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How would you do on this Instrument Checkride?


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I initially had sticker shock at the price of this checkride, however, upon reflection— it’s about damn time that the professionals at this end of the industry (and this DPE sounds like a true pro) get compensated more nearly in line with the importance of their work.  The same for CFIs.   Sorry for the thread creep.  I’m an airline guy and relatively inactive CFI and I’ve thought for a long time that wages in the industry were conceived in Opposite Land. 

Thanks for publishing the writeup Don.  That student of yours sounds like a superstar too, looks like he made you proud!

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1 hour ago, Aviationinfo said:

I initially had sticker shock at the price of this checkride, however, upon reflection— it’s about damn time that the professionals at this end of the industry (and this DPE sounds like a true pro) get compensated more nearly in line with the importance of their work.  The same for CFIs.   Sorry for the thread creep.  I’m an airline guy and relatively inactive CFI and I’ve thought for a long time that wages in the industry were conceived in Opposite Land. 

Thanks for publishing the writeup Don.  That student of yours sounds like a superstar too, looks like he made you proud!

Our discussion with the DPE after the check ride was valuable.  First off, he turned into a "real" person and really discussed his profession and the current issues with it.  I sat in on the debriefing with the student.  It took less than a minute.  He said, "regarding the debrief, I don't have any to comment regarding the Instrument check ride.  You flew it perfectly.  I'd only comment that after landing don't clean up the airplane until you're off the runway."  This examiner is tough, but fair.  He is not prone to no comment after a check ride.

Regarding the instrument rating:  While this student was exceptional, he put in the time and the hard work required to do a perfect check ride.  He showed me that practicing at home extensively on a FTD, even uncertified, was valuable.  He verbalized all checklists and approach briefing out loud, but made it sound like a crew member in a commercial cockpit running checklists; believable.  He was never cocky nor arrogant, always willing to learn.  He should fly for the airlines, but Google is his home for now.

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2 hours ago, gsxrpilot said:

I'd have probably failed that check ride :P

Mine was done in a Cherokee 140 that was barely IR itself... if we included the ADF and the egg timer stuck to the panel.

Mine was in a 172 with similar equipment.   VOR, ILS and a Localizer Back Course were my approaches.  --And timer stuck to the panel.  No GPS and no auto pilot.

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20 hours ago, Kris_Adams said:

$300 here back in 2010...Mine took about 5 hours or so start to finish.  I also had the "pleasure" of having the examiner and the FSDO sit through my oral and the flight.  I guess the examiners have to be reviewed by the FSDO every year (or so not exactly sure) and I was fortunate enough to have 2 guys asking me questions.  I passed thankfully so this just gives me a good story to tell!

-Kris

FAA rep?...I would have been as nervous as cat spitting up hairballs at pitbull convention

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15 hours ago, gsxrpilot said:

I'd have probably failed that check ride :P

Mine was done in a Cherokee 140 that was barely IR itself... if we included the ADF and the egg timer stuck to the panel.

I failed my first check ride ...managed that feat within the first 5 min of the test....the Maule m5 had a single vor/ILS and a adf.Shortly after takeoff ,foggles on,outbound on the ODP...examiner gives an amended clearance to hold at a intersection (nonpublished)defined by two radials just 3 miles away ,while NOT established on either radial.I realized (panicked)I simply didn’t have time to ident the fix using a single vor receiver and instead of doing the obvious thing (ask for a vector to fix)I farted arround trying to get cross radials for a heading and blew right by the fix!Once I did that ..examiner asked to take foggles off and RTB.I think I complained at the debrief while examiner was writing my pink slip,hey doesn’t ATC usually give you at least a 5 min warning of an impending hold?He stated he had never heard of that..in retrospective,I think he thought I was a cowboy who needed taking down a peg when during the oral I mentioned landing on beaches in Baja with the Maule!Now a days..that same exercise would be trivial no matter how close to fix just by glancing down at the many moving maps we have on iPad,iPhone,d2 watch,any modern navigator,g500,aspen etc etc..it was different time back than.

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I have two friends who were full professors when they flunked the IR check ride.  Hope it isn't that way for me when the time comes.

The ADF in  my airplane was busted.  I could have replaced it for a working one for chump change off Ebay, thought about doing it.  Might have even asked here if I should.  I then learned what one had to do to carry out and ADF approach.  I promptly had the damn thing and its works taken the hell out of my aircraft.

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Nice write up.  Seems like a well prepared student. The checkride itself didn’t seem to dissimilar from mine.  Thorough and fair.  Had to demonstrate a DME arc and all the equipment in the plane I was flying. I do remember we were RTBing and had the engine stumble for no apparent reason so had to cut out the remainder of checkride (you passed, what are you going to do about this engine issue?).  We were close to home and VMC so just  stayed high and within glide.  My instrument cross country buddy - who’s a good pilot and is now flying the airlines- busted before he even really got started by not maintaining cloud clearance when VFR/VMC trying to push over a ridge with and overcast layer above.  He learned his lesson about ADM and went onto good things nonetheless. I really liked my DPE and had a lot of respect for him- you learned a ton about flying with him during your checkride, so it was like an ultimate flight lesson.   

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5 hours ago, bradp said:

 I really liked my DPE and had a lot of respect for him- you learned a ton about flying with him during your checkride, so it was like an ultimate flight lesson.   

That was to a tee my experience with my private check ride all those years ago.  Felt like the best lesson I ever got.  I love training, I hope I get put the $$$ together soon to do the IR.

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