I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I did it! Whoopee! Holy cow, I passed my Private Pilot Checkride! As of today, I am a duly certificated Private Pilot (ASEL). YEAH!!!
Okay, for the obligatory checkride story:
Got up early, downloaded the DUATS for my flight from San Diego to KLAS. Weather was a go, so I headed off to the airfield. Got there about 8:45, preflighted the steed, then started doing all the Nav Log calculations. Finished up those, filed an actual local flight plan, then got a brief for my planned cross country. The DPE showed up right on time at 11:00, and we went right to work. The oral went pretty well. He showed me a few things and I had to look up a few things, but I passed the oral. We took a short break while I got updated weather and pulled the plane onto the line.
After a passenger briefing, we started taxiing to the runup. He tried to engage me in conversation (I think to check my distraction avoidance), but I managed to stay on target. We did a short field takeoff, then checked into the cross country route. When we got over the practice area (right after my second checkpoint), he pulled the engine. I completed the engine out procedures and got us to a safe landing area, where we did a go around. After the go around, we climbed up to 2000 ft (1000 AGL) and did S-Turns across a road. We then climbed up to 3000 ft where we did IR turns to a heading. After that, three unusual attitude recoveries, then steep turns. First one to the left was great. Second, to the right, was awful. About 3/4 of the way around, as the nose was dropping and speed was about to exceed Va, I bailed out of the maneuver to avoid exceeding Va in a 45 AOB. I told him what I was doing and why (he said I shouldn't have bailed out, just corrected), then re-entered the maneuver after another clearing turn. Nailed the right hand steep turn, so we did IR turns to a heading. Next on the plate was dirty slow flight with 20 deg AOB turns, then straight into an approach stall. After I recovered the approach stall, I went straight into a departure stall (after a clearing turn). Once we finished stalls, he had me divert to SDM to do landings. I called the heading, distance, time, and fuel burn, then went into the pattern. First landing was short field, stop and go on the runway to a soft field takeoff. Next lap was a no-flap forward slip touch and go, then a short field landing touch and go. Throughout my landings, I was having trouble maintaining centerline (and I was landing a little flat), so he had me do one normal landing (T&G) maintaining centerline (which I managed to do, barely), then he demonstrated a nice precise well-flared landing (my ultimate goal). We then flew back to home base, where I made a straight in normal landing. Taxied back to the line, shut down.
Once I was shut down, he asked me if the checklist was done. When I reported yes, he said "Congratulations, give me your logbook and I'll meet you inside." HOLY COW! I PASSED!
Although not every maneuver went as well as I would have liked, I think my overall performance was satisfactory. While I definitely won't be flying left seat on a 777 anytime soon, I can manage to take my darling wife out for a flight without killing us both. As many have said, it's a license to learn.
Today 1.8 hrs.
Total 46.5
I am a pilot.
Okay, for the obligatory checkride story:
Got up early, downloaded the DUATS for my flight from San Diego to KLAS. Weather was a go, so I headed off to the airfield. Got there about 8:45, preflighted the steed, then started doing all the Nav Log calculations. Finished up those, filed an actual local flight plan, then got a brief for my planned cross country. The DPE showed up right on time at 11:00, and we went right to work. The oral went pretty well. He showed me a few things and I had to look up a few things, but I passed the oral. We took a short break while I got updated weather and pulled the plane onto the line.
After a passenger briefing, we started taxiing to the runup. He tried to engage me in conversation (I think to check my distraction avoidance), but I managed to stay on target. We did a short field takeoff, then checked into the cross country route. When we got over the practice area (right after my second checkpoint), he pulled the engine. I completed the engine out procedures and got us to a safe landing area, where we did a go around. After the go around, we climbed up to 2000 ft (1000 AGL) and did S-Turns across a road. We then climbed up to 3000 ft where we did IR turns to a heading. After that, three unusual attitude recoveries, then steep turns. First one to the left was great. Second, to the right, was awful. About 3/4 of the way around, as the nose was dropping and speed was about to exceed Va, I bailed out of the maneuver to avoid exceeding Va in a 45 AOB. I told him what I was doing and why (he said I shouldn't have bailed out, just corrected), then re-entered the maneuver after another clearing turn. Nailed the right hand steep turn, so we did IR turns to a heading. Next on the plate was dirty slow flight with 20 deg AOB turns, then straight into an approach stall. After I recovered the approach stall, I went straight into a departure stall (after a clearing turn). Once we finished stalls, he had me divert to SDM to do landings. I called the heading, distance, time, and fuel burn, then went into the pattern. First landing was short field, stop and go on the runway to a soft field takeoff. Next lap was a no-flap forward slip touch and go, then a short field landing touch and go. Throughout my landings, I was having trouble maintaining centerline (and I was landing a little flat), so he had me do one normal landing (T&G) maintaining centerline (which I managed to do, barely), then he demonstrated a nice precise well-flared landing (my ultimate goal). We then flew back to home base, where I made a straight in normal landing. Taxied back to the line, shut down.
Once I was shut down, he asked me if the checklist was done. When I reported yes, he said "Congratulations, give me your logbook and I'll meet you inside." HOLY COW! I PASSED!
Although not every maneuver went as well as I would have liked, I think my overall performance was satisfactory. While I definitely won't be flying left seat on a 777 anytime soon, I can manage to take my darling wife out for a flight without killing us both. As many have said, it's a license to learn.
Today 1.8 hrs.
Total 46.5
I am a pilot.
posted by Big Country at 4:26 PM
5 Comments:
Congratulations! And getting your private with just 46 hours is pretty remarkable, too.
Fly safely out there ...
Thanks!
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