Check ride time

[Steve]

I've got a few students going for check rides in the next few weeks. Just wanted to hear some of the questions you current / former CFI's ask your private students that are challenging and show that they understand the topic thoroughly.

 

[Tarzan]

What makes an airplane airworthy?

Speed limit in Class C is?

 

[NYCPilot]

Man, there’s so many things you might want to quiz them on I wouldn’t know where to begin. Taken for face value, if they know their stuff thoroughly, they wouldn’t need any further probing. At least on the Private pilot material. That’s hard to believe, so find out what areas they’re weak in and have them go home and study it (or teach it to them for that matter). Post some topics they’re weak or strong in, and maybe I can suggest some questions.


Here are a couple of questions that come to mind.

Q1. Why would a class D airspace require a transponder?

A.1 The class D airport I fly out of (FRG) requires it as we are within the 30 N.M. class B veil. Outside the outer shelf, but inside the veil.


Q2. Have them name all the airspace they would pass through if falling straight down from space. Pick something with a lot of different overlapping airspace. Make sure they know the type of airspace, when it begins and ends, and the requirements for each.

 

[Jmmccutc]

i had an examiner ask me several years ago how much the paint on a 152 weighed...not that he expected me to know it he wanted to see if i knew where it was, it's in the PHO under the master weight and ballance list...

 

[NYCPilot]

Oh wait, I just thought of another one. This only applies if your student flies a carbureted engine.

Here’s the scenario.

Q1. During the runup, while applying carb heat, you notice an increase in RPM rather than the usual decrease. What’s causing this? (They’re usually stumped)

A. Something is blocking the air intake and the carb heat has just become an alternate source of intake air. Perhaps some debris like a small piece of paper or an old, flattened cigarette pack flew up and got sucked onto the external air intake filter. This actually happened to someone I know.

Here’s another one you might want your student to know.


Q1. If your engine does actually quit due to carburetor icing, will leaning the mixture aid in bring the engine back to life?

A1. Yes. Due to the venturi being constricted because of ice formation, the passageway has effectively become narrowed and the mixture has become artificially enriched. Most students are taught to move everything forward in a situation where the engine stopped. Bringing the mixture back may actually help.

Of course, its is also imperative to use FULL carburetor heat as well and before tinkering with the mixture. This too, has happened to someone I knew.

Have you quizzed your students on things like overbanking tendencies, and why they occur. Explain to them what occurs during shallow, medium and steep turns.

Shallow – Aircraft begins to move back to level. (lateral stability outweighs the overbanking tendency of the outside wing traveling faster than the inside one.)

Medium – Aircraft remains in a banked attitude. (lateral stability and overbanking tendency are in equilibrium.)

Steep – Aircraft wants to continue banking. (Overbanking tendency outweighs the lateral stability.)

If this group of students are very challenging, you may want to start going over some more in-depth stuff, like that required by the commercial or CFI certificate.

 

[grantrobarts]

Explain what dihedral is and it's effects.

 

[WMUchickenhawk]

Im not a CFI, but I just took my chedckride in may.
For a 172r, I got asked

what Glycol was
Diagram the six pack, what system each instrument uses, and what the limitations are.
I was asked the scuba diving questions,
Nighttime currency, what cariies over, ie taildragger to trike, but not trike to taildragger. High performance to an aircraft below 200hp
What is a complex aircraft
what is a high performance aircraft
what endorsements are need to fly them
inoperative equipment regulations
cloud clearences in G airspace
purpose of Dihedral
purpose of aileron balance weights
how do the flaps work
would volcanic ash be sigmet, convective sigmet, or airmet. And how long each of the previous lasts for
height of class C
What happens if the air inlet freezes over
had to read a couple of wx charts
difference between an accident and an incident
On a xc flight from KBTL to Muncie, where would I divert if I had a passenger have a heart attack

 

[check6]

Explain Coffin's Corner.

 

[WMUchickenhawk]

As in kicking to the corner on a punt or kickoff? Its a lost art.

Explain Coffin's Corner.

 

[Illini Pilot]

i like to just take a sectional and point to various places, asking to describe all the airspace from the ground all the way up through class A

 

[johnpeace]

Make sure you remind them to reset the DG to compass after the steep turns and unusual attitudes, as these are likely to cause precession in the DG.

 

[FlyJordan]

i had an examiner ask me several years ago how much the paint on a 152 weighed...not that he expected me to know it he wanted to see if i knew where it was, it's in the PHO under the master weight and ballance list...

how much did it weigh?

 

[cforst513]

i just had my checkride on monday, and a few things i shoulda studied more included the airplane's systems (being able to draw the fuel system) and lots of the small print on the sectional. the examiner, as i was warned going into my exam, likes to make the checkride a learning experience. he's been an examiner for 32 years, and he has a good idea of what to expect when it comes to where students aren't proficient. he asked me what the altitudes for an MOA were and asked me where i'd find them, then showed me why i was wrong. he also asked about local time vs. zulu time on the sectional. i know this is nitpicky, but i came out of my exam much wiser than when i entered it. on a side note, my CFI had the poor luck of walking in after my checkride, and my examiner started asking him the same questions he asked me, and my CFI got them wrong!!! the examiner went through the same explanations for him as he gave me. had to be a humbling experience.

what i did in preparation was take the written 2 days beforehand and read through the gleim private pilot book for that twice. then i read through parts 61, 91, 43, and 830 of the FAR's, as they pertained to my type of flying. i went through the pilot's handbook for my cessna 172R a few times, hitting the systems and V-speeds pretty hard. i also went through the oral exam guide two or 3 times. as for the practical stuff, i think that i put in 4.5 or so hours doing nothing but the maneuvers. if i was your students i would start at least a week early studying for these things, like i did. i passed just fine, and hopefully, with a little hard work, your students won't have a problem. and by the way, 3 hours of ground ref and shorts and softs IN ONE SITTING is hell. pure, bloody hell.

 

[transampilot]

Ask the question of why Va changes with weight.
Ask why Best glide isn't marked on the airspeed indicator.

 

[NYCPilot]

Ask them:

Q. What makes an airplane fly?

(most will go into Bernoulli and Newton...Lift, pressure, AOA, yada, yada, yada...)






























A. Money!

 

[mocaman]

Money

 

[Jmmccutc]

how much did it weigh?

9.4 lbs.

9.0 for base white paint
0.4 for color stripe...

 

[empenage]

Keep them calm.

Remember the examiner wants to check their decision making ablility.

Tell them that they can't remember everything, but they better know where and how to look it up.

Keep them calm.

Make sure they can fly their plane through anything and get back safely.

Keep them calm.

 

[Doc Holiday]

There are too many scenario based questions to think of them all, but use what you can come up with to see if your student can correlate basic information about systems, regs, and operating techniques to come up with a reasonable response.

Go through the PTS and hit everything as a last review. Expand upon those specific items listed, for example "preflight planning" encompasses a lot information. If the student knows the material, then this process should be fairly quick and straightforward. You should only have to clarify a few points here and there. If you find yourself having to teach/reteach very much of the material, then the student probably isn't ready. Be sure to review the introduction of the PTS as well, so the student knows exactly what is expected of him/her during the ride and what the examiner is required to be looking for.

Make sure that the student knows how to reference the FAR/AIM, POH, and other pertinent materials with some efficiency. IMHO, just knowing the speed limit below 10K is 250 because someone told you isn't good enough. The student should atleast know it is in Part 91 and should be able to find it with relative ease. (This was just a 'for instance').

Hope this helps.

 

[cforst513]

what i found helped (even at 8 am) on my pvt checkride was doing a few shots of jack daniels before i did the oral. really took the edge off of things