Pre-Checkride Jitters...

[FlyinTim]

Hey all....Takin my Commercial Single hopefully in the middle of next week....and yea im gettin those jitters already.....any help?....Can you guys share what you had to do on your oral/rides?....Anything will help...You allll know the feeling ....



Thank You all....
TIM

 

[minitour]

Hey all....Takin my Commercial Single hopefully in the middle of next week....and yea im gettin those jitters already.....any help?....Can you guys share what you had to do on your oral/rides?....Anything will help...You allll know the feeling ....



Thank You all....
TIM

...so that's not just a PPL Checkride feeling???

...dang...

 

[Ace757]

I know it doesn't help, but I got torn up on my commercial oral by a DE the day after I had just past a 5hr stage check where the check airman went line by line of the PTS. Not trying to scare you, but the oral can have some weird questions on it depending on the examiner.

 

[JonJohn82]

Before each checkride I go on, I always raise my arms as people do in victory. I feel confident and better about whatever is to come. I would suggest doing this in private also.

 

[Vik]

My examiner had a xerox copy of oral part of the PTS with her.

She went line by line and checked them off with her pen. She obviously didn't cover each item, but if YOU cover each item, you'll be alright.

Its a private checkride with a few more subjects basically.

Questions I remember getting wrong --

1)What exactly is in the hub of a 172RG which causes the prop to change its angle (answer: a piston).
2) What does 91.213(d) say and give examples and apply it. I knew it, but didn't know it to the extent a commercial pilot should. I didn't bust, but we spent 20 minutes talking about it.

Know the systems in your airplane very well, and be able to draw the diagrams that are in the PTS.

Print out the FAA doc about what a commercial pilot can and cannot do and know how to apply it to various situations. I dont know the AC # but its available online and you can print it out.

All the best ..

Vik

Hey all....Takin my Commercial Single hopefully in the middle of next week....and yea im gettin those jitters already.....any help?....Can you guys share what you had to do on your oral/rides?....Anything will help...You allll know the feeling ....



Thank You all....
TIM

 

[JetSpeed219]

I'm a week away from my Commercial ride too, just keep studying the oral exam guide and keep practicing your maneuvers, you'll know if your ready.........

 

[unreal]

Really, the biggest thing here is knowing your PTS inside and out. It is the test, so don't solely go off of oral guides and gouges from other pilots. Something a lot of pilots don't do is go over the introduction section very well. It very clearly lays out your responsibilities, the examiner's responsibilities, sat/unsat performance, etc. Reading and understanding the entire PTS is a crucial step in having a smooth ride without a ton of stress.

But anyways, here's what I do: Do not study the night before the checkride...this is crucial. If you do, you'll go to bed with all sorts of worries in your head. Study a couple days in advance, and maybe up until the afternoon of the day before the ride. The night before, just kick back, relax, and watch some TV. When you go to bed, remove all thoughts of flying from your head (easier said than done, I know...you'll get used to it). When you get up in the morning, go do it!

One of the realities of flight training is that pre-checkride jitters will always be there to some extent. The quicker you realize that, the quicker you can learn to work with it.

 

[FlyinTim]

thanks for that unreal...

 

[unreal]

thanks for that unreal...

No prob. Best of luck to you. By the way, the AC the previous poster was referring to is AC 120-12A, which outlines common/private carriage. Definitely necessary reading.

 

[generaltso]

Drink a six pack and get some sleep the night before. That is my secret

 

[FlyinTim]

im gonna schedule it tommrow for thursday ahhhh

 

[Lead Sled]

What you've got is a classic case of "checkrideitis". It doesn't matter who you are or how many checkrides you've taken over the course of your career, it's a normal reaction. You will do fine on the checkride. Remember, the DE is not looking for perfection, just stay within tolerances and be safe.

To date, throughout the entire history of the world, no one has ever flown a perfect checkride (or flown a perfect flight for that matter) and you're not going to be the first. Just do what you've been trained to do and everything will turn out just fine. If you find yourself crosswise with any given manuever, simply correct yourself and move on. Unless you've done something totally off the wall it probably won't even be mentioned.

As far as the oral goes, be very careful not to tell the examiner more than you know. Answer the questions simply and directly, nothing more. He/she will be able to tell very quickly when you're in over your head.

One of my friends is a designee and I've talked to her at length about the process. Yes, the designated examiners have a certain pass/fail ratio that they have to fall within or they are subject to additional scrutiney from "big brother". None of them want this and few will admit it, but if they happen to be bordering on becoming known as "Santa Claus" they will do what ever they have to do. Fortunately, this doesn't happen very often, but when it does, you have to remember that absolutely anyone can bust any checkride on any given day. I'm not telling you this to get you wound up, but simply to let you know of the possibility. If worse comes to worse it's really no big deal, you just have to go back and demonstrate the manuver(s) that you were found lacking in.
In the real world, no one cares #1 what scores you got on your writtens; #2 if you ever failed a checkride; or #3 where you got your licenses or ratings from. That fact that you have them in your wallet is all that anyone ever cares about.

Lead Sled