By JOHN MAHANY
So you’re getting ready for a check ride. What do you need to know?
Your CFI should have been going over all of this with you. But, just in case, here is what you need to know — and do — to make that check ride successful.
Do you have a current copy of the FAA’s Airman Certification Standards (ACS)? Make sure you are proficient in all of the tasks and required maneuvers. You should be able to fly the maneuvers to within the ACS standards consistently.
Know the ACS. Period. Cover to cover. There is no excuse for not knowing this. Read the Preface. It explains what is expected. Review the ACS with your CFI. There should be no surprises!
You should also have a current copy of the FAR/AIM, and current charts, or if you are using an EFB, make sure it is current. ForeFlight frequently has updates.
Oral questions will likely be scenario based to gauge your understanding of the subject matter.
Remember the “KIS” rule when answering oral questions: Keep It Simple. Answers should be short and to the point. Do not elaborate, unless asked for more information.
If you don’t know the answer, don’t guess. Tell the DPE you don’t know, but you do know where to find the answer. Just don’t say this in response to questions too many times.
Have all the necessary forms completed, including the Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application (IACRA). Some CFIs are lax in this area. Print out a copy to take with you, just in case there are any glitches with a network connection where you are taking the check ride.
Do you have all the required endorsements for the rating or certificate you are applying for?
Also, do all your cross-country flights meet the distance requirements?
The requirement for five hours of solo cross-country time requires flights of more than 50 nm. In other words, at least 50.1 nm. 50.0 is not enough.
I have known some DPEs to check the distance on some “questionable” cross-country flights in a logbook to make sure they meet the requirements. Yep. Really. Read FAR 61.109 closely.
Are your written or knowledge test results still valid? They are only good for 24 calendar months.
Also, have you reviewed the questions that you missed with your CFI?
If this is your private pilot check ride, make sure your solo endorsement is current. Seriously. It’s kind of embarrassing if it has lapsed. And, yes, it has happened as a solo endorsement is only valid for 90 days.
Is your medical current? Even if you are on BasicMed, make sure it is current.
The DPE cannot begin the test unless all of these things have been checked.
PIC
Remember, you are the Pilot In Command (PIC). How are your aeronautical decision-making (ADM) skills? At the check ride there is no CFI to make the go or no/go decision.
And remember the PAVE (PIC, Aircraft, EnVironment, External Pressures) checklist for managing risk. It’s spelled out in Chapter 2 of the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK).
Keep in mind, a DPE is not only evaluating your piloting skills and knowledge, but also, more importantly, your judgment. Will you know when not to fly?
Do you have personal minimums? Your personal minimums may change with experience, as you gain confidence with your flying skills and knowledge. This is normal.
Try not to let your ego or emotions get in the way when you really should not fly. This is also known as “get-there-itis.” Far better to be conservative and err on the safe side and not go. This is all about risk management.
The DPE is looking to the future, wondering if you will be pressured to fly if the weather is marginal or by friends or family in a hurry to get somewhere. If the weather is marginal or otherwise not flyable, I strongly suggest that you have a Plan B — an alternate means of getting somewhere — such as postponing a trip, driving, or via airline.
In the case of your check ride, take the lead and talk to the DPE. Explain that the weather is not suitable and that you want to take the oral portion and reschedule the practical (flying) portion when the weather is better. This is showing good judgment.
If this happens, hopefully you won’t have to wait too long to reschedule the practical portion. But I’ve had some clients who had to reschedule the practical portion of the check ride several times due to weather.
Sometimes it happens and you just have to wait for better weather. This is all part of flying. Get used to it.
The Airplane
Make sure it has all the required documents. Use the ARROW acronym to remember:
A: Airworthiness Certificate
R: Registration Certificate
R: Radio Station License (only required for international flights)
O: Operating Limitations (such as weight and balance limits)
W: Weight and Balance Data
Are the logbooks in order? Are the airplane’s maintenance records complete and in order? Are the required airplane inspections complied with, including the annual, the pitot static, and the transponder? It would be embarrassing to show up for your long-awaited check ride and the airplane is out of annual.
If the airplane has had any modifications (STCs or 337s) done, or avionics have been upgraded, for example, is the required documentation in the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) supplements section?
Are the logbooks available for review? I’ve had clients who were surprised to discover they were missing some of the required documentation, for example, the weight and balance, so they could not take the flight portion of the check ride. It happens.
Do you know how to find, read, and understand the maintenance sign-offs? You should be able to find these. If possible, put post-it notes by the appropriate logbook pages.
An Unfamiliar Airport
Do not expect to fly to any of the airports you have been going to during your training. Nope. That would be too easy. Expect your DPE to ask you to flight plan to an airport that you have not flown to before. Maybe even a non-towered airport.
Since, after passing your check ride, you will be able to fly just about anywhere (depending on the airspace), the DPE will want to see your flight planning process for an airport that you haven’t been to.
What do you need to know? For instance, are the runways suitable? Are there any applicable NOTAMS or TFRs? What services are available, such as fuel or maintenance? And how and where do you find the information? If you have been well trained, this should not be a problem.
Also, once you have taken off on the flying portion of the check ride, the DPE might present a scenario in flight, requiring you to suddenly divert as you are flying and you will have to be able to decide “on the fly” where a suitable airport is to divert to and then promptly do everything necessary (checking the AWOS/ATIS, etc.) to divert and land.
And be prepared for anything.
For instance one busy Saturday in October 2024 there was a sudden runway closure due to a disabled airplane on the single runway at Camarillo Airport (KCMA), a busy airport in southern California. This required several airplanes that were en route to suddenly divert to another airport or hold VFR if they had enough fuel (that’s why you have reserve fuel right?), until the runway was reopened about 45 minutes later.
This is just a general overview and, hopefully, some good guidance to help you prepare for — and pass — your check ride. Depending on your circumstances, what you are flying, your location, etc., there might other things to consider.
The bottom line? Be prepared.
And good luck!
Fly safely.
John Mahany is an ATP/MCFI in Southern California. He has wide-ranging experience, including flying in South Central Alaska in the early 1990s. He owns a Cessna 150.
