Jon Kraus ) wrote:

Or, can anyone give relay some interesting checkride
experiences to take the edge off my nervousness...

My instrument checkride was not atypical so I don't have any over-the-top
experiences to offer. I did, however, forget the acronym MEA when the DE
pointed to it on the en route chart and asked what the number represented.
After he answered his own question, I apologized for the legitimate brain
fart. This DE is also a CFII (not mine) and a very easy person with whom
to converse, so overall the test was very comfortable for me.

However, in regards to the nervousness, I have two suggestions. The first
is to really enjoy and interact with the DE during the oral exam. Ask him
about his experiences. Take the opportunity to let him/her teach you, as
well as the more obvious part about him/her testing you. The more you
informally interact with him/her, the more you should realize that he is
just a more experienced pilot who wants to be sure you will be a safe
pilot, especially with a rating that can be inherently more lethal.

Secondly, I found it reassuring that I absolutely did not want to pass the
instrument checkride if I was not a safe instrument pilot. I am not on any
fast track to some airline job, so slamming out ratings like the passing of
mile markers on a super highway was not my goal. Carrying my precious
cargo of my wife and two little boys as safely as possible was (and is
still) my goal. This may be obvious, but the point of passing is not to
pass, but to demonstrate some level of proficiency.

With that in mind, I gave the DE a quick speech at the beginning of my oral
exam stating that I expected him to withhold the rating if I was not safe
in his eyes. By doing this, I accomplished two things. First, it relaxed
me because it reminded me of the real purpose of the checkride. Secondly,
it demonstrated to the DE what my sincere goal was if I did pass the
checkride.

Remember that your CFII would not have endorsed your logbook if s/he felt
you were not ready. Fly like it is your CFII in the right seat, and you
should do very well.

Looking forward to reading your post-instrument checkride report.

--
Peter












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