"Jon Kraus" wrote in message
Or, can anyone give relay some
interesting checkride experiences to take the edge off my
nervousness...
It was November 2001. The WTC wreckage was still strewn across lower
Manhattan and the Pentagon construction crews were starting their own
herculean rebuilding effort while many citizens were still wary of aircraft
sounds in the skies. The Powers That Be had just recently implemented the
DC ADIZ and all the local pilots were well aware that the circular contrails
above the city were created by aircraft not displaying civilian livery.
I scheduled my checkride to fly out of Frederick, MD (KFDK) but that meant I
had to get my plane from Leesburg, VA (KJYO) to FDK. At the time of my
checkride, all flights in the ADIZ had to be on IFR plans so I had to
convince my instructor to tag along so we could fly IFR on his ticket.
We get to FDK without incident, meet the DE and she begins reviewing the
documentation. Aircraft logs check out OK and she reviews my logbook. "So
you flew to Elizabeth City, NC for your long XC?" Yes. "I don't see an
instructor sign-off." Uh-oh.
I had gotten an interpretation from AOPA that an instructor was not required
for that flight. They were wrong. As the DE put it, "You should have asked
the FAA." OK, what are my options? It turned out that her afternoon
appointment had cancelled (perhaps due to ADIZ restrictions) and she was
willing to give me the checkride in the afternoon *IF* I could get the long
XC done that day.
I call the office and let them know I need to take the rest of the day off
and they graciously agreed. Meanwhile, my instructor (who I begged to
check) also was able to get the day off from his day job.
We planned and flew a XC from FDK to Hot Springs, VA (KHSP) - a very cool
mountain-top airport for those interested - with a secondary stop at
Shenandoah (KSHD). While waiting for fuel at SHD, I called and confirmed
with the DE that we would be back in FDK that day, but that daylight would
be fast receding by the time we got there. She normally doesn't conduct
checkrides at night, but she suggested I get back to FDK as quickly as
possible.
We kept the squirrels under the cowl of the 172 running as fast as the whip
could get them and we arrived back at FDK with about 25 minutes of daylight
left. My instructor signed off the logbook and the DE began the oral
portion of the checkride.
Everything went well and we went to the plane where I performed the
pre-flight by flashlight. Luckily, I was still night current and we took
off for the practical test.
We went through the usual assortment of tasks - steep turns, DME arc, VOR
approach, tracking radials, etc. - and ended up shooting the ILS back to
FDK. She let me know that I'd "broken out" and could remove the hood and
proceeded to inform me that as long as I could land and park the plane, I'd
received my instrument rating. Even with that added pressure, I was able to
fly a near-perfect glideslope followed by a chirp-chirp...chirp landing that
any instructor would be proud of.
We went inside where the DE filled out my temporary certificate and I filed
my very first IFR plan where I was to be PIC - just to get home to JYO.
After all was said and done, I performed the first pre-flight of the day
before 8am and tied down after 7pm. In between, I logged 1.1 hours for the
trip to/from JYO-FDK, 4.1 hours for the long XC, and another 1.3 for the
practical test (6.5 hours of flight time) on top of the oral exam.
It was a long day.
Let this be a lesson for all: Take your instructor on the long XC flight!
Really the nerves haven't hit yet and I figure that
the worst thing that will happen is that I'd bust some portion and
have to retake it... Holding pattern entries would be my guess...
Good attitude. Try to stay calm. Remember that your instructor wouldn't
send you up (hopefully) unless he thought you were ready.
--
John T
http://tknowlogy.com/TknoFlyer
http://www.pocketgear.com/products_s...veloperid=4415
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