Memorable questions from your checkride

mhcasey

mhcasey

Well-Known Member
Hey folks,

In a few weeks I'll be taking my initial CFI checkride (I'm guessing due to wx and mx it will be longer than that, but I'm staying positive), and was just wondering if you guys can remember any particularly troublesome questions you had during your CFI checkrides.

Looking forward to joining the ranks,

Mike
 
here are a couple of "stumpers" I know.

If the throttle cable breaks, what will happen and how will you safely land the airplane?

Which instruments are mechanicaly driven?

Why do you need to make sure the Primer is in and locked?

What endorsements are required for a C-208 Caravan turboprop?

On the sectional, there are some numbers located on lakes, what do these numbers mean?

How is it possible to fly at an IAS slower than Vso without stalling the airplane?

Is a PPL allowed to fly over a solid layer of clouds on a moonless night?

What part of the POH is "approved" by the FAA, and what part is advisory.

Can you land with a greater crosswind than is shown in the POH.



I'll try to think of a few more
 
One I should have known:
When will True airspeed and Indicated Airspeed be equal?

One that I nailed:
Why does the nose yaw opposite of the direction of a turn?

One that I didn't think was all that relevant:
What is the firing order of this engine?
 
When an airplane is type certificated, the manufacturer has to demonstrate VMC in a multi-engine airplane. Now, when they do this- there is 5 degrees of bank into the operating engine. We know that for every 1 degree of bank, VMC decreases by 3 knots.

This is also know as- VMC for Certification.

For example in the Beechraft Duchess (BE76)- VMC is 65 knots. When they got that number they were at Max Gross.....ETC....5 degrees of bank into the good engine...flaps down...ETC.

Now, with 5 degrees of bank into the operating engine, that decreases VMC alone by 15 knots. (5 degrees of bank X 3 knots/degree = 15 KNOTS).

Logic will tell us that without bank into the good engine, VMC increases 15 knots. That would make VMC 80 knots in a wings level, gear down configuration. Correct?

Well then why the hell do we rotate at 71 knots? If we lose an engine, we're toast...Instant VMC, no saving it.

Talk amongst yourselves.
 
USMCmech said:
here are a couple of "stumpers" I know.

If the throttle cable breaks, what will happen and how will you safely land the airplane?

Umm...What's the answer? Are you just stuck with that power setting and you go full flaps and expect a long landing? Pull carb heat and go mixture rich to try to lose some MP? Pull the mixture and shut off as soon as you touch down?

Which instruments are mechanicaly driven?

Not sure what's implied here. A little help? Seems like everything is electric, pitot static, or vacuum?

Why do you need to make sure the Primer is in and locked?

Can fuel leak out through the open primer, hence effing up your mixture?

What endorsements are required for a C-208 Caravan turboprop?

High performance, Complex, High altitude? Anything else?

On the sectional, there are some numbers located on lakes, what do these numbers mean?

Huh? Where are those? Sail plane altitudes?

How is it possible to fly at an IAS slower than Vso without stalling the airplane?

Slip?

Is a PPL allowed to fly over a solid layer of clouds on a moonless night?

I didn't think you could ever...is the rule just maintain ground refs? If there are tall buildings and/or mountains, they're legal?

What part of the POH is "approved" by the FAA, and what part is advisory.

No clue.

Can you land with a greater crosswind than is shown in the POH.

I'm guessing they want you to know the built-in pucker factor, which I dont.

I'll try to think of a few more
Click to expand...

Did you take your checkride at the San Antonio FSDO? By the way, I should probably have tried to look up all of those and I bet on a checkride that's what they'd prefer, but I thought I'd try my wits.
 
bdhill1979 said:
One I should have known:
When will True airspeed and Indicated Airspeed be equal?

One that I nailed:
Why does the nose yaw opposite of the direction of a turn?

One that I didn't think was all that relevant:
What is the firing order of this engine?
Click to expand...

1) Standard temp and pressure?
2) Adverse yaw.
3) Intake, compression, combustion, exhaust?
 
SmitteyB said:
When an airplane is type certificated, the manufacturer has to demonstrate VMC in a multi-engine airplane. Now, when they do this- there is 5 degrees of bank into the operating engine. We know that for every 1 degree of bank, VMC decreases by 3 knots.

This is also know as- VMC for Certification.

For example in the Beechraft Duchess (BE76)- VMC is 65 knots. When they got that number they were at Max Gross.....ETC....5 degrees of bank into the good engine...flaps down...ETC.

Now, with 5 degrees of bank into the operating engine, that decreases VMC alone by 15 knots. (5 degrees of bank X 3 knots/degree = 15 KNOTS).

Logic will tell us that without bank into the good engine, VMC increases 15 knots. That would make VMC 80 knots in a wings level, gear down configuration. Correct?

Well then why the hell do we rotate at 71 knots? If we lose an engine, we're toast...Instant VMC, no saving it.

Talk amongst yourselves.
Click to expand...

I will answer this as soon as I have enough money for multi training. Any other takers are more than welcome to give it a go. I'll probably look it up tomorrow to take a break from organizing my stinkin' lesson plans.

Keep em coming fellas! These are tough!
 
mhcasey said:
1) Standard temp and pressure?
Click to expand...
That was the answer I gave, he told me to pull out my E6B and prove myself wrong. On your E6B line up IAS and TAS the same (line up 60 with 60) then read what the pressure altitude and temperature window is saying. Those are the pressure altitudes and temperatures at which TAS and IAS will be the same.

mhcasey said:
2) Adverse yaw.
Click to expand...
Correct, but he wanted a very deep explanation of it:deflecting aileron downward changes the effective camber of the wing, increasing lift, also increasing induced drag, more drag is being produced by that wing ..........

mhcasey said:
3) Intake, compression, combustion, exhaust?
Click to expand...
Those are the cycles, which he did ask, but I thought that was valid since it applies to all recip engines.

He wanted the firing order of the cylinders in the Lycoming IO-360:
1, 3, 4, 2 if I remember rightly. A mechanic would need to know that, but I can't think of a reason a pilot would.
 
USMCmech said:
here are a couple of "stumpers" I know.

If the throttle cable breaks, what will happen and how will you safely land the airplane?

Which instruments are mechanicaly driven?

Why do you need to make sure the Primer is in and locked?

What endorsements are required for a C-208 Caravan turboprop?

On the sectional, there are some numbers located on lakes, what do these numbers mean?

How is it possible to fly at an IAS slower than Vso without stalling the airplane?

Is a PPL allowed to fly over a solid layer of clouds on a moonless night?

What part of the POH is "approved" by the FAA, and what part is advisory.

Can you land with a greater crosswind than is shown in the POH.



I'll try to think of a few more
Click to expand...

Since Casey threw in his answers, I'll chime in with what I think I know:

If the throttle cable breaks, what will happen and how will you safely land the airplane?
The engine would try to maintain the RPM it had when the cable broke, but due to the engine sucking air and the throttle valve wanting to move toward full open, it would move to full open with nothing to stop it. Also you can use the mixture and carb heat to regulate RPM when the cable broke.


Which instruments are mechanicaly driven?
Along with Casey, I am not sure. They are all mechanically actuated, in a sense, they are driven from something else however; depends what type of instruments you are talking about.

Why do you need to make sure the Primer is in and locked?
So fuel does not seep into the cylinders, although virtually none would anyway even if the primer was not in and locked; on the Cessna it doesn't really push the fuel into the cylinders until the primer knob is pushed back in.

What endorsements are required for a C-208 Caravan turboprop?
The only one I can think of is the High-Performance. I am not sure of the HA endorsement since I don't know the service, or absolute, ceiling of the Caravan. It would not require a Complex though.

On the sectional, there are some numbers located on lakes, what do these numbers mean?
Without looking at the sectional, I believe those are the runway lengths for aircraft to land on with floats (water runways).

How is it possible to fly at an IAS slower than Vso without stalling the airplane?
Slipping is one, and a whole lot of instrument error (which usually happens).

Is a PPL allowed to fly over a solid layer of clouds on a moonless night?
I believe so. The only thing I can recall with a limitation like that is that a student pilot must always maintain visual references with the ground. I can't recall any limitations like that with a PPL cert.

What part of the POH is "approved" by the FAA, and what part is advisory.
No real idea, but not much as I recall.

Can you land with a greater crosswind than is shown in the POH.
Yes, it is not a hard-set limitation, but more of a recomendation that was "demonstrated" by the test pilot during certification of the airplane.
 
E6BAV8R said:
Since Casey threw in his answers, I'll chime in with what I think I know:

If the throttle cable breaks, what will happen and how will you safely land the airplane?
The engine would try to maintain the RPM it had when the cable broke, but due to the engine sucking air and the throttle valve wanting to move toward full open, it would move to full open with nothing to stop it. Also you can use the mixture and carb heat to regulate RPM when the cable broke.
Click to expand...

How would the engine maintain the same RPM? You climb or descend you will lose and gain airspeed also the pressure changes effectively changing the mixture ratio which would also change the RPM.

Why do you need to make sure the Primer is in and locked?
So fuel does not seep into the cylinders, although virtually none would anyway even if the primer was not in and locked; on the Cessna it doesn't really push the fuel into the cylinders until the primer knob is pushed back in.
Click to expand...

For most aircraft that primer is on the cabin side of the firewall and if it is left open with an overzealous boost pump or engine driven pump it could begin forcing raw fuel into the cabin.

On the sectional, there are some numbers located on lakes, what do these numbers mean?
Without looking at the sectional, I believe those are the runway lengths for aircraft to land on with floats (water runways).
Click to expand...

Those are for float planes to adjust their altimeters too. It is essentially field elevation.


How is it possible to fly at an IAS slower than Vso without stalling the airplane?
[/I]Slipping is one, and a whole lot of instrument error (which usually happens).
Click to expand...

slipping? you will be finding our ass pointing up pretty quickly if you do that. I suggest you read up about cross controlled stalls. To fly slower then Vso without stalling you would want to add power because the vertical component of thrust will lower your stalling speed.
 
If the throttle cable breaks, what will happen and how will you safely land the airplane?
The engine would try to maintain the RPM it had when the cable broke, but due to the engine sucking air and the throttle valve wanting to move toward full open, it would move to full open with nothing to stop it. Also you can use the mixture and carb heat to regulate RPM when the cable broke.


The throttle is spring loaded to the full open position. Therefore the engine will go to full throttle (it also does this when you forget to adjust the friction lock) You can reduce power by leaning the mixture.


Which instruments are mechanicaly driven?
Along with Casey, I am not sure. They are all mechanically actuated, in a sense, they are driven from something else however; depends what type of instruments you are talking about.

The Tachometer is mechaically driven by a cable that spins with the camshaft

Why do you need to make sure the Primer is in and locked?
So fuel does not seep into the cylinders, although virtually none would anyway even if the primer was not in and locked; on the Cessna it doesn't really push the fuel into the cylinders until the primer knob is pushed back in.

It can flood the engine

What endorsements are required for a C-208 Caravan turboprop?
The only one I can think of is the High-Performance. I am not sure of the HA endorsement since I don't know the service, or absolute, ceiling of the Caravan. It would not require a Complex though.

HP and maybe the high alt, no endorsement is required for a turboprop.



On the sectional, there are some numbers located on lakes, what do these numbers mean?
Without looking at the sectional, I believe those are the runway lengths for aircraft to land on with floats (water runways).

I belive that they are average "field elevation" for the lake for floatplane pilots, however I haven't ever seen any proof.



How is it possible to fly at an IAS slower than Vso without stalling the airplane?
Slipping is one, and a whole lot of instrument error (which usually happens).

As long as the critical AOA is not exceeded the wing win not stall, regardless of airspeed. I have done this when flying a loop, 15-20 kts at the top, no stall.




Is a PPL allowed to fly over a solid layer of clouds on a moonless night?
I believe so. The only thing I can recall with a limitation like that is that a student pilot must always maintain visual references with the ground. I can't recall any limitations like that with a PPL cert.

Yes. It's stupid, but completely leagle

What part of the POH is "approved" by the FAA, and what part is advisory.
No real idea, but not much as I recall.

The limitations section is the only part reviewd and approved by the FAA. normal and emergency procedures, perfromance, and system description, is up to the manufacturer.

Can you land with a greater crosswind than is shown in the POH.
Yes, it is not a hard-set limitation, but more of a recomendation that was "demonstrated" by the test pilot during certification of the airplane.
 
Hrm...

I've tried forgetting about it but let's see:

1) What is Va for our flight? (He wanted you to show him the formulae to get Va)
2) what are the most common mistakes for all the maneuvers we are going to do today?
3) Why don't you damn ATP guys land with full flaps?
4) Why don't you damn ATP guys use 10 flaps on a short-field take off?


Crap, it was nearly a 5 hour oral and this is all I can remember?
 
SpiraMirabilis said:
Hrm...

I've tried forgetting about it but let's see:

1) What is Va for our flight? (He wanted you to show him the formulae to get Va)
2) what are the most common mistakes for all the maneuvers we are going to do today?
3) Why don't you damn ATP guys land with full flaps?
4) Why don't you damn ATP guys use 10 flaps on a short-field take off?


Crap, it was nearly a 5 hour oral and this is all I can remember?
Click to expand...

I usually got the same flack when I'd do a non self-examining checkride as a ERAU student.

"Riddle...blah blah blah...Riddle...blah blah blah"

Dang man, I thought I paid you for a checkride, not to listen to you incessantly whine about the name on the receipt of the business I rented a Cessna from... GRR...
 
USMCmech said:
On the sectional, there are some numbers located on lakes, what do these numbers mean?
Click to expand...

I've looked on my Miami sectional and I see those numbers. I've researched it and looked through the VFR symbols guide, and I can't find out what it means. I give up! What is it? Are the lakes numbered in some kind of order?

EDIT:
Ok, I should've read more. Interesting!
 
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