right now I'm just trying to anticipate questions before they come up.

I'm sure I'll have a few more questions before all is said and done.

Thanks!
 
I have this number on speed-dial in my cell phone: 888-766-8267. It's the general clearance delivery number. Call that to pick up your clearance when you have no other way of communicating via radio. You will get a void time.

Of course, another option is to depart VFR and pick up your clearance aloft, but that increases your workload in the air.

-A.S.
 
i've been reading it for about a week and feel a little behind. oh well... here's to tomorrow! :beer:
 
So here's another question just so I"m certain. The DH/visibility requirements for an ILS approach ... are you legally allowed to begin the approach if the ceiling is below DH, or the visbility is less than that listed? I seem to remember something about being able to go down and "take a look" but I couldn't remember if it was for both DH and visibility.
 
Murdoughnut said:
So here's another question just so I"m certain. The DH/visibility requirements for an ILS approach ... are you legally allowed to begin the approach if the ceiling is below DH, or the visbility is less than that listed? I seem to remember something about being able to go down and "take a look" but I couldn't remember if it was for both DH and visibility.
Click to expand...

Sure you can. Reported visibility and/or ceiling may be 100' and 1/4 mile, but you make the determination as to the flight visibility once you get to DH.

I.e. CIG could be reported at 300' but you may bust out well before DH and have the runway environment in sight which would allow you to land if the visibility is at or above what is required by the IAP.
 
Murdoughnut said:
The DH/visibility requirements for an ILS approach ... are you legally allowed to begin the approach if the ceiling is below DH
Click to expand...

You may have heard people say they can't due to operational requirements by the company they fly for. Regulations don't limit your ability shoot the approach even if it is reported 0/0, at least for 91. Anyone care to comment on 121/135, is there a difference?
 
shdw said:
Anyone care to comment on 121/135, is there a difference?
Click to expand...
Yup. They have to have (if I understand correctly) at least the minimum visibility reported. A friend of mine that flies for Cape Air has had plenty of sitting on the ground waiting for HYA to go above 1800 RVR....
 
shdw said:
You may have heard people say they can't due to operational requirements by the company they fly for. Regulations don't limit your ability shoot the approach even if it is reported 0/0, at least for 91. Anyone care to comment on 121/135, is there a difference?
Click to expand...

121 you can't cross the FAF if visibility is less than minimums. If you already have passed the FAF and weather worsens, you can continue to DH. You have to comply with whatever your op specs are too.

135 has different alternate and takeoff rules.

91 you can go down to DH to take a look, no matter what the visibility is.

There are no ceiling minimums for an IAP, for any civil aircraft.

Flight visibility is what matters. If the ASOS says 200' overcast, MDA is 500, and you see the runway at 600', you are fine - so long as the visibility meets minimums. If the minimum visibility is 1 sm, and you see the runway at 600' and 3/4 miles, no good.

Just remember, decending below DH/MDA requires 3 things!
1) Minimum flight visibility
2) Runway environment in sight
3) Normal approach to landing
 
IslandFlyer said:
Congrats! Any issues/problems during the ride?
Click to expand...

Only one - and it had to do with programming the GPS. We have the Garmin 300XL which is a great little GPS, but there's not a lot of training literature out there on it. ATC vectored me on a course to proceed direct to the FAW, bypassing the IAW that I had programmed in. By using the cursor you can actually highlight any waypoint and hit direct and it gives you a direct bearing to that fix. Well I turned the wrong knob and it tried to allow me to name another fix instead of scrolling down to the one below it.

Long story short, I had to ask ATC to vector me around again and re-program it. Unfortunately I did the same thing on the second go around, but managed to hit the right button to correct it. By then it was turbulent and ATC was issuing orders one after another, so it got kinda hectic. Oh, and it was also partial panel.

Thanks for your help - I'll do a full write up soon!
 
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