Passed Commercial Single Engine

tmccaghren17

CFI/CFII
I figured I would just a run down of some of the things that went on in the checkride as to help others.

So in the oral, our discussion came basically right out of the PTS. Most everything was put into scenario based however. We covered the usual, what make you and the plane legal. show the maintenance records and so forth. Covered the XC and airspaces, with what you need an visibility. Discussed the PAVE model and making good decisions. A little bit about high altitude, oxygen, and pressurized aircraft. Basically after looking through the PTS and making sure I knew everything in it, I was very well prepared.

Flight, He watched me preflight
-Normal departure to start the XC ( had to dodge clouds and alter altitude)
-Diversion to a glider sight where the engine "failed" on me
- Eights on Pylons
-Steep turns
-slow Flight, power off stall, power on, and accelerated
Lazy eights ( I was worried about these however they were pretty good, FINALLY realized looking outside the airplane for the visual references helps a ton)
-emergency decent
-head back to the airport
-Normal landing -had a gear failure to trouble shoot first
-soft field t/o and ldg (go around was also initiated before the soft landing)
-short T/o and Ldg
-Power off 180 (nailed it)

Any advice to offer would be to read over the PTS and know every item inside of it, relax, and prove that you can make good judgement in your flying
 
If you don't mind me posting in your thread, I had my CSEL checkride a few days ago as well.

Oral was almost all systems. How does the constant speed prop work, fly weights, draw it for me, etc..., then details about the magnetos, fuel system, etc...

Then, it was a description of the maneuvers. In addition to how to do them, what would each one be used for? "Why would you want to do a constant speed and constant bank turn during a steep spiral?"

Then, what can you do as a commercial pilot? Describe part 121, 135, 119, 137. "If you are checked out at a part 135 in a particular aircraft and go to another 135 operation, can you start flying it immediately?" "What do you have to do to fly it?" Then several scenarios describing situations and asking if I would do it - transporting things and people for money.

Then we went to the airplane.... what is each antenna used for, what is the notch on the leading edge of the vertical stabilizer (where the old ADF antenna would have connected), etc...

Checkride:

We didn't even pretend to start on the cross country. We just headed to a local non-tower controlled airport - in the opposite direction as the cross country.

Started with a Soft field TO, lazy 8's, slow flight, power-off stall, power-on stall, accelerated stall, chandelle to both left and right, 8s on pylons, steep turns in both directions without stopping between them, shortfield landing, poweroff 180. short field TO, then home.

Accelerated Stall:
Evidently I had an older PTS, as did my instructor and everyone in the flight school. I was asked to do an accelerated stall, and I had never seen/practiced one. I was allowed, while flying with the DPE, to read the PTS. I gave it a shot, banked it over, pulled it back until it stalled, and recovered. I apologized to the DPE and he was actually more mad at my instructor than me. I did demonstrate it to PTS standards,

He passed me, and I was thankful.
 
yeah the accelerated stall is apparently pretty new. practiced them only a couple time but overall pretty easy. Congrats on your ride as well
 
Ditto on the accel stall, I had that for PPL, but did ok.

The divert was the one that was tough, 10 years inbetween PPL and CPL with no refresher, but passed the ride fine.
 
I feel you on the division, always hate them, especial when your instructor gives you one about 25 miles away for practice
 
I have my CSEL coming up on friday (recheck :bang:). First time, I had the biggest brain fart I have ever had. Most likely couldn't have passed a private ride. Felt prepared going into it, then my brain flipped a switch and turned off. Feel extra nervous coming into it the second time around.
 
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