Check Ride coming up....

[VW Pilot]

OK my PPL check ride is coming up. I did all my training in a PA-28-161 but here in Tampa, all the flight schools have gotten rid of thier warriors in trade for C-172. So I have been checked in the 172N and have made the transfer. Took about three hours with my instructor and I soon became fimiliar with the plane. So I have been preparing for a while...you know, check lists use, GUMP C SS checks, clearing turns, practice maneuvers, Oral exam guide, etc...particularly this guy seems to put alot of focus on centerline taxi/runway control....but I was just wondering if anyone had any tips or suggestions that could aid....Thanks. I go up on the 3rd of Sept....wish me luck.

 

[Princedietrich]

Best advice I can give is to relax and have fun with the experience. The majority of checkride failures are pilot nervousness induced.

 

[AC560]

If you don't know the answer to a question don't guess. Say you don't know but know where to find the answer then show the examiner you know where and how to find the answer. You can't get away with that for the entire test but it beats guessing.

 

[great cornholio]

If you mess something up then just let it slide off of you. Dont let it get you messed up or nervous in the head. Always forget about what happened a few mins ago and focus on the maneuver you are doing now. If you can do this then it will help for every checkride you will ever take. It is harder said than done, but like someone said above most failures are caused by nervous pilots making stupid mistakes.

 

[The_Russian]

Don't let this mess you up.....

but....

Why do you use a "GUMPS" check on an aircraft that is not complex? Most of the call outs would not be used. (As far as I know)

Out of all of the schools that I attended and taught at, GUMPS was discouraged from being used. While it is a good flow, it is generally not represented by checklists or profiles for any type of flying. Some instructors actually believe it is completely unprofessional.

 

[VW Pilot]

Well the reason I was taught GUMP C SS is because my instructor assumed somewhere down the line, i would soon fly a complex aircraft of some sort. And in the direction I was headed and still headed, I eventually will end up in a C-172RG or Seminole, BE-76 or anything else complex. I don't see how this can be unprofessional....it is knowledge ahead. I was once quoted...there are two types of Pilots who will land planes....Those with landing gear and those without....from there I got the drift and could understand wht he meant. it is good practice. The likelyhood of you to forget to let the landing geardown is slim if you practice. If has happened...Just check Youtube.com....it's on there.

 

[PhatAJ2008]

Don't answer more than the question asked...

 

[EdAtTheAirport]

If I were your instructor in this situation, I'd be certain to emphasize the effect of the 40 degree flap setting in the 172. Full flaps in a 172 is far more "draggier" than full flaps in the long-winged, floaty, Warrior. They are like having parachutes deployed. It produces either of two effects. You either:
(1) Wind up carrying lots of power with full flaps, or
(2) Descend at a steep angle to keep your airspeed up.

I would imagine that your "issue" with the 172 is centered on this flap issue. Do stalls and slow flight with full flaps. You can hold nearly 40 KIAS in a 172 with full flaps; try it.

See how much drag the full flaps produce. Try a go around, first without retracting the flaps. Then retract them and see the difference. You ain't flown a Cessna 'til you forgot to retract the flaps on a go 'round.

The high wing is a different, but is a non-issue. To prove that an airplane is an airplane, try some crosswind landings. You'll notice that the left aileron/ right rudder (or opposite) is the same. Centerline and drift control is the same on a Cessna as it is on a Cherokee, as it is on a Learjet, a Challenger, a Boeing.

If you can land the 172 with the nose straight in a 17 knot crosswind (max demonstrated for the 172?) then you have conquered both it, and the Warrior.

Take another flight (or 2) to work on this.

Good luck!

 

[EdAtTheAirport]

Oh one other thing. It's critical. Whenever you reduce power to (or near) idle in the 172, you have to use carb heat. Don't forget this!

 

[nosehair]

Well the reason I was taught GUMP C SS is because my instructor assumed somewhere down the line, i would soon fly a complex aircraft of some sort. And in the direction I was headed and still headed, I eventually will end up in a C-172RG or Seminole, BE-76 or anything else complex. I don't see how this can be unprofessional....it is knowledge ahead. I was once quoted...there are two types of Pilots who will land planes....Those with landing gear and those without....from there I got the drift and could understand wht he meant. it is good practice. The likelyhood of you to forget to let the landing geardown is slim if you practice. If has happened...Just check Youtube.com....it's on there.

Very good come-back to the Russian. You pass.
keep that attitude into your checkride and educational career.

You have a well thought-out reason for what you are doing, which is different from the guy who uses a GUMP check (or whatever) as a rote procedure that he does just because he was told to. That's what the Russian is referring to, and in those cases, it probably does more harm than good.