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Commercial ride in less than a week.. any pointers?

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QuasarZ

Well-known member
Joined
May 16, 2005
Posts
328
As the title states.. I have my commercial SE checkride next tuesday in a 182RG. Do any of you have any pointers or last bits of information to help out with anything? Each day I get closer to the ride, the more nervous I feel and the worse my manuvers get. Some days they are great, some days good and some days just suck. Any rules of thumb for the manuvers to make them easier or any insight would be greatly appriciated!
Thanks
 
this is a pointer my friend was told by the FAA checkride guy when he was getting his helecopter license. "im not here to fail you, all you have to do is an average job, youre capable of that, right?"

Anyway thats all I got. good luck
 
Not much really. Just answer the guy's questions and then take him out for a little ride.

If you are stuck for an answer, think about where you would find that answer and it may come to you. Besides showing that you can fly each maneuver to standards, demonstrate that you are a thoughtful and safe pilot by setting a nice easy pace that allows you a little breathing room. Don't hurry! Be the PIC. He's just there watch you fly and be a second set of eyes. Make sure you both keep a good traffic watch. If you drift outside any maneuver tolerance, just make a smooth but positive correction and continue. Don't let a desire to perform to perfection overcome the need to maintain the bigger picture. Use the trim and don't choke the yoke!

You've trained for this and your CFI is ready to put his name on your application. So just do what you know how to do and it will most likely go pretty smooth. Stay objective and stay cool. It's just another checkride!

Best of success,
 
Last edited:
QuasarZ said:
As the title states.. I have my commercial SE checkride next tuesday in a 182RG. Do any of you have any pointers or last bits of information to help out with anything?

Don't get so used to flying IFR that you plan your "VFR cross country" at an IFR cruising altitude. ....Doh!!!:(
 
i just wanted to emphasize charter dog's comments. YOU set the pace for the check ride. Not him. Not ATC.
 
Plan A: Even though its 128 degrees F out, wear a brown leather bomber jacket, that just screams "professional." When he extends his hand in greeting say that his "ego is writing checks his body can't cash..." Guaranteed pass, he won't even make you fly and will likely recommend you for a well-salaried position high within managment structure of the FAA; he'd love to work for you.

Plan B: Don't sweat it, its just a checkride and soon you'll be doing these every six months for the next 40 years. Be calm, cool and collected and it will all come together.
 
LXJ31 said:
Plan A: Even though its 128 degrees F out, wear a brown leather bomber jacket, that just screams "professional." When he extends his hand in greeting say that his "ego is writing checks his body can't cash..."

Yeah, and then maybe he'll say, "You're a hell of a flyer. You are maybe ...too good. You never really stepped in it yet. So this is your chance. I'm gonna send you up against the best! You're going to the airlines!!"

Good luck!
 
JumpCaptain said:
Yeah, and then maybe he'll say, "You're a hell of a flyer. You are maybe ...too good. You never really stepped in it yet. So this is your chance. I'm gonna send you up against the best! You're going to the airlines!!"

Good luck!

[FONT=&quot]Then he will take that job of flying rubber dog sh*t out of [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Hong Kong[/FONT][FONT=&quot]!!!

Hey, don’t sweat it just fly smother then normal don't scare him/her and you will earn your ticket.[/FONT]
 
QuasarZ said:
another question I have is.... How much is asked on weather during the oral?
My commercial oral, asked what a METAR and TAF are, and just a general descrip of SIGMET/AIRMETs. Nothing more than that.

Bottom line, its different for every examiner.

Mine asked me runway/taxi lighting, for instance.
 
The only thing I can say to help settle your nerves is, nobody can do these commercial maneuvers perfectly. The examiner probably couldn't. They want to see that you're doing the correct procedures, and meet the minimum guidelines (which allow for quite a bit of error). Do what you know how to do, pretend the examiner is another CFI giving you advice. Piece of cake.
 
Don't screw up was the best advice I have ever gotten. You may laugh but it worked.
 
lazy 8's should be...um...lazy. And be "Captain whoever you are." Take charge and run the show. They love that. You'll find you're overprepared and it will be a non-event.
 
Hey man,

People told me the Comm. checkride was just a private checkride with some new maneuvers. It's basically true! The oral for me wasn't anything too complicated. I did my multi comm. at the same time, so that made it a bit more challenging. Take your time and just think logically. If it takes you a few seconds to think of the correct answer, don't sweat it. The examiner knows that patience is a virtue when he's waiting for your answer. If you're not sure, offer to look it up to show him you know where to find the info. I'm sure you've probably heard all this before...

The flying part is not very bad at all, assuming you're prepared - which I'm sure you are. If you're not happy with the way the maneuver is going, stop and ask to start over. My 8's on pylons sucked the first time, and I told the examiner I wasn't happy with the way they were going. I told him I was going to start over, and he said no problem. It's your test, take it into your own hands. You'll decide the outcome. Don't rush, and everything will turn out well at the end of the day! It's just a test, and it won't define who you are as a pilot. It will just give you one more story to tell at the end of the day - AND another certificate to put in your wallet!!!

As far as weather questions... as someone said earlier, each examiner is different. I stressed hardcore about my weather knowledge, and really didn't even have many questions about it. Know how to interpret an Area Forecast! That's all I got. Took mine 3 months ago, and now my CFI checkride is in 3 days! Can't wait to start workin! Take care and good luck my friend. Let us know how it turns out.
 
It's true.... The lazy 8's need to be really lazy. I thought mine were lazy and he told me they were not lazy enough. but hey, I managed to squeak a commercial ticket out of him though. Take your time and don't screw up!

goodluck
 

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